CMA Fest: CoJo delivers blistering set, Luke Bryan takes it (and shakes it) home on Night 2

CMA Fest is back for day two.

Thousands of country music fans have swarmed downtown Nashville to see over 300 artists on nine stages.

The weather is is hot, but sunny and should make for an excellent day of music.

CMA Fest 2024 full schedule: Here's who's playing when and where in Nashville this weekend

CMA Fest 2024: Nashville guide — from free concert stages to how much does it cost and more

Follow along for updates on the biggest artists and all things CMA Fest.

Luke Bryan closes out night two at Nissan Stadium with midnight set

“Y’all ready to party on a Friday night?,” Luke Bryan said as he strutted onstage, sporting a flannel, jeans and a baseball cap.

He kicked off with song “That's My Kind of Night,” shouting to the Nissan crowd, “This is my kinda night, Nashville!”

Bryan gyrated and danced to the 2013 song, starting his midnight set off with a burst of energy.

“This is the first Friday night I’ve played at CMA Fest in a long time,” Bryan said. “And I feel amazing and I’m ready to have some fun with the greatest country music fans in all the world, you guys.”

After asking the audience if they like to hunt and fish, Bryan performed his outdoorsy anthem, “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day.” Complete with rockin’ banjo and an electric guitar solo, Bryan played the keys, guitar and even took a shot mid-jam session.

On song “Play It Again,” Bryan and the crowd finished off with a call and response style a cappella version of the last chorus.

And toward the end of his set, Bryan sang his boot-stomping 2013 hit, “Country Girl (Shake It for Me).”

The crowd-pleaser had everyone singing along, “Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees…Country girl, shake it for me, girl / Shake it for me, girl, shake it for me.”

Bryan finished the night, appropriately, with “I Don’t Want This Night To End.”

Tomorrow night, the show goes on.

Cody Johnson delivers a 'real deal' superstardom-entrenching performance

"He's the real deal, a real damn cowboy and a real damn Texan," stated CMA Fest co-hosts Jelly Roll and Ashley McBryde before Sebastapol, Texas native Cody Johnson took to the Nissan Stadium stage for yet another year.

Though five years into jumping from road-worn independent renown to mainstream country superstardom, songs like 2023 "Leather" album track "That's Texas" and five-year-old "Ain't Nothin' to It" single "Long Haired Country Boy" sound like they've been in country's multigenerational songbook since at least when Charlie Daniels released "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" 45 years ago.

"Seven men are pouring their heart and soul into this music," stated Johnson about the earnest work of his longtime touring band, The Rocking CJB.

Not but a minute after making that statement, Jelly Roll, an artist and man Johnson noted earlier in the day at CMA Fest's Spotlight Stage, was "an (unlikely) friend (he'd learned) to admire and respect because of his moral fabric — and love of classic and modern country music," joined him for their "Leather" album collaboration "Whiskey Bent."

Couple those moments with a follow-up of his current country radio single "The Painter" — about how important his wife of nearly 20 years, Brandi, is to his life — and who Johnson is, at present, emerges:

He's at peace with the life his current success, which is growing from the least-anticipated to the most-wanted variety, allows him to experience.

Thus, his sing-along-enhanced performance of set closer "Til You Can't" was as much a catharsis as it was a celebration shared with tens of thousands.

Little Big Town drops in for surprise performance of ‘Girl Crush’

After Ballerini left the stage, Little Big Town dropped in for a surprise performance.

The group sang their hit “Girl Crush” as the stadium lights shone pink and fans waved their phone flashlights.

Backed by harmonies, Karen Fairchild delivered powerful vocals. She sang the final refrain with the crowd, crooning, “I’ve got a girl crush / Hate to admit it but / I got a heart rush / It ain't slowin' down.”

In August, Little Big Town will be dropping a “Greatest Hits” album to mark their 25th anniversary as a band.

Kelsea Ballerini's uniquely confident stardom inspires sing-along excitement from Nissan crowd

Kelsea Ballerini entered the Nissan Stadium stage to a triumphant ambiance as it was awash in purple lights: an artist entering a new chapter defined by confident, main character energy.

Her first song?

"Rolling Up The Welcome Mat" album breakup anthem "Mountain With A View."

Similar to the stripped, "healed" version of "Rolling Up The Welcome Mat" tracks "Penthouse and "Blindsided," on record, "Mountain With A View" sounds like quiet yet strong encouragement. After filling her first arena show at nearby Knoxville's Thompson-Bolling Arena in Nov. 2023, it sounds like a bombastic, fully evolved anthem of freedom.

Calling her set a brief journey through a decade of her work, she celebrated the tenth anniversary of her debut single "Love Me Like You Mean It."

2016's "Yeah Boy" was met with squeals of joy from Ballerini's fanbase. If they're 21 as she turns 30, they were newly teenaged and singing pop-country songs about drinking wine with boys wearing blue jeans and ball caps.

