CMA Fest: Dan + Shay Plan to Watch Nissan Stadium Shows as Fans

Dan + Shay performed during the Nissan Stadium shows on Friday night (June 7) as part of the nightly concerts during CMA Fest. The duo, made up of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, will soon hit the road with Florida Georgia Line for their Can’t Say I Ain’t Country Tour. But first, the guys hinted that they might catch some of the other shows during CMA Fest, not as artists but as fans.

“I think country music fans, you know, when you go to a Florida Georgia Line show, I feel like even CMA Fest here, there’s a lot of different artists, and an eclectic group of people,” Mooney said. “I think country music fans are for the most part just fans of music. I think it’s really cool to kind of throw a bunch of different kinds of artists into a pot and be able to kind of see that all in one show. It’s going to be a very high energy. We’re going to out there watching too.

“We like to watch,” he added. “We like to watch people play as well and be just, country music fans. Now we’ll probably be in the crowd tonight watching this. But you never know. Don’t tell anyone.”

Dan + Shay have already headlined their own tours, but gladly returned to opening act status to join Florida Georgia Line on the road.

“We’re huge fans of FGL,” Mooney said. “I remember when we moved to Nashville, those guys were just getting started, they had just put out ‘Cruise’ and they had ‘Round Here’ and ‘Get Your Shine On,; and that whole first record was so inspiring to us. Those guys were pushing the envelope and they exploded in a big way and they’re still killing it. They’ve always found ways to reinvent themselves, to keep evolving and not only is their music amazing, but their great friends of ours.

“We’re friends with the guys,” he added. “Our wives are friends with their wives. It’s like one big family out there. It felt right.”

“The timing felt right, for us to go on the road together, and they hit us up I feel like before even business of it happened,” Smyers continued. “They texted us like, ‘Yo, we should go on the road together.’ We’re like, ‘Absolutely. Let’s do it.’ That’s kind of how it came about and it’s going to be a fun summer. Being outside, being with your friends is a really cool thing.”

Photo Credit: Getty images / Jason Kempin