On May 4th, iHeartRadio hosted its sixth annual iHeartCountry Festival at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin with the genre’s biggest superstars, chart toppers, and rising voices. With a lineup filled with unforgettable performances from Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Dan + Shay, Luke Combs, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Chris Janson, Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, Lauren Alaina and an iHeartCountry Guitar Pull with Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack, the concert was filled with beloved fans for each artist!
The day kicked off with a special Daytime Village at Frank Erwin Center’s North Box Office Plaza. Featuring our favorite up-and-comers Russell Dickerson, Michael Ray, Lauren Alaina, LOCASH and Morgan Wallen, the free event was the only way to get the crowd ready for what was to come from the festival inside the arena.
The show began with none other than Luke Combs, singing songs of his debut album This One’s For You. Alongside a full band, the singer/songwriter strummed away at his guitar performing “When It Rains It Pours,” “Must’ve Never Met You,” “One Number Away,” “Beautiful Crazy,” and “Hurricane.” For his closer, he selected fan favorite “She’s Got the Best of Me.”
Florida Georgia Line brought the party to Frank Erwin Center with an array of hits including “Colorado” and “Cruise.” The duo also showed love to their newest single, “Y’all Boys,” as well as “Talk You Out of It,” “Simple,” and their record-breaking Bebe Rexha collaboration, “Meant To Be.” The pair also surprised fans when they reunited with Daytime Village performer Morgan Wallen for their closing number, “Up Down.”
Little Big Town took to the stage performing renditions of “Better Man,” “Front Porch Thing,” “Girl Crush” and “Boondocks,” but the highlight of their performance was their new single, “The Daughters.” Fairchild told the audience said, “We’ve only sung it a couple of times. This is a song for all the little girls out there and all the good men in the house that are raising up or caring for the daughters.”
Host and performer, Bobby Bones took things to a new level with his performance when he brought out special guest, LOCASH. With The Raging Idiots by his side, the long-time on air personality brought the crowd to their feet as he went through his set of familiar songs including his new single, “The Emoji Love Song,” plus a hilarious tweaked rendition of “Jesus Knows,” The Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer.”
Our favorite moment from the 2019 iHeartCountry Festival was the iHeartCountry Guitar Pull, which gave some of the genre’s most talented ladies the recognition they deserve on an arena stage.
Featuring Lauren Alaina, Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack, Hammack kicked off the round with “Family Tree,” followed by Townes with “Somebody’s Daughter.” Alaina went for her 2018 single, “Ladies In The ‘90s,” as well as her ultimate anthem, “Road Less Traveled.”
After showing love to each of their respective songs, the trio saved the best for last when they churned out a playful duet of Shania Twain’s iconic smash, “Man! I Feel Like A Woman.”
Aside from the Guitar Pull, we were completely obsessed with Dan + Shay‘s performance (no pun intended). The guys delivered hits from the past and present as the pair kicked off their set with their newest single, “All To Myself,” followed by “How Not To,” “Speechless,” “19 You + Me,” and their smash hit, “Tequila.”
To close out the night, Tim McGraw delivered an epic performance, making his birthday week truly the best ever. The country music vet brought his signature cowboy hat and suave demeanor to serve the many hits from his three-decade career, including “Truck Yeah,” “Southern Voice,” “All I Want,” “Barbecue Stain” and his new single “Thought About You.”
Hungry for more iHeartCountry Festival coverage? Click here to see our backstage interviews with Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Luke Combs, and Lauren Alaina.
Additional reporting by Kaylee Cottee
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