'CMA Best Of Fest': Kelsea Ballerini, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Joan Jett and Eric Church rock our world
The 'CMA Best Of Fest' kicked off on Monday night, July 14 on the ABC network, as the Country Music Association decided to make up for the loss of the 2020 CMA Fest with a celebration of its storied history, culture and traditions. The annual music festival has been thrilling audiences in Nashville since 1972, so this retrospective country music showcase aimed to look back at some of the best televised performances from the CMA Fest over the years. As the host Luke Bryan reminded us while standing in the Nissan Stadium, the night was not just to relive the music and memories from the CMA Fest, but it also served to remind us that we would all be enjoying live music once again in the near future.
There were plenty of jaw-droppingly good performances on tonight's program, and Kelsea Ballerini was one of the stars who really impressed. The stunning talent performed her hit 'Yeah Boy' from the 2017 CMA Fest along with her acoustic guitar, and it certainly got the TV viewers as excited as the audience who were watching it live back then. One fan tweeted, "Yeah, boy? You mean yeah, girl!!! Get it @KelseaBallerini" A fan also posted an "I love this song!" gif along with the caption "Whenever Kelsea sings literally anything #CMAfest." Another longtime fan declared, "Who says you can’t go to a concert in your own living room? I love you Kelsea!" Other fans were also getting nostalgic, saying "I miss you so much @KelseaBallerini #CMAfest".
Next up was Jason Aldean, who came ready to rock our socks off with his hit 'She's Country' from the 2015 CMA Fest. His energetic performance had viewers enthralled, as they exclaimed, "@Jason_Aldean always knows how to ROCK! #CMAfest." Another fan tweeted, "Rockin out with @Jason_Aldean tonight!"
Next up, we were treated to a performance by country music star Carrie Underwood and rock music icon Joan Jett at the 2019 CMA Fest. The powerful duo gave us incredible renditions of the latter's hits, 'I Hate Myself For Loving You' and 'I Love Rock and Roll', which really electrified the crowd.
One fan whooped, "Joan Jett performed I Love Rock ‘N Roll on the CMA fest and my soul is happy! #CMAfest" while ABC themselves declared, "Watching @carrieunderwood + @joanjett has us starry-eyed!"
The most rock-worthy performance was yet to come, as Eric Church and Lzzy Hale also gave us an intense and gritty performance of their hit 'That's Damn Rock n Roll' from the 2014 CMA Fest. Fans were enthralled by their performance, saying "That's how you 'Rock and Roll' 'Church' style!" Another viewer tweeted, "This #CMAfest performance sealed the deal in 2014 #ThatsDamnRockNRoll." Another fan concluded, "One of the most epic #CMAfest performances ever, in my opinion." Suffice it to say, the country music fans got a full serving of rock n roll tonight!