CMA Fest 2024 updates: Carly Pearce, Bailey Zimmerman, HARDY close the weekend in style

The final day of CMA Fest has arrived, and it might be off to a soggy start.

Sunday shows a 40% chance of rain stretching through late afternoon and a high temperature of 81, so plan accordingly.

Rainy forecast aside, the show must go on. "We are kicking off the day as planned with stage gates opening approx. 1 hour before first sets & FFX at 9:30 a.m.," CMA posted on social media Sunday morning.

Follow along for updates throughout the day.

HARDY rocks country's ultimate crowd to close CMA Fest

More than a half-dozen Billboard charts have seen HARDY's name on top of them in the past half-decade.

A year ago, the mainstream country singer-songwriter's desire to double down on his love of mid-2000s radio and CD-ready hard rock caused Nissan Stadium attendees to flood the exits.

Now, playing what has become chart-topping pop music as if it were charged with nitroglycerine, the Philadelphia, Mississippi native ripped into his single "ROCKSTAR" to kick off his CMA Fest 2024-closing offerings.

The crowd roared.

"JACK" followed. The song is an ode to the perils of alcohol addiction. In January 2023, he told The Tennessean that alcohol could be replaced with cocaine, fentanyl or any other substance in understanding the song's impact.

This isn't necessarily head-banging-worthy material.

However, HARDY noted to The Tennessean prior to taking the stage that he believed many pop-country fans had a deeply held need to exorcise the emotions that exist at the subgenre's harder, guitar-driven edge.

As soon as the Drop D riffs, huge drum fills and screamed choruses reigned supreme, Nissan Stadium's energy profoundly shifted.

The caustic ballad "PSYCHO" caused seated fans to scream in mock antagonism at their friends while singing about dreadfully toxic relationships.

HARDY's not ever one to rest on any laurels.

Thus, to celebrate 20 years since the release of the timeless rock-ready country jam "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy," he introduced Big & Rich to the stage.

John Rich, notably, was dressed in a floor-length fur coat and black cowboy hat.

The crowd, stunned by the moment, screamed for three consecutive minutes.

HARDY's country hits "One Beer" (featuring Lauren Alaina) and "wait in the truck" (featuring Carly Pearce instead of a back-on-tour Lainey Wilson) followed.

If anything, the duo of performances highlighted how HARDY is as valuable to country's mainstream as a collaborator as he is a chart-topping solo singer-songwriter.

His final anthem of the night highlighted the level of partying possible in country's hit-making future.

The 50,000 Nissan Stadium revelers woke up on the wrong side of the "TRUCK BED," next to a bone-dry bottle of Jack Daniel's.

Then, as if on cue, HARDY shotgunned a beer as he stormed offstage with a confident swagger.

Bailey Zimmerman performs his biggest CMA Fest set yet, ends 'Religiously'

Ashley McBryde called him a “puppy” and Jelly Roll called him one of “the brightest new stars in country music.”

For the penultimate act of the night, it was finally time for Bailey Zimmerman to hit the stage.

He ran onstage like an uncaged puppy with an unmatched enthusiasm and wide smile. He wore a backward “BZ” white hat, white pants and a shirt that said “lover.”

The 24-year-old started strong with his 2023 hit “Religiously.”

“I am up here with nothing but gratitude to be here," Zimmerman said after the song, addressing the crowd.

"Since I moved to town, it was a dream to play CMA Fest,” he said. He sang at the Riverfront Stage last year and was elated to be at the stadium this year.

“It means the world, you guys being with me,” he said. “I’m so proud to live here, man . . . ”

He sang “Fix'n To Break” and “Holy Smokes,” sporting his impressive vocal range and raspy belt. Fans could tell Zimmerman truly felt his music; he crouched, waved his arms with passion and flipped his hair as he bellowed.

The crowd knew every word to chart-topper “Where It Ends” and waved their phone flashlights to emotional song “Rock and A Hard Place."

He got real with the crowd afterward.

“In 2020, I was building gas pipelines and I had never sang before, I had never played guitar before, I didn’t know how to write songs, I still don’t know how to write songs,” Zimmerman said.

"I would be lying if I were to take any credit for this . . . God is so good, man,” as he started to tear up.

“I will see you next time,” he said, adding that he would love to be invited back.

— Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean

Jackson Dean provides a 'Fearless' moment

Jackson Dean sings songs like he's eaten sandpaper and chased it with whiskey.

It's what gives songs like "Fearless" a fierce, seemingly lived-in and "outlaw"-style authenticity.

He appeared on Nissan Stadium's Spotlight stage strumming a guitar decorated with hand-burned etchings.

He wore a designer black leather duster and a black, feather-adorned cowboy hat; he was a more cinematic Old West bank robber than Johnny Cash.

Dean is a chart-topping artist with a "Yellowstone" TV placement who is currently serving as Lainey Wilson's Australian and American tour opener.

The husky-toned, rock-tinged vocalist's appearance amid the crowd at Nissan Stadium feels like the start of more significant CMA Fest offerings for the Odenton, Maryland, native.

— Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean

Carly Pearce's set reveals a still-healing heart

Carly Pearce's day at CMA Fest began with her third annual Carly’s Closet pop-up shop, where fans were able to purchase handpicked items of clothing, shoes, and accessories from her personal collection to benefit the CMA Foundation.

The event, in quintessential Pearce fashion, reflected a lifetime of long-held passions ("all I dreamed about as a little girl was country music") and blended elements of country music roots with a modern twist — in this case, mimicking a '90s-era superstar's Fan Fair autograph booth installation at the Nashville Fairgrounds.

She then arrived onstage at Nissan Stadium, draped in glitter from torso to toe.

The Grammy winner is knee-high boots-deep in the season surrounding the release of her fourth studio album, "hummingbird."

Like the set opener "rock paper scissors," the record's album cuts highlight what happens when a strong-willed person prematurely emerges from heartbreak.

Intriguingly, its follow-up Sunday night was 2021's "Next Girl" — the immediate, caustic-toned reaction to heartbreak.

Both songs could be weighed down by their subject matter. However, Pearce's veteran band of rocking bluegrass delivered it with effervescent joy.

Next up was the mandolin-aided "What He Didn't Do," another heartbreak ballad about an ex-partner incapable of emotional availability in a relationship. However, its chorus sounds ideal when delivered by screaming voices in a National Football League stadium.

Pearce's "hummingbird" material plays like a "Part II: Greatest Hits" of country music history. "truck on fire" hits like "Before He Cheats" doused in "Kerosene."

Pearce followed with a solo version of her Chris Stapleton duet "We Don't Fight Anymore" and an unaided take on her Lee Brice single "I Hope You’re Happy Now."

— Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean

Zach Top delivers acoustic performance, Brothers Osborne covers Tom Petty and Don Williams

Before Brothers Osborne, Zach Top hit the Platform Stage.

He sang his 2024 song “Sounds Like the Radio,” his debut single for country radio, and “Use Me,” a slower ballad. Top’s acoustic performance, sans band, filled the stadium in a compellingly understated way.

Next, duo Brothers Osborne — John and T.J. Osborne — began their set with 2024 song “Break Mine,” the leading tune off of their new EP.

John Osborne sported a tropical pink shirt while layering groovy electric guitar underneath T.J.’s baritone vocals.

T.J. Osborne, opting for an all-black look, asked the crowd if there were any Tom Petty fans in the audience. Then, the brothers covered Petty’s ’89 song “I Won’t Back Down.”

The cover comes in the wake of the announcement that the duo would be covering a song on the soon-to-be released Tom Petty country tribute album, which is slated to drop on June 21.

The brothers performed songs “I’m Not For Everyone” and "Stay a Little Longer” before closing out the show.

