Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan Own CMA Fest With Stellar Shows and Experiences

Luke Bryan's Morning Chat

Way before he took the stage at Nissan Stadium, Bryan sat down for Q&A on the festival's Close Up Stage, which was part of the Fan Fair X experience located inside the (air-conditioned!) Music City Center. Bryan sat down with the hosts of the Amazon Music podcast Country Heat Weekly, Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson, to discuss his career and — in the name of synergy — his 2021 docuseries Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, which is streaming on Amazon Freevee. It was a packed chat, with the seating area at capacity and hundreds packed in around the standing area to see the American Idol judge in an intimate setting. It was a great talk, and Bryan showed off plenty of charm as he shared humorous stories about fishing and his family. As he was joined by his manager Kerri Edwards and My Dirt Road Diary director Michael Monaco he also dished on the process of putting the documentary together and talking about more serious aspects of his personal life in it.

Carrie Underwood's Flashy Fashion

Underwood also got in on the daytime fun. While she wasn't there in person, she and her team put together an Instagram-friendly fan event titled The Denim & Rhinestones Experience. Housed at Nashville venue The Bell Tower, Underwood showcased six of her recent high-profile outfits, including selections she wore at the 2022 GRAMMYs and this year's Stagecoach Festival. There were also several stunning photo vignettes set up. (We didn't partake in those during our Saturday visit but those who did seemed to enjoy having an excuse to hang out in a ball pit.) While it was outside of the core CMA Fest lineup, it was just a short walk away from the main hub of activities, making it the perfect event for Underwood fans looking to mix their days up amidst the non-stop string of concerts.

Luke Combs Closes His Set Strong

We'll get back to Underwood and Bryan in just a second, but we did have to show love to the other Luke on the bill Saturday night: Luke Combs. Combs played ahead of Bryan at Nissan Stadium in what was his final concert before he and his wife welcome their upcoming baby. He closed his set with the anthem that will surely be a mainstay in his set forever, "Beer Never Broke My Heart." Combs upped his energy by 1000% for the rowdy set-closer, and it was among the best moments of the weekend.

Luke Bryan Keeps It Fun

I've been somewhat of a Luke Bryan hater over the years. Songs like "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" always felt cringe (a distinction that's only grown as Bryan ages) and his family's Instagram antics we semi-regularly cover here at PopCulture tend to be a bit much. After seeing his Saturday night Nissan Stadium set, maybe I need to lighten the fuck up? It was fun! The man knows how to put on an entertaining show and was even a bit self-aware of the goofy dance moves he pulls on stage, cracking up in spots. (Regardless, the stadium crowd ate it up. Cheers, woos, swoons, the works!) Will I go binge his entire discography now? Probably not. But will I be excited the next time he pops up on a CMA Fest lineup? Kind of!

Carrie Underwood Proves She's the Queen

Going into Underwood's set, I was ready to be wowed. And, of course, the "Before He Cheats" singer delivered. Vocals? Flawless. Stage presence? Top-tier. Setlist? Well-balanced. She played a lot of flavors, including upbeat pop country favorites like "Good Girl," ballads like "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and even hymns, delivering her rendition of "How Great Thou Art." She really is the queen of country music right now, and it will be interesting to see if the just-released Denim & Rhinestones material will catch on and make sure her reign continues.

Random Takeaways From Day 3

• Brothers Osbourne also had a super fun set at Nissan Stadium. "It Ain't My Fault" was a highlight, and T.J. Osborne killed it when it came to audience engagement.
• Combs just seems like a really nice fella!
• It was truly the best night of Nissan Stadium lineups. If I was performing on Sunday, I would have been remarkably worried that people might have just left town before the final night.
• After Underwood on Saturday and Friday's phenomenal outing from Kelsea Ballerini, why the hell weren't more women given full sets on the main stage?

You can find more of our CMA Fest 2022 coverage here. Our thoughts on Day 1 and Day 2 of CMA Fest 2022 can be read here.