CMA Fest: Last News

Dierks Bentley and Elle King will be joined by Lainey Wilson as the trio cohosts the upcoming CMA Fest summer concert special, airing Wednesday, July 19 on ABC, the Country Music Association announced on Monday. The three-hour primetime event will be filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, during CMA Fest's milestone 50th anniversary, scheduled for June 8-11. This year also marks the 20th consecutive year that CMA has produced a summer concert TV special. «I could not be more excited to welcome Dierks, Elle and Lainey as our hosts this year,» said CMA Chief Executive Officer Sarah Trahern in a statement.

accused of promoting violence with his latest song “Try That in a Small Town,” which includes the inflammatory lyrics: “Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that s–t might fly in the city, good luck / Try that in a small town.”Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, brought attention to the lyrics in a tweet posted Sunday night, in which she said the song is “about how [Aldean] and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns.”Watts also pointed out that Aldean “was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more.”The music video for “Try That in a Small Town” — which sees Aldean performing in front of a courthouse known for lynchings — was pulled from CMT programming following the backlash..@Jason_Aldean – who was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more – has recorded a song called “Try That In A Small Town” about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns. pic.twitter.com/hWGdEgS33vThe video was released on Friday, July 14, and played on CMT through the morning music video hours on Sunday, July 16, according to Billboard.While Watts’ tweet came later that same Sunday, the news of the removal broke on Tuesday, and upon hearing about it, she tweeted: “Proud to have had a hand in getting CMT to reject this racist and violent song.”Despite the video being pulled from CMT, ABC still decided to air a pre-taped performance of Aldean’s song as part of its CMA Fest concert special Wednesday.

Jason Aldean's performance of his controversial song will be televised.ET has learned that the CMA Fest special, which will air Wednesday on ABC, will feature the 46-year-old singer's June performance of «Try That in a Small Town.» It will not, however, feature any footage from the song's music video.Aldean's performance was recorded during CMA Fest, which took place in Nashville last month, before the July 14 release of his music video.TMZ was first to report the news.Controversy around the song began swirling with the release of Aldean's music video, with some critics describing the tune as tone-deaf and divisive, and calling it out for its pro-gun lyrics.The music video, which was shot at the Maury County Courthouse, the site of the 1927 lynching of Henry Choate, also caught heat for including clips of protestors vandalizing cities in the wake of police brutality and racial unrest during the height of the pandemic.One of the most vocal critics was Sheryl Crow, who tweeted of the video, «I'm from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.

Jelly Roll couldn't be more grateful for his friends in the country music industry.ET's Rachel Smith spoke to the 38-year-old singer at CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee over the weekend, where he gushed over his relationship with Lainey Wilson and shared the significance of performing in front of his hometown crowd.«It has been awesome dude. I think that’s been the cool thing, I have friends in country.

Old Dominion frontman Matthew Ramsey is still on the mend after a painful ATV accident in March. However, he's managed to ditch the cane as he heals up.Ramsey — alongside bandmates Geoff Sprung and Brad Tursi — spoke with ET's Rachel Smith during Day 2 of CMA Fest 2023 at Nissan Stadium in Tennessee over the weekend, and he opened up about about going sans cane, and if that means he's full recovered.«Yeah, I'm standing,» Ramsey said smiling, quickly adding that, due to being accident prone in general, he's «never been 100 percent.»Ramsey took to Instagram in March to inform fans that he «was in an ATV accident that has left my pelvis fractured in three places.» Subsequently, the band was forced to postpone several planned concerts.«I'm still doing some physical therapy, yeah.

Carly Pearce is feeling good following her breakup with Riley King.Pearce, 33, and King, 27, called it quits after two years of dating, earlier this month. The former couple first debuted their relationship in 2021, just over a year after Pearce filed for divorce from country singer Michael Ray, 35.«Yes, things didn’t work out,» King told  on Wednesday.

Elle King loves love!ET's Rachel Smith spoke to the country singer at CMA Fest Thursday, where she shared why she loves officiating weddings at the yearly festival and performing first dance songs.«I was already ordained. I did a full ministry tour.

Lainey Wilson absolutely adores Jelly Roll. The country crooner recently collaborated with him for a live performance of his song «Save Me» at the 2023 ACM Awards, and she has nothing but praise for the celebrated artist.«Ooh, I love me some Jelly Roll,» Wilson exclaimed while speaking with ET's Kevin Frazier and Rachel Smith at Nissan Stadium in Tennessee on Thursday, ahead of this year's CMA Fest, which she's hosting.Reflecting on her appreciation for the singer, Wilson explained, «He's got a story to tell, and I'm so thankful that he is in country music.»«I mean, that's what it's about,» she added excitedly.