CMA Fest took over Nashville this weekend, and it did not disappoint | Music City Minute

CMA Fest rolled into Music City once again, and between pop-up shows, surprise guests and a reunion four years in the making, country fans got one for the books. Thursday night at Nissan Stadium set the tone early when Jelly Roll made an unannounced appearance breaking his own promise not to perform in the current stadium until the new one opens next door. The Nashville native clearly couldn’t resist, delivering a fiery set to 60,000 screaming fans. But the biggest moment of the entire weekend came later that night when legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer took the mic and introduced Florida Georgia Line. Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard appeared on opposite sides of the stadium, singing “Round Here” as they made their way through the crowd before meeting on stage and sharing a long embrace. Tyler then grabbed the mic and said quote, “God is good. Life is short. And most importantly we back, baby.” The surprises kept rolling from there  Ella Langley joined Gretchen Wilson for a rowdy “Here for the Party,” Shaboozey brought out his good buddy and KYGO Birthday Bash artist Kevin Powers for a performance of “Move On,” Russell Dickerson pulled off one of the wildest crossover moments in CMA Fest history by bringing Fetty Wap to the Nissan Stadium stage, and Dan + Shay debuted an unreleased track called “She Believes in Me” at Brandon Lake’s Cowboy Church. Four days, a hundred surprises and one massive reunion — that was CMA Fest 2026.

I’m Brailey, and that’s your Music City Minute.