CMA Fest: Five unforgettable moments from Thursday's triumphant return

After nearly three years of silence, CMA Fest picked up Thursday right where it left off — with a loud and rowdy party unlike any other.

Downtown Nashville overflowed with free shows, one-of-a-kind fan moments and overdue singalongs as more than 14 hours of music took hold of the city for opening day of the weekend event.

And after two seasons without this June gathering, it felt for some like summer finally returned to Music City.

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"Now it feels like Nashville looks like it's supposed to," country hitmaker Jason Aldean said late Thursday from his set at Nissan Stadium. "This is what June in Nashville is supposed to look like."

From Zac Brown Band jamming with Marcus King to Keith Urban closing down Nissan Stadium, read on for highlights from night one of CMA Fest 2022.

HARDY takes CMA Fest to 'God's Country'

HARDY's written ten No. 1 singles in his Nashville songwriting career. However, as a vocalist and performer, he was -- until 2022 -- in the throes of using his tireless, small-town work ethic to flesh out exactly what his star-making recipe would be as an artist.

Last year saw him release a cover of Puddle of Mudd's two-decade-old single "Blurry" that, alongside his HIXTAPE work and 2018's "Rednecker" started to highlight the architecture of his superstar aspirations. However, with the release of 2022's hyper-rock anthem "Sold Out," what occurred on Thursday afternoon on the Riverfront Stage's barge was born.

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HARDY's a fun-loving artist. However, he's not one, like Jimmie Allen, to pack copious amounts of witty stage banter in his live set. Instead, he's out to bludgeon beer and whiskey-swilling fans with hooks and choruses that double down on their loosened lips and social inhibitions.

Are you "Unapologetically Country As Hell" in "God's Country" while trying to avoid the wildness "One Beer" can lead to? That's as much a question as it is a list of three HARDY singles that were loudly received on the Riverfront Stage. Add in an appearance from country radio hit-maker Lainey Wilson (a fellow performer on the Cumberland River's floating barge) to his live set, and it was a loud, stunning, afternoon highlight.

Yes, the potential success of the HARDY/WALLEN '24 t-shirts his fans wear (an homage to his hit-making partnership with fellow Big Loud artist Morgan Wallen) may be debatable, but HARDY's turn of the 21st-century rock-inspired and hard-partying appeal is undeniable.

A day with Darius

Grammy Award-winning singer Darius Rucker stepped on stage at Nissan Stadium in a throwback Rolling Stones tour t-shirt, singing his 2009 chart-topper "Alright" before reminding onlookers of his one-of-a-kind croon with the mandolin-backed "Come Back Song."

"Ain't it great to be back in Nashville — in-person — seeing a show?" Rucker said. "Man, I love this weekend."

Rucker flashed a smile like he hadn't been on stage in months. But it wasn't even his first show of the day. Or second.

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The performance capped a day-long victory lap for Rucker, who kicked off festivities at the Spotify House inside Ole Red on Lower Broadway Thursday morning and stopped by the Gibson Garage hours before his stadium set for an acoustic performance.

"I've been playing the CMA Fest since 2009 and it's awesome to see you guys come together to have this party in this beautiful building," Rucker said, adding: "That's awesome to me."

And, of course, it wouldn't be a Rucker show without a little Hootie & The Blowfish (or a lot of "Wagon Wheel"). He delivered on both, performing 1990s rock staple "I Only Wanna Be With You" before later closing with his award-winning Old Crow Medicine Show cover.

Zac Brown Band takes Nissan Stadium 'to the limit'

In an interview before hitting the stage at Nissan Stadium, Zac Brown told the Tennessean that he has played 5500 shows in the past 22 years. The reason? "I still feel like I'm winning over live crowds, man. We don't get to open for acts too much anymore, so festivals like these let us connect with people who may only stream us, or aren't too familiar with our live show."

Country music's beloved traveling troubadours maintained that status with tracks like 2006's "Toes," causing -- as expected -- the 50,000-plus in attendance to break out in impromptu stadium seat dance parties.

However, most impressive was his cover of "Take It To The Limit," The Eagles' 1975 smash. His vocal performance both pleased and stunned a crowd not entirely sure of what to make of a current superstar making a play for a larger stake as a genre-shaping icon. When the set airs as part of ABC's August 3 "CMA Fest" special, it's worth watching.

Also, in a continuing trend from Billy Strings appearing at Marty Stuart's Wednesday evening Late Night Jam at the Ryman Auditorium, breakout guitarist Marcus King joined Brown to perform their 2021-released track "Stubborn Pride." King's solo floored an audience seemingly largely unaware of his road-developed instrumental prowess.

And yes, the set was bookended by his ever-reliable hits separated by just over a decade, 2008's "Chicken Fried" and 2021's "Same Boat."

Zac Brown Band's set, as noted by Nissan Stadium co-host Charlie Chase, was "special."

Jason Aldean delivers 'his kinda party'

2022's Academy of Country Music, iHeartRadio, and CMT Song of the Year award winner (with Carrie Underwood for the duet "If I Didn't Love You") Jason Aldean's solo CMA Fest performance showed he is engrossed by the third and wildly successful era of his two-decade-long country career.

"If you expected me to bring out guests, you're gonna be sad tonight," he offered as he swaggered into the Tennessee Titans' press room earlier Thursday evening. To that end, his live set was highlighted by solid takes on his 2010 hits "My Kinda Party" and "Dirt Road Anthem."

Physically, it appears he's decided to double down in the gym to elevate his delivery as a live performer. Since telling the Tennessean in April 2022 that he didn't expect to be here "in a trillion years," he's clearly making an effort to be ready to fulfill the expectations of continued unprecedented acclaim.

Aldean's looking at spending much of the rest of 2022 on the road. Thus, his 45-minute set at Nissan Stadium was a rocking dress rehearsal of what will likely transpire over two hours on stage in venues across America.

Notable also was the quality of his vocal performance. New single "That's What Tequila Does" (from the "Macon" half of now fully-released double-album "Macon, Georgia"), plus a solo, live piano-driven take of the previously-mentioned "If I Didn't Love You," sans Carrie Underwood (a 2021 Aldean live tour staple) were strong, comfortable, and in line with expecting album-quality work from the superstar.

Keith Urban makes up for missed years

Keith Urban described in two words what those who trekked cross-country — or further — likely felt when gates finally opened and music began pouring out of CMA Fest.

"We're back," Urban said during his night-closing set at Nissan Stadium.

He added, "I had the feeling you guys might’ve missed this whole thing as much as we did."

And much like those who traveled a far distance to fill the stadium seats, Urban spent his time on stage covering as much ground as possible from a career rooted in six-string exploration. He opened with guitar ripper "Days Go By" before soulful fan-favorite "Blue Ain't Your Color," dream-chasing anthem "Wild Hearts" and an unrestrained solo take on "You'll Think of Me."

On returning to CMA Fest, Urban told The Tennessean backstage before his performance: "The energy of this crowd is unlike anywhere. It’s such a unique moment. This week in Nashville, period, is unlike any other time in the city. This year especially, [after] having a two-year, pent-up absence. I can already feel it – everybody’s ready to make up for lost time."

Urban sent the crowd jumping — literally — with an extended take on 2002's Somebody Like You" before closing the 40-minute set with 2020 P!nk collaboration "One Too Many" and 2016 chart-topper "Wasted Time

"Oh my God," Urban said as his audience sang back "Somebody Like You" word-for-word. "We missed you."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMA Fest: Five unforgettable moments as festival returns to Nashville