Chris Stapleton Joins Kings of Leon for ‘Simple Man’ at Nashville’s NYE Bash [Watch]

Chris Stapleton ended his explosive year as one of the most anticipated performers at Nashville’s New Year’s Eve celebration Dec. 31, treating the audience to a performance of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” along with Music City-based rockers Kings of Leon. The heartfelt delivery of the classic tune left fans in awe of the unique collaboration.

Kings of Leon headlined the event, and Stapleton joined them to close out the night with the tune, which lead singer Caleb Followill kicked off. Stapleton took the second verse to an emphatic wave of cheers from the audience, who sang the chorus along with him loud and clear. He continued strumming acoustic and alternating with Followill the rest of the tune, leaving thousands of fans feeling lucky to have been there.

The New Year’s Eve celebration in Nashville boasted a record 150,000 people in attendance in the famed downtown area on lower Broadway. The lineup also included Kelsea Ballerini, another country artist who had an impressive year in 2015.

Though Stapleton has been in the business for years, the artist recently gained widespread recognition after nabbing several awards and performing a stunning collaboration with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 CMAs. After that night, his album Traveller spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first debut country album to do so in four years. He is nominated for four Grammys at the upcoming 58th annual awards, including Album of the Year and Best Country Solo Performance. Check out his full performance with Kings of Leon above.

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