From Rascal Flatts to Megan Moroney, CMA Fest Night 3 was genius blend of new, nostalgic
One of the things CMA Fest does best is effortlessly bring together generations of country music.
But the festival outdid itself June 7. From Deana Carter's set full of songs exclusively from her debut album, to a pair of duets from Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins, to the Red Clay Stays in the midst of their breakout moment, the night's headliners proved again how timeless country music can feel.
Megan Moroney — bearing the influence of a summer on the road with Kenny Chesney — stood out. As did Dasha and Ashley Cooke who took over bars downtown during the day with early-2000s flavor.
The genre may be over a century old, but it's not worn out. Here are the best moments from Saturday at CMA Fest.
Plan your day: 4 Sunday CMA Fest performances not to miss
Rascal Flatts' return to country music's ultimate stage kicked into high gear when Gary LeVox approached the front of the stage to receive the outstretched hands of fans wanting to revel in his stunning lead vocal performance on their 20-year-old hit single "Fast Cars and Freedom."
The day's overarching theme of artists being as much friends as they are collaborators and fans of each others' success was apparent when Carly Pearce appeared as a guest for "My Wish."
The pair also perform the song on Rascal Flatts' new album, "Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets."
And yes, Rascal Flatts performed their multi-platinum-selling classics "What Hurts The Most" and their cover of Tom Cochrane's "Life Is A Highway."
"What Hurts the Most" received the most robust sing-along yet of CMA Fest's Nissan Stadium shows.
That was almost immediately eclipsed by how gleeful the crowd was in response to hearing the opening bassline and thumping drums of "Life Is A Highway."
The trio's performance, especially Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus going back to back on the song's bridge, put Nissan Stadium into a state of energetic euphoria.
Like a supermodel owning a catwalk, Megan Moroney strutted onto the stage in her white cowboy boots. The 27-year-old's confidence shined brighter than her sparkly silver dress refracting the stage lights. As Moroney twirled, the silver fringes hanging from her dress danced.
'I think it's time we put another man on the moon,' she sang and waved to the crowd before grabbing her blue electric guitar for her punchy, angsty anthem 'Indifferent.'
Moroney has played CMA Fest four times. In 2022, she headlined the Spotlight Stage at Fan Fair X.
'I'm pretty sure the only reason people came to see me was because of the A/C,' she quipped. That was back before she could afford a band. Her brother Brian Moroney played guitar. 'He's here tonight. … He's a really cool attorney in real life, but tonight he's a rock star.'
Brian played an acoustic guitar while she sang the breakout hit that put her on the map, 'Tennessee Orange.'
'We are celebrating tonight,' Moroney said telling the crowd that her final song, 'Am I Okay?' is her second No. 1 single on country radio.
Blake Shelton sauntered onstage at Nissan Stadium for his 2025 CMA Fest performance like country music's veteran quarterback looking to achieve a touchdown of a live set.
He did just that in under three songs with material from his latest album "For Recreational Use Only."
One month ago, Shelton landed his 30th country radio chart-topper, the R&B-leaning rocker "Texas." "Stay Country or Die Tryin'," which hearkens back to fan favorite "God's Country," feels like it will achieve the same fate.
Nearly 25 years have elapsed since he was, as he described himself, a skinny aspiring Nashville performer with a mullet whose debut hit "Austin" landed him a spot at CMA Fest.
After Shelton performed that classic, he was joined by Trace Adkins. The Louisiana native performed his Western dance floor favorite "Honkytonk Badonkadonk." Up next was Shelton and Adkins' six-year-old duet "Hell Right." The duo, clearly entertained by how well their vocal collaboration was received, then broke into their 15-year-old duet "Hillbilly Bone."
The creators of over two dozen No. 1 hits left the stage together to a rousing roar from the 50,000 in attendance.
Red Clay Strays lead singer Brandon Coleman evokes comparisons to Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.
Onstage at Nissan Stadium on Saturday evening, those vibes were combined with a band that calls to mind the bluesy, soulful rock of the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
In a 30-minute set, the lead singer and his band continued to raise their profile.
The words of their opening song, the lovestruck "Wondering Why," lingered over a crowd being introduced to the critically hyped Alabama band. Though they have less than a decade of experience, they play with confidence beyond their years.
In a live festival set, unrepentantly sad Red Clay Strays songs like "I'm Still Fine" with lyrics like, "I'm as bruised as a used up canvas / I'm awfully nice but I'm cold as ice / I've been through hell but I'll be alright," might seem out of place.
However, the warmth of the Hammond organs, the skill of Coleman's crooning and the taut delivery of soulful grooves allowed the artistry to overwhelm the message.
By time the band's settled into jam-band stylings, it felt like an ideal counterbalance in a night filled with generations of pop bangers.
Though it was drizzling outside at CMA Fest, inside Lower Broadway's Whiskey Bent Saloon, Dasha took over the venue for a "Dashville" pop-up.
She joined performers in a flash-mob-style line dance outside and then danced on top of the bar inside to Big & Rich's "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy," much like Piper Perabo in the 2000 film "Coyote Ugly."
The moments highlighted a certain pop timelessness that, now more than ever, is invading the space that streaming success has opened in country music's growth.
Couple that with her latest hit, "Here For This Party," being remixed by EDM kingpin David Guetta, and her recent public statements about collaborating with another 2010s pop-dance legend, Pitbull, Dasha could be onto something greater than her own artistry.
"It's special to be having a star-making moment when this cultural shift is happening," she said. "I'm obsessed with trusting the divine timing of this perfect moment. When these things are supposed to happen, they happen."
The divinity of the moment spread even further to Spotify House at Ole Red, where no fewer than 15 minutes after Dasha rekindled 2000s vibes on the bar at Whiskey Bent, 2024 country chart-topper Ashley Cooke welcomed a recent Music City transplant, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, to perform his 2006 hit "So Sick."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: From Megan Moroney to Rascal Flatts, CMA Fest captures new, nostalgic
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