CMA Fest 2026: Florida Georgia Line, Brandon Lake, Ella Langley & More Best Moments

While CMA Fest had no shortage of performances from hundreds of artists throughout its four-day span, Fan Fair X also served as a place for artists to speak directly to fans. On Sunday afternoon, Texas music was in the spotlight, as Kylie Frey, RaeLynn and Jenna Paulette joined host Amanda Kate Ferris to discuss building careers, branding and balancing careers and motherhood. The panel — titled Unbridled: Women of Texas Country, From the Ground Up — found them discussing the support, grit and business acumen required to build their own careers. “They are in the driver’s seat, they are the CEOs,” Ferris said.

RaeLynn discussed the importance of “figuring out what things are authentic to you and focusing on those things,” when it comes to branding. “I didn’t even know that was my branding until that was all I wanted to wear onstage…and I saw little girls coming to my shows in flowers in their hair and poufy dresses,” she added, and also recalled how she was proactive in reaching out early in her career to a favorite makeup brand, Too Faced. She reached out directly to the brand on social media, resulting in a brand partnership.

Paulette recalled an early meeting with a label, where she was asked by an exec if she was sure she wanted to wear a cowboy hat as an artist.

“I didn’t take the hat off, obviously. I really think it pushed me to be more myself,” she said, noting that now the Western/ranch look is popular due to shows like Yellowstone and Landman. “When Yellowstone became so cool, I was like I get to live that and write the nuance of that,” she said.

RaeLynn also noted that as they became mothers, they found ways to support one another, including sending around lists of must-haves for families on the road.

Throughout the years, the Nissan Stadium shows at CMA Fest are known to be fertile grounds for surprise performances, and this year was no exception. On Thursday night, Jelly Roll surprised the audience by showing up unannounced to do a full set, getting the crowd jamming along to “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” “Son of a Sinner” and “Liar.”

Referencing the time he spent as a teen in a juvenile detention center located close to the stadium, he marveled at going from that location to playing his hometown’s stadium a couple of decades later. “This is a lifetime dream come true for me,” he told the crowd.

Rumors began swirling early on during CMA Fest that a potential performance was in the works from Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard. The duo, known for their massive hits including “Cruise,” had rarely performed publicly together since they split four years ago (save for a brief reunion earlier this year during Country Radio Seminar to honor Jason Aldean). But on Thursday night (June 4), that dearth was ended during a surprise performance.

The two appeared at opposite sides of the stadium, and each walked through the crowd, singing their hit “‘Round Here,” before meeting in the middle of a satellite stage as fans roared their approval. From there, they performed their RIAA Diamond-certified hit “Cruise.” As they hugged each other after their performance, fans cheered at the reunion of one of country music’s biggest duos. During the brief set, Hubbard’s excitement was also evident as he yelled to the crowd, “We back, baby!”

Emily Ann Roberts brought a downhome, sparkly charm to her set at the Dr. Pepper Amp Stage on Sunday afternoon (prior to her set on the platform stage at Nissan Stadium later that evening). She launched with the bubbly “Whole Lotta Little” and songs including “Jack and Jill Daniel’s.” Clad in a yellow dress and an acoustic guitar emblazoned with imagery of the Blue Ridge Mountains, she chatted with the audience, told stories and offered up songs with her lilting country voice including “Pretty in Pink” and “Easy Does It.”

Outside music, Roberts is also known for her social media videos about gardening, canning, crocheting and curating her own outfits. The front rows had several die-hard Roberts fans showing off their own outfits. “I see little yeehaw meemaws down here,” Roberts said. She closed her set by sharing her gratitude, flipping her guitar over to show a “Thanks” message on it, similar to how late country artist Ernest Tubb did.

What was undoubtedly CMA Fest’s largest non-stadium show was spearheaded by a well-known Contemporary Christian Music artist. On Sunday morning, Brandon Lake took a massive crowd to ‘Cowboy Church’ at the Chevy Riverfront Stage. Lake performed at the Riverfront Stage last year during CMA Fest, and this year, the show’s popularity continued to gain momentum. Fans were lined up down the block before 9 a.m. on Sunday morning for the free show, which not only saw Lake lead the audience in many of his own hits such as “Gratitude,” but welcome CeCe Winans, Lainey Wilson and Dan+Shay to perform with him.

The Riverfront Stage quickly hit capacity and the show had to be livestreamed to two additional stages to keep up with the number of attendees. Legendary Gospel artist CeCe Winans joined Lake for “I Know A Name,” while Wilson appeared for their collab “The Jesus I Know Now.” Dan + Shay joined for an unreleased new song, “She Believes In Me.”

Lake is known for his hit Jelly Roll collab “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” but has steadily been releasing collabs with more country artists, including Bailey Zimmerman and Wilson. Lake wasn’t the only CCM artist who took the stage throughout CMA Fest this year; Leanna Crawford and Jamie MacDonald had their own sets, while Jo Dee Messina brought out Lauren Daigle during her set at Nissan Stadium.

Riley Green helped close out the final night of CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium on Sunday night. The crowd cheered from the moment he walked onstage and started his set by playing his signature duck call for the crowd. From there, he played uptempo hits including “Different ‘Round Here” and “There Was This Girl.” Though the Alabama native is known for his movie-star looks and laid-back charm, his stadium set reminded fans that he’s a singer-songwriter first.

He continued the set with a string of songs he wrote by himself, including the sultry “Worst Way,” “Don’t Mind If I Do” (he welcomed tourmate Hannah McFarland to join him on the song) and the fan-favorite “Jesus Saves.” “I wrote this about a guy I saw on the side of the road in Nashville, Tennessee,” he told the crowd. His set also included another fan-favorite, “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.”

Ella Langley showcased just why she’s dominating the charts and ascending to star status during her Nissan Stadium set on Thursday night. She launched her set with the title track to her new album, Dandelion, then segued into her newest hit “Be Her,” which seemed to draw an even larger crowd reaction than the set-closing performance of her smash hit, “Choosin’ Texas.”

This marked her second time playing Nissan Stadium, but she owned the stage with the ease of a veteran stadium performer, striding confidently and capturing the audience with a natural, easy rapport. She sailed through “You Look Like You Love Me” (sans Riley Green), and let the audience take over shouting the words to the flirty track. “So much has happened in just a year’s time,” Langley said, adding, “Whatever you want to do, believe that He can do it, believe that you can do it.” From there, she wrapped her set with “Loving Life Again” and “Choosin’ Texas.”

The Red Clay Strays turned in one of the most captivating performances during their Friday night Nissan Stadium set. They were backed by powerful background singers for the Gospel-soul of “Demons In Your Choir,” while lead singer Brandon Coleman’s commanding vocals took center stage on songs including “Walking Away.”

While other artists took the stage in jeans, Coleman upped the ante, performing in a crisp suit, complementing the band’s throwback-inspired sound. They also showcased songs from their newly-released album Grateful including “If I Didn’t Know You” and “Down South,” which Coleman told the crowd was inspired by “being gone on tour too long and missing home.” The band’s blend of grizzled-rock, country and soulful Gospel offered something distinctive amid the more contemporary country sounds that defined much of the stadium’s lineup.

Throughout the years, the Nissan Stadium shows at CMA Fest are known to be fertile grounds for surprise performances, and this year was no exception. On Thursday night, Jelly Roll surprised the audience by showing up unannounced to do a full set, getting the crowd jamming along to “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” “Son of a Sinner” and “Liar.”

Referencing the time he spent as a teen in a juvenile detention center located close to the stadium, he marveled at going from that location to playing his hometown’s stadium a couple of decades later. “This is a lifetime dream come true for me,” he told the crowd.