Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker Team Up for Mellencamp Classic on CMA Fest Special [Watch]
Nearly 15 years of CMA Fests were revisited during Monday night's (July 13) CMA Best of Fest television special, and the telecast included a brand-new collaboration that surely had fans on their feet, even in the comfort of their homes.
Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker teamed up on Nashville's Nissan Stadium field for a socially distanced duet of John Mellencamp's 1995 classic anthem "Small Town." Both artists were backed by their respective bands — with everyone keeping a nice bit of space between each other, of course — and traded off lines of the song while harmonizing on the chorus.
Nissan Stadium has long served the CMA as its annual home for four straight nights of concerts featuring dozens of artists, all taped for later playback on ABC. With the 2020 festival canceled, the special will have to suffice to whet country fans' appetites until everyone can come together again safely.
The program also featured/revisited performances from Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, Rascal Flatts with Little Big Town, Kane Brown, Maren Morris, Brooks & Dunn and more, for a total of 28 in all. Bryan, in addition to performing, served as host for the three-hour special.
See the Best Pictures From the 2020 CMA Best of Fest Special: