When two guitar leaders made CMA Fest feel even bigger than a stadium
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
NASHVILLE — CMA Music Festival 2016 was filled with marquee performances, but one of the clearest “remember where you were when it happened” moments came on June 10 at Nissan Stadium — when Luke Bryan and Keith Urban briefly turned a solo set into a friendly, good-natured guitar showcase.
Luke Bryan had just launched into “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” the outdoors-themed anthem from Kill the Lights, when he paused to joke with the crowd about his own guitar chops. It was part self-mockery, part light challenge — the type of stage banter that proves a performer is comfortable enough to poke fun at his own public image.
Then, without any advance billing, Keith Urban strolled out with a guitar of his own.
The moment turned from a performance into a conversation — musically
Urban has long been known as one of country music’s most charismatic lead guitar voices. Bryan — who was leading the set — leaned into the surprise, and the two began trading phrases and short runs almost like two players in an informal rehearsal.
There was no tension — just two musicians enjoying the skill set of someone else who understands the instrument at a deep level.
The stadium reacted instantly — cheers rising as each line grew more animated.
A collaboration that underscores what fans love about CMA Fest
CMA Fest is built on the idea that country music is both a stage genre and a community. The Bryan–Urban moment demonstrated that principle in real time.
- spontaneous
- lightly competitive — in a sportsmanlike way
- collaborative in the final chorus
When the duel shifted back into the song’s closing section, the harmony lines landed cleanly, and the crowd sang along as if this version had always been the official one.
Broadcast later, remembered longer
ABC later included the performance in its August 3, 2016 CMA Fest: Country’s Night to Rock broadcast — helping the moment reach fans who weren’t seated in the stadium that night.
Nearly a decade later, that single onstage surprise is still cited by CMA attendees as an example of why festivals endure as a form — because sometimes two stars decide, quietly and without a scripted buildup, that a song is an excuse to have fun together in front of a crowd that is fully engaged.