Now that Ballerini and her core fanbase are all legally able to drink, that song being followed by "Hole In The Bottle" was as much an opportunity for the performer to sip a glass of red wine onstage as it was to play her bluegrass-inspired and honky-tonking hit.

Speaking of bluegrass, her East Tennessee roots and strong songwriting skills benefit making IF YOU GO DOWN (I’M GOIN’ DOWN TOO) not just feel like an "unhinged" throwaway," but a crowd-beloved, sing-along set closer that earned one of the night's loudest ovations.

New-to-the-country-scene singer Dasha shines

Dasha will be marking Nashville’s Nissan stadium and CMA Fest as a milestone in her just-taking-off music career.

The Warner Records singer became famous after her hit “Austin” lit up TikTok and social media in a line dancing firestorm.

“Oh my goodness this is so huge,” the singer said in reference to her first stadium arena performance. “I wrote this song last year and it changed my life.”

Dasha performed a new tune, “Didn’t I” before jumping into her song “Austin” which garners millions of clicks by the day.

Jon Pardi's brings on a special guest

Oh hey Clint Black! As part of Jon Pardi’s electric set, the country singer brought out the country legend to commemorate 35 years since Black released “Killin’ Time.”

“We got a special guest I’m going to bring out. Is that cool?” Pardi asked to an excited crowd. “We all grew up with this. The legend of country music. I don’t know what else to say. Clint Black, you coming out here?”

The song came fourth in Pardi’s line-up of “Your Heart Or Mine,” “Heartache on the Dance Floor” and “Last Night Lonely.”

“Legend!” Pardi roared after the song thanking Black. “A legend right there.”

The country singer led a “wreck me” performance with a pelvis thrust to his song “Night Shift,” danced in the pit for “Dirt On My Boots” and closed with his classic love song “Head Over Boots.”

“I want to send this out to all the lovebirds in the crowd,” Pardi said. “If you’ve got a spot to dance, this is for you.”

Parker McCollum unveils new music in Nissan set

Parker McCollum hit the stage after Gretchen Wilson sang her heart out on “Redneck Woman.”

The 31-year-old singer-songwriter, known for hits “Pretty Heart” and “Burn It Down,” walked onstage wearing a black Lucchese hat, gold chains and a black CMA shirt that said “made by music.”

“God bless country music. Man, how cool is this right here?,” he said, shouting out his hometown of Conroe, TX.

He started his set with the longing tune, “To Be Loved by You,” and went into “Handle On You.”

Later in his set, McCollum told the audience he was about to do something “kinda crazy” since it’s CMA Fest. He played his new, unreleased song, “Big Ol’ Fancy House.”

A moody country-rock ballad, McCollum lamented the loneliness of living alone in an empty, nice house.  He sang, “In this big ol' empty house / It’s just eating me alive…. In this big ol’ fancy house / Bunch of fancy cars.”

“I will remember this night for the rest of my life,” McCollum told the crowd, saying it doesn’t get much better than singing at Nissan Stadium.

He ended his set with his 2023 song, “Burn It Down,” getting up close to his fans and singing the last chorus with a powerful, emotive belt.

Among red lights, he cried, “Burn it down 'til I don't want you no more / Baby, burn it down.”

Gretchen Wilson opens Saturday night CMA Fest

Yee Haw! Gretchen Wilson is still getting a big “hell yeah” 20 years to the day after releasing her massively successful song “Redneck Woman.”

In a blank tank, black cowboy boots and designer ripped dreams, the 50 year old singer rocked Nissan Stadium as the Friday night show opener.

“Hello CMA Fest, it feels so good to be back here after all these years,” she roared after starting with “Here for the Party.”

“Thank you so much for sticking with me,” Wilson said. “Hey, I’ve got a new song coming out Friday night, ‘Little Miss Runner-Up.’ It’s a sequel to a song I wrote awhile ago called ‘Homewrecker.’ We’re gonna play that one for you right now.”

The rugged scratch of Wilson’s lower registry of “Work Hard, Play Harder” and piercing high notes of “Redneck Woman” smoothly echoed through the stadium showing two decades of being a brand name country star.

“I’m not ready for this to be over yet,” Wilson said before ending on her classic song. “I do have to ask you one question before I get out of here: Do we have any rednecks in the crowd?”

Lady A takes break from CMA Fest to help restore Murfreesboro home

Grammy-winning trio Lady A paused CMA Fest activities to help replace windows, siding and build an outdoor railing at a Murfreesboro couple's Friday.

Christine and James Mitchell, who are 89 and 90 have been unable to keep up with maintenance on their home as they've grown older.

A group of volunteers including Lady A were able to restore some beauty to the couple's home.

The project is led by Cornerstone Building Brands' Home for Good program and Habitat for Humanity.

Dustin Lynch's 'Pool Situation' returns, more popular than ever

Judging by his fans lined down John Lewis Way, the sophomore edition of multiple-time country chart-topping Grand Ole Opry member Dustin Lynch's "Pool Situation" event at downtown Nashville's Margaritaville Hotel was at least twice as popular the second time around.

Aside from being the artist behind his latest album, "Killed The Cowboy" (featuring Jelly Roll collaboration "Chevrolet") and songs including "Small Town Boy" and the Mackenzie Porter duet "Thinking 'Bout You," he may be mainstream country's shrewdest customer at understanding the line between wild celebrations and their corporate marketing potential.

Unlike years past, the "Pool Situation" was a free and open-to-the-public event.

"It's enjoyable to realize that celebrations like the 'Pool Situation' are growing from something fun during CMA Fest to be a part of what could be my legacy as an artist," Lynch said.

He's learned much as a frequent participant in Luke Bryan's decade-old "Crash My Playa" event in Quintana Roo, Mexico. However, in Las Vegas and Nashville, he's successfully blended hotel pools, DJs and impromptu-feeling live band sets for a potent party mix.

At Margaritaville, Lynch's Pool Situation hits best. The recently passed Jimmy Buffett's hotel chain embodies lazy afternoons at five o'clock aided by tequila-based concoctions.

It's an ideal fit for what his art and brand have embodied and what that can more broadly encompass in the future.

"People from all over the world are traveling to a hotel in Nashville because as much as they love my music, they love the lifestyle it embodies, too. The "Pool Situation" allows me to work within myself and not chase something left-of-center to evolve my career as country music's mainstream continues to get crowded with superstar artists," says Lynch.

"My fanbase, and country's fanbase, in general, are attracted to the same types of natural connections that make people do everything — when thinking about Nashville and country music (at large) — from coming to CMA Fest, to dropping a tip in a tip jar on Lower Broadway or buying a ticket to a concert at Bridgestone Arena."

Chevy Riverfront Stage at capacity, gates closed

The gates at the Chevy Riverfront Stage closed around 3:20 p.m. because the stage is at capacity, festival organizers posted on social media.

The stage is highlighted by a 1 p.m. performance by Breland.

Good Molecules Reverb Stage at capacity, gates closed

The gates to get to the Good Molecules Reverb stage have been closed because the stage is at capacity, festival organizers said.

Shaboozey is set to play at 1:35 p.m.

The gates will be reopened when possible, they said.

An officer near the stage, when asked if this is the first stage they've closed gates, told a Tennessean reporter "there hasn’t been anyone else this big on this stage."

Kelsea Ballerini talks coffee, music and 'The Voice' at CMA Fest

Kelsea Ballerini is giving Dolly Parton a run for her money on projects announced during CMA Fest.

At a rooftop brunch, Ballerini shared her new coffee line and some donuts with the crowd while discussing her next album and judging gig on “The Voice.”

While Ballerini didn’t divulge when her new album — inspired by personal growth and learning what love looks like for her — would drop, she promised it would be later this year.

Ballerini will start shooting episodes of the popular singing competition next month, she said.

“I'm very excited. It's such a new thing for me. It's very outside of my comfort zone and I am really nervous, but really excited because its a whole new world and opportunity and I feel like I've learned so much over the last 10 years and I'm really excited to be able to hopefully help out. I start that next month."

Cody Johnson connects, grows fanbase in CMA Fest Spotlight Stage appearance

A decade ago, CMA award-winning and Billboard chart-topping artist Cody Johnson was, like many independent Texas artists, still playing the equivalent of a concert every other day, every year.

He played 75 percent fewer dates in 2023, with minimally 150% more acclaim.

The value of remaining fervently tied to an independent mindset while pursuing mainstream success was one of many topics he broached in an hour-long conversation with CMT and SiriusXM's Cody Alan at a capacity-packed CMA Fest Fan Fair X Spotlight Stage at Music City Center.

Notably, too, he spoke of his burgeoning friendship with CMA Fest Nissan Stadium show co-host Jelly Roll. The idea that Johnson, a former prison guard and Jelly Roll — a former felon — could be friends, seems unusual. However, both artists have matured from being what the "Leather" album artist noted was being "wild kids kid with big egos who partied around bad influences, to being friends who admire and respect each other's redeveloped moral fabric and code, plus have an abiding love of classic and modern country music.

Speaking of "Leather," its album track "The Painter" is an ode to Brandi, his wife of 17 years. He joked that when a three-legged dog he once owned, Willie, met Brandi, he bit her in the leg.

Roughly a month after they started dating, Willie passed away.

"I joked that Willie died of a broken heart — she didn't find it funny," Johnson deadpanned.

After telling that story — one he's never divulged on a microphone — he added a few notes regarding his evolving business acumen, involving having his signature hat being Resistol's current best-selling brand, plus having a Wrangler shirt line coming soon.'

"I'm probably gonna be doing this at 90 like Willie Nelson," Johnson stated.

Another deadpan answer.

However, this one was entirely serious.

Can I still buy CMA Fest tickets?

Yes and no.

Some events for Friday and the weekend are already sold out at Nissan Stadium Stage, CMA Close Up Stage, Ascend Amphitheater and the CMA Spotlight Stage, but there are still some tickets available online for purchase at cmafest.com/tickets.

And there are also plenty of free areas to catch some music this weekend as well. Find out more here.

Top picks for Friday at CMA Fest

Outside of the evening's slate of performers at Nissan Stadium, here are the acts you can't miss Friday during CMA Fest.

10:45 a.m. - noon

• Fan Fair X — Cody Johnson's in conversation with CMT and SiriusXM's Cody Alan at the CMA Close-Up Stage. The Texas native's independent-to-mainstream evolution now includes regular chart-topping and award-nominated appearances in country music. His most recent album, "Leather," could be his best yet. He's also sold out Music City's Bridgestone Arena plus can count work alongside artists including Terri Clark, HARDY, Jelly Roll and Reba McEntire in his catalog of work. If you're playing at home, that's two CMA Award-winners, a Grammy nominee and a Grand Ole Opry member in the past two years.

  • Couldn't make it into Fan Fair in time, looking for someone to check out (and it's not raining)? Chris Housman is a CMT and mTheory Equal Access Program grantee in 2024. Alongside the continuing success of his COVID-19 quarantine era breakout "Blueneck," he's also gaining renown for his latest single, "Guilty As Sin." Kansas-born and a 90s and 2000s-era country fanatic, he's also one of Nashville's better total package artists. Also proudly a member of the queer community, his take on the genre's traditional themes is as solidly inclusive as it is ear-warming.

12:15 - 1 p.m.

• Riverfront Stage — Alana Springsteen is a songwriter's songwriter under the age of 25 but with over a decade of Nashville experience. Her work is already co-signed by the likes of Luke Bryan and Chris Stapleton. Regarding the latter, her Stapleton collaboration "ghost in my guitar" could've easily been one of 2024's under-the-radar but well-worth-hearing mainstream country performances. She's entering a much less melancholic season of her life, but the type of performance that earned her a standing ovation at Nissan Stadium during 2023's CMA Fest could easily occur again at the Riverfront Stage.

  • Yes, we know. Riverfront Stage gets filled QUICKLY. If that's the case, CMT's Next Women of Country will be featuring Tanner Adell, Mae Estes, Kylie Frey, Emily Ann Roberts, and Tigirlily Gold at 12:30 p.m. June 7 in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's CMA Theater.

1:30 - 2:15 p.m.

• Reverb Stage — Shaboozey's platinum-selling and chart-topping breakout success is likely a surprise to many — but not to the decade-long veteran and native of Washington, D.C.'s suburbs. "The Bootcut Kid"'s latest album, "Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going" is a week old. Come for "Tipsy," but stay for "Annabelle," "Vegas" and the album's sleeper hip-hop and pop crossover track "Drink Don't Need No Mix." If looking for the "super lit" mid-afternoon party that someone in your CMA Fest crew is always desperately seeking, this could be it.

Post Malone surprises Nissan Stadium crowd and brings out a friend

Post Malone further cemented his place as a countrified superstar Thursday night, as he shocked a crowd numbering into the tens of thousands with a surprise appearance at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest's first night.

And he brought a friend to the party.

Solo, on the field-level Spotlight Stage, the chart-topping pop performer played a version of his Morgan Wallen duet "I Had Some Help."

Then, in a double surprise, while discussing his forthcoming debut country album, Malone brought one of his album's collaborators, 20-time chart-topping Grand Ole Opry member Blake Shelton, to the stage.

The tandem sang their unreleased duet, "Pour Me A Drink."

The two continued the party across the river, where Malone performed an acoustic set at Shelton's Ole Red bar during a Spotify House pop up event. Malone covered George Strait, Vince Gill and reprised his duet with Shelton as the latter's wife, Gwen Stefani, looked on.

Highlights from CMA Fest Day 1

Dolly Parton proved she's a woman who keeps working '9 to 5.' During Fan Fair X, she announced a laundry list of projects to include a Nashville hotel, museum, wine line and the name of her Broadway musical.

Lynyrd Skynyrd rounded out Thursday's performances at the Nissan Stadium Main Stage. Reyna Roberts, Craig Morgan, Jordan Davis, Ashley McBryde, Shaboozy and Thomas Rhett also performed.

Surprises and star power: 5 unforgettable moments from CMA Fest's first day

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMA Fest 2024: Cody Johnson and Luke Bryan take it home on Night 2