“The first time we were ever asked to do the CMA awards was this version of this song,” T.J. Osborne told the crowd of their closing songs. They started with “It Ain’t My Fault” and segued into a cover of Don Williams’ classic 1978 song “Tulsa Time.”

T.J. Osborne told the crowd they were paying tribute to "one of the greats."

— Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean

Megan Moroney highlights a growing catalog of hit material at Nissan Stadium

In a four-hour span, award-winning breakout country star Megan Moroney headlined at the Riverside Stage, then played in front of a crowd ten times larger at Nissan Stadium.

Performing in front of country music's pinnacle audience occurred for the "Lucky" album vocalist almost exactly one month before the release of her sophomore album "Am I Okay?"

Moroney, 26, has such extraordinary visibility because she writes and performs songs with attention to conveying painfully earned youthful wisdom with a knowing tone that invites communal empathy.

On CMA Fest's stage, her growing confidence in her catalog of music and performance ability shined as brightly as her singing and songwriting.

Revved-up honky-tonker "Lucky" kicked off her set with rock and roll guitars directly from the era of the Fender Stratocaster's '50s era invention.

That song being followed by "I'm Not Pretty" allowed young women in the crowd to roar in approval at her introduction: They got to sing along with the loudest voices heard yet at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest 2024.

"Man On The Moon," the track released early off "Am I Okay," has been out for much less than a month, but passionate fans of the performer were already singing, "Houston, he's a problem/He's leaving then he's calling/He's a headache and a half and I can't win."

With a custom DanielXDiamond x Gibson rhinestoned acoustic guitar strapped to her, she invited her brother (who taught her how to play the guitar) to the stage to join for a duet on another recent single, "No Caller ID."

It's a modern, mournful country ballad delivered after a protagonist gets a late-night call following two months of therapy — but battling the self-betrayal of being unable to escape the lovelorn clutches of a toxic ex-boyfriend.

Singing along to Moroney's set is a bizarre, rapturous exercise in celebrating a glass that is perpetually half-empty.

She closed her set with "Tennessee Orange," her signature torch song delivered for peak, euphoric crowd reactions.

Moroney is aware that as an artist already developing a keenly beloved catalog, she could be scratching the surface of an incredible career.

"I feel very new to this, but I feel like we're building something very special."

— Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean

Josh Turner kicks off Night 4 of CMA Fest like a ‘Firecracker’

Josh Turner started off the last night of CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium, setting the stage ablaze with "Firecracker.”

“I hope everyone’s been having a good time at CMA Music Fest this week,” Turner told the crowd before singing his new single, “Heatin’ Things Up.”

The South Carolina low country singer-songwriter, clad in all black, showcased his twangy, baritone voice, backed by fiddle and electric guitar.

Turner’s performance of hit “Your Man” was a crowd-pleaser, exciting the audience from the first line: “Baby, lock the door and turn the lights down low . . . ”

Another highlight from his short set was the echo of train sounds during his intro for “Long Black Train,” whistles and choo-choos boomed throughout the Stadium.

The last refrain had the crowd singing along: “Yes, watch out brother for that long black train / That devil's a drivin' that long black train.”

— Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean

Megan Moroney closes CMA Fest at Chevy Riverfront Stage before playing Nissan Stadium

Fans of all ages flocked to the Chevy Riverfront Stage at 4:45 p.m. to see singer-songwriter Megan Moroney closing out the CMA Fest 2024 weekend.

The crowd reached all the way back to asphalt street, with three tented areas holding nearly a tenth of the expected full population of CMA Fest. Those who got a seat on the grass laid out blankets, watching the side live screens with Busch beers and cocktails in Wild Turkey branded cups. Others with a front-facing view stood on their feet to see the country star clearly.

Moroney skipped onto the stage wearing a blue “I think I’m really happy” T-shirt with silver appliqués on the shoulders, waving to the packed-out Riverfront grass.

She tenderly sang her debut and newly released songs, including “Lucky,” “Indifferent,” “Girl in the Mirror,” and more, in her soft, gravelly voice. Moroney performed her newest single, “Man on the Moon,” and despite just releasing the track on Friday, fans in the front row already knew the words.

