Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley headline CMA Fest special on ABC tonight, July 19

Michael Balderston
·2 min read
2
Lainey Wilson at CMA Fest 2023
Lainey Wilson at CMA Fest 2023

The 2023 CMA Fest, which was the 50th anniversary of the country music festival, took place between June 8-11. But if you weren't able to be on hand in Nashville for the festivities, ABC is giving you a chance to experience many of the performances and collaborations from the event, with a special hand from Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley and Elle King.

A special three-hour broadcast that starts at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC on Wednesday, July 19, is going to feature filmed performances from the three days that CMA Fest took place from Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The trio of Wilson, Bentley and King serve as the co-hosts of the event and are set to perform, along with a lineup of performances that are expected to include:

  • Alabama

  • Jason Aldean

  • Dierks Bentley

  • Leon Bridges

  • Luke Bryan

  • Eric Church

  • Luke Combs

  • Dan + Shay

  • Jordan Davis

  • Vince Gill

  • HARDY

  • Tyler Hubbard

  • Jelly Roll

  • Cody Johnson

  • Elle King

  • Miranda Lambert

  • Avril Lavigne

  • Little Big Town

  • Ashley McBryde

  • Reba McEntire

  • Tim McGraw

  • Jo Dee Messina

  • Old Dominion

  • Jon Pardi

  • Carly Pearce

  • Darius Rucker

  • Tanya Tucker

  • Keith Urban

  • Lainey Wilson

This is the 20th consecutive year that CMA has produced a summer concert special.

If you're not able to watch the special CMA Fest broadcast when it airs on ABC, you can stream it on Hulu starting Thursday, July 20. If you're not a subscriber to Hulu, DVR is your best option to make sure you don't miss the broadcast (live TV streaming services like FuboTV, Sling TV and YouTube TV offer DVR capabilities).

This is just one component of the 50th anniversary celebration for CMA Fest. A documentary about the festival's history and legacy, CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair, was part of the what's new on Hulu lineup in July, premiering on July 5, and features interviews with the likes of Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Wynonna Judd and more.

The airing of these CMA Fest performances is going to disrupt ABC's usual Wednesday night lineup, as there will be no new episode of The Wonder Years season 2 on July 19. This is the second straight week that the show is off the air. Though fans of the series can rest easy, it will return with an all-new episode on Wednesday, July 26.

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