CMA Fest 2024 Final Night: 5 Top Moments

“Thanks for letting an Oklahoma boy get up and sing songs for y’all,” Flores told the crowd from the platform stage. The singer, who earlier this year released his new EP Half Life and is nominated for emerging artist of the year at the upcoming Americana Music Honors & Awards, ripped into his confessional, soul-searching songs during a too-brief, two-song set on the second stage. Flanked by guitar and fiddle players, he offered up the pensive “Please Don’t Go,” followed by lending his crystal-and-sandpaper voice to the self-reflective tune “Holes.”

Clad in a t-shirt emblazoned with the word “Lover,” Zimmerman brought a frenetic performance style to his CMA Fest set, pacing the massive stage from one end to the other, jumping down the steps to the side of the stage to get closer to the fans — all with a wide grin on his face. Added to this was his arsenal of songs including “Religiously,” “Fixin’ to Break” and his two-week No. 1 Country Airplay hit, “Where It Ends.”

“Let’s light this place up, CMA Fest!” he said, settling down momentarily for the intro strains of the heartbreak anthem ballad “Rock and A Hard Place.” It was clear that though Zimmerman made his first breakthrough via social media, his past few years touring with artists including Morgan Wallen have fashioned him into a self-confident performer equally comfortable with commanding a stage and guiding a stadium-sized crowd, or getting close to his audience making them feel his passion and joy that flowed through his entire performance.

As the song subsided, he paused to let the waves of applause wash over him, adding with gratitude, “In 2020, I was building gas pipelines and I had never sang before… From the day I moved into this town, all I saw was CMA Fest — that’s the place to be. To be there tonight means the world to me — it shows what hard work and believing in yourself can do for somebody.”

Sibling duo Brothers Osborne’s main stage set centered John Osborne’s masterful guitar playing and harmonies layered with TJ’s mountainous voice. They launched with “Break Mine,” before paying tribute to the late rock icon Tom Petty with “I Won’t Back Down,” featured on the upcoming album Petty Country. But the standout in their set was the duo’s own “Stay a Little Longer,” punctuated by John’s premium guitar prowess, as he stepped to the perimeter of the crowd and gave them an up-close look at his fleet-fingered fretwork. He ended the song by holding his guitar aloft as the crowd screamed their approval. They later turned their attention from rock icons to country mainstays, performing a version of Don Williams’ “Tulsa Time.”

Kentucky native and Grammy winner Pearce sauntered onto the Nissan Stadium stage with an arsenal of new music from her just-released new album. Hummingbird, centered by the signature twangy lilt in her airy-yet-earthy voice. She opened with songs from the new album — all informed by the traditional country sounds of her home state — including the cleverly-written “Rock Paper Scissors,” before turning to the barn burner “Truck on Fire.” Her songs and stories easily connected, particularly with any women who have had their hearts broken on songs including “Next Girl” and the always-stunning “What He Didn’t Do.” But it was her new music that highlighted her elevated songcraft.

From his first notes, Mississippi native HARDY sent the energy in the stadium soaring with a few new songs, including “Psycho” and “Six Feet Under,” both from his upcoming album Quit!! (July 12). But his closing CMA Fest set gained greater appreciation for the list of friends and fellow artists he welcomed to the stage. Twenty years ago, Big & Rich earned an inescapable hit with the quirky innuendo of “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.”

On Sunday night, HARDY — who has made his own boundary-breaking noise with his rock-country hybrid project The Mockingbird & the Crow — welcomed Big & Rich’s John Rich and Big Kenny to the stage, as they traded in energetic, rap-informed lyrics of the song that has proved an influence on country music and continues to get the crowd on its feet two decades on. HARDY continued what he called “the special guest portion of the show,” welcoming Lauren Alaina to join him on “One Beer.”

HARDY extended his cavalcade of guests by welcoming Carly Pearce back to the stage to sing Lainey Wilson’s part on the revenge ballad “Wait in the Truck” — a choice that allowed HARDY to put his full-bodied, soaring vocal howl on full display, as the song built into a full-fledged anthem. He closed down CMA Fest with a solo version of his Country Airplay chart-topper “Truck Bed.”