Moroney posted an Instagram story Saturday of her playing at CMA Fest two years ago.

“Make sure you turn the sound [on] so you can really hear no one’s paying attention lol,” she said in the story.

But Sunday at Riverfront stage was completely the opposite.

“To hear y’all singing my song back to me is crazy,” she said with a smile.

Megan Moroney will cross the Cumberland River tonight to perform on Nissan Stadium’s Main Stage at 8:30 p.m.

Puddin shines on Chevy Vibes stage

Fans held their phones in the air, leaning against the stage partition that separated them from country superstar Puddin.

Also known as K. Michelle, Puddin shined on the Chevy Vibes Stage in a decadent cream bustier that flowed into a lace open skirt with macrame detailing layered on top.

The Memphis native performed powerhouse hits, including "Jesus and Whiskey" and "Tennessee." Some of the standout moments were the performances of the Instagram viral unreleased song "Where the Night Goes" and her cover songs, "9-5" by Dolly Parton and "Nutbush City Limits" by Tina Turner.

With the screech of an electric guitar, Puddin leaned her head back, stomping her foot to the beat of the drums. She sang Turner's classic song with the same rock n' roll grit on the original track. Her back up singers, wearing matching denim outfits and black cowboy boots, took turns belting vocal runs as the crowd erupted with cheers. Fans sang the words with Puddin while clapping their hands in unison.

When she stepped off stage, Puddin hugged fellow country star Willie Jones and took time to speak and take photos with fans.

CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson chats with Keith Urban

They saved the best for last.

Lainey Wilson, the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year, took to CMA Fest's Close Up Stage for a not-so-intimate conversation with fellow Grand Ole Opry member Keith Urban.

They touched on Wilson's forthcoming album, "Whirlwind." Notable from that conversation is that her Miranda Lambert duet, "Good Horses," (currently an immediate favorite as a solo performance from her "Country's Cool Again" tour set) will appear on the album.

Urban also shared some advice as a mentor. Though it would appear easy to make stardom a self-fulfilling prophecy, he said music is an artistic delivery that often lands with an audience divorced from the person who created it.

"It's not about you. People rarely think about you. It's about people finding the value in your creativity that matters most," Urban said.

Anne Wilson shares touching moment at CMA Fest 2024 in Riverfront Stage debut

Anne Wilson kicked off the final day of CMA Fest with her bass-thumping track, “Rebel,” on the Chevy Riverfront Stage.

The country-gospel rising star wore a sage green button down and brown wide-legged corduroys and sang her songs with soul.

“My mama raised me on two things,” Wilson said. “All things God and all things country, and that’s what this next song is about.”

Fans tapped their feet to the beat of “God and Country,” with some waving their hands in the air and others subtly bopping their heads. Wilson smiled out into the crowd, pointing her finger in the air during the chorus.

During her set, Wilson shared the story of pursuing music after singing for the first time at her older brother’s funeral. In introducing her next song, “Strong,” she said that no matter what she’s endured, her faith keeps her going.

“This is one I actually go back and listen to — I feel like as artists, we put stuff out there and don’t listen to it again,” she said. “But for me, this is one of those songs I go back and listen to.”

Sunday's morning and afternoon CMA Fest 2024 picks

More: CMA Fest 2024 full schedule: Here's who's playing when and where in Nashville this weekend

More: CMA Fest road closures: See which downtown Nashville streets are closed

10 - 11 a.m.

• Riverfront Stage — Within five years, it's an easy prediction to presume that Anne Wilson will be the only artist in country music history to be a contemporary Christian female artist of the year while also being a best new country artist nominee before the age of 25. Presuming she wins both and that her debut Universal Music Group album, "Rebel," has her poised to be in Album of the Year contention by then, too. Yes, if Christian music is your jam, you know her platinum-selling instant classic, "My Jesus." However, her new country single, "Songs About Whiskey," has massive potential, too. She's already a true star with skyrocketing potential.

