Country Superstars Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins Rock Downtown Nashville With Rowdy New Year’s Eve Performance

Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins brought the party to NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE: NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH with a rowdy performance of their 2009 collaboration, “Hillbilly Bone,” from downtown Nashville. 

The country superstars got the crowd going when they took the stage together for a livly rendition of the ACM Award-winning duet. Trading verses as they crowd sang along, Shelton and Adkins most definitely got Music City fans ready to ring in 2024 on a high note as they sang about all the things that are often associated with Southern culture.

Re-Live Their Performance

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The chorus goes, “We all got a hillbilly bone down deep inside/ No matter where you from, you just can’t hide it/ When the band starts bangin’ and the fiddle sobs/ You can’t help but hollerin’ ‘yee-haw!’/ When you see them pretty little country queens/ Man, you gotta admit that it’s in them jeans/ Ain’t nothin’ wrong, just gettin’ on/ Your hillbilly bone-ba-bone-ba-bone-bone.”

“Hillbilly Bone” has been performed by the longtime friends on several occasions, including at CMA Fest following its release. The song appears as the title track off Shelton’s Hillbilly Bone EP and reached nO.1 on the Billboard Country Charts in the spring of 2010. 

Chart-Topping Success

How Did Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins Become Friends?

In addition to recording “Hillbilly Bone” together, Shelton and Adkins have a long history together, dating back to when Shelton first moved to Nashville in 1994. 

“Trace Adkins was the first name that I ever heard that was like, ‘Hey, this guy just got a record deal.’ I followed him very closely through the years before I ever got my opportunity to make a record. I felt like I had a lot invested in his career emotionally, just watching him,” Shelton explained during an interview with CMT in 2010. “Obviously, I was a fan of his music. I mean he’s a true country artist. Once I got my opportunity to start having songs out on the radio and things like that in 2001, Trace was one of the guys I was excited to finally meet.” 

Shelton later joked, “I sound like a freak fan or something, but he was everything that I had imagined him to be — his personality, his sense of humor, everything about him. He’s just that guy. … He’s always been one of my favorite artists and someone I’ve looked up to as a person. There’s nothing about him that I don’t think is cool. I would never say this stuff to his face, but I just think he’s a bad-ass guy.” 

Who Is Performing On Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Show?

NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE: NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH is a  five-hour celebration, airing on Sunday, December 31 (7:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT, 10:30 PM-1:05 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Hosted by Elle King and Entertainment Tonight’s Rachel Smith, the show is also set to feature performances by Thomas Rhett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Lainey Wilson, Grace Bowers, Kane Brown, Jackson Dean, Old Dominion, HARDY, Elle King, Cody Johnson, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Trombone Shorty, Morgan Wallen, and Bailey Zimmerman. Additionally, Dustin Lynch will deliver a live performance from Times Square in New York City.

Viewers can also anticipate a special guest appearance from Tennessee Titan and five-time all-pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and actor/comedian Rob Schneider.  

In addition to her co-hosting duties, Elle King will also perform. 

NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE: NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH is also streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*.