14-time CMA Awards winner, Miranda Lambert brought the star power to the stage during her electrifying set at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest.
In addition to treating fans to performances of some of her biggest hits, Lambert also joined forces with three surprise special guests.
Elle King
Elle King took a break from her co-hosting duties to join Lambert for a performance of their chart-topping duet, “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).” The performance added to the party vibes of the festival and had fans singing along around the entire stadium.
Leon Bridges
Just days after releasing their buzzed-about new duet, Lambert and Leon Bridges shared the stage for a mesmerizing performance of their heartfelt ballad, “If You Were Mine.”
Fans watched in awe as Lambert’s Texas twang flawlessly blended with Bridges’ soulful vocals as they sang, “I’d make sure your stars are shining/ Sure as the Frio’s winding/ I’d bottle you up like lightning/ I’d rope the moon for you/ A million times/ That’s what I’d do/ If you were mine.”
Avril Lavigne
Capping off the surprises during Lambert’s set was special guest Avril Lavigne. The pop/punk princess joined the country superstar for performances of “Kerosene” and “Sk8er Boi,” sending Nissan Stadium into an absolute frenzy.
Lambert is no stranger to CMA Fest. In fact, she’s been attending the festival for years, even before she moved to Nashville to chase her dreams.
“We used to come to CMA Fest as a family vacation, to get as close as we could to the artists I admired,” Lambert previously Music Mayhem. “It was so inspiring to me as a young girl chasing this dream, and it’s still surreal to think about going from those trips to playing Nissan Stadium now.”
CMA Fest 2023
The three-hour CMA Fest special was hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King, and Lainey Wilson and aired on ABC on Wednesday, July 19.
Dubbed “the music event of summer,” the special featured 30+ performances and surprise collaborations from some of Country music’s hottest stars, including Alabama, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Leon Bridges, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Vince Gill, HARDY, Tyler Hubbard, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Avril Lavigne, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker, Tanya Tucker, Keith Urban, and Lainey Wilson.
CMA Fest marked its 50th Anniversary with a record-breaking celebration in Nashville, June 8 through June 11.
50th Anniversary of CMA Fest
The four-day event hosted an estimated daily attendance of over 90,000, a 12% increase from 2022, according to the Country Music Association. Additionally, the nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium saw 10% growth from 2022.
The festival also hosted fans from all 50 states as well as a record-breaking 51 countries.
“What a weekend! As we’ve spent the past year reflecting on this milestone celebration, one theme has persisted—the incredible connection between Country Music fans and the artists,” Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer, shared in a statement. “It’s magical because it still matters after all these years. From first-timers to legends, so many artists started as fans—some as far back as Fan Fair. Almost every artist who performs during the festival has had their own experience as a fan, so for many of them, taking the stage at CMA Fest is a full-circle moment. We only get the chance to celebrate our 50th anniversary once, and to do so in such an impactful way has meant the world to us. Thank you, Country Music!”
More than 300 acts took part in CMA Fest this year, including performances at the Chevy Riverfront Stage, Dr Pepper Amp Stage, Chevy Vibes Stage, Maui Jim Reverb Stage and the Hard Rock Stage as well as Fan Fair X inside Music City Center.