11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

• Hard Rock Stage — Can't get enough of Lainey Wilson, right? Cool, but wait. What if we were to tell you that there are no fewer than a dozen female rock stars with sounds and vibes similar to Wilson's — and as seasoned as her in their craft — pardon the pun, but South Carolina's Ashland Craft is another major label Nashville signee with an existing and established body of work tearing up critic's ears and small club stages nationwide. Her 2021 album, "Travelin' Kind," is still in rotation over here. Dip Hank Williams' legacy into Janis Joplin's Southern Comfort and out emerges Craft as a star worth being made.

12:30 - 1:20

Chevy Vibes Stage — Tigirlily Gold are now an award-winning rising duo. That's great, but what's greater is that the North Dakota-born Slabaugh sisters are capitalizing on that success by diving deeper into their authentic roots in Nashville and as well all the way back to their home an hour away from central Canada's Winnipeg, Manitoba border. "Shoot Tequila" is the former, being a song comfortable to the time they spent playing at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row on Lower Broadway. The latter arrives via "Leroy," which, as a caustic ode to a do-nothing no-good man feels like the best combination, in aura and delivery, of The Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" and Erykah Badu's "Tyrone." Yes, it's 90s country, redefined.

2:30 - 3:15

• Riverfront Stage — Expect that once Wyatt Flores picks up his guitar and sings on CMA Fest's Riverfront Stage that his teenage humility will finally wash away into the Cumberland River. This isn't actually a bad thing. He's likely to have a 20-year run on country's radio stations and stadium stages and still be the kind of guy willing to talk about the finer points of livestock ranching and understanding the value of ending a hard day of work with a cold beer. You'll love his cover of The Fray's "How To Save A Life," but stick around for his originals growing in adoration including "West of Tulsa" and "Break My Bones."

4:45 - 5:30

• Riverfront Stage — It's "Sad Girl Meg" season. Megan Moroney, America's fast-rising favorite "emo cowgirl" is releasing her sophomore album, "Am I Okay?," on July 12, 2024. “Houston, he’s a problem/He’s leaving then he’s calling/He’s a headache and a half and I can’t win," she sings on the pop-ready country rocker. Yes, it's a departure from her lilting power ballads like "Girl In The Mirror" and "Tennessee Orange," but Moroney has perhaps moved past that chapter of her life. This could be a 45-minute sing-along jam session. Yes, every single second everyone will be in unison. You were not familiar with her game, you say? Visit that stage before she's at Nissan Stadium for the next decade of her life.

National Weather Service: Sunday expected showers, possible thunderstorms 

Festivalgoers may need to match raincoats with their cowboy boots for the final day of CMA Fest. The National Weather Service expects a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the early afternoon and evening.

Sunday’s high temperature is predicted to be 81. Showers and a possible thunderstorm are likely before 2 p.m., with a thunderstorm possible after 5 p.m.

NWS doesn't expect widespread severe weather, but lightning, heavy rain and gusty winds are possible in some stronger storms.

The chance of precipitation has dropped from 60% to 40% for the remainder of the afternoon, according to NWS. A 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms remains, mainly before 9 p.m.

The final string of performances at the Nissan Stadium Main Stage kicks off at 8 p.m. with Josh Turner, followed by Megan Moroney at 8:30 p.m.

Performances at Nissan Stadium will continue past 11 p.m.:

• 9 p.m. Zach Top, Platform Stage

• 9:10 p.m. Brothers Osborne, Main Stage

• 9:35 p.m. Wyatt Flores, Platform Stage

• 9:50 p.m. Carly Pearce, Main Stage

• 10:20 p.m. Jackson Dean, Main Stage

• 10:30 p.m. Bailey Zimmerman, Main Stage

• 11:15 p.m. HARDY, Main Stage

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMA Fest 2024: Carly Pearce, Bailey Zimmerman, HARDY close the show