Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker Perform John Mellencamp’s ‘Small Town’ in An Empty Nissan Stadium

Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker joined forces on Monday (July 13) for the only brand new performance of the evening…

Andrew Wendowski

| Posted on

July 13, 2020

10:01 pm

Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker; Courtesy of CMA

Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker joined forces on Monday (July 13) for the only brand new performance of the evening during CMA Best Of Fest special.

The CMA Award-winners performed an incredible version of John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” inside of a completely empty Nissan Stadium, the same stadium which is usually filled with over 50,000 country music fans during the annual CMA Festival.

Robert Deaton, CMA Executive Producer, said it was a moment he will never forget and one that reminded him never to take the festival for granted again.

“It was a reminder of why we love music so much,” Deaton said. “It was dramatic seeing them in an empty stadium, but it’s so, so great because they were playing music … and they were so happy.”

The performance was incredible, but a bit eery, as the two performed to an empty stadium with just themselves and a small socially-distant band.

Host @LukeBryanOnline & @DariusRucker’s NEW collab of “Small Town” is happening NOW on “Best of #CMAfest” on @ABCNetwork! They are MAKING 👏 OUR 👏 NIGHT 👏 Who else is enjoying the never-before-seen performance!? pic.twitter.com/B9Xbv5PZmx

— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) July 14, 2020

Rucker’s 2014 performance of “Wagon Wheel” and Bryan’s 2012 performance of “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” aired earlier in the broadcast.

CMA Fest returns to Nashville June 10-13, 2021.

Written by

Andrew Wendowski

Andrew Wendowski is the Founder and CEO of Music Mayhem. As a self-taught entrepreneur, he oversees content as the Editor-In-Chief for the independent brand. Wendowski, who splits time between Philadelphia, Penn., and Nashville, Tenn., has an extensive background in multimedia. Before launching Music Mayhem in 2014, he worked as a highly sought-after photojournalist and tour photographer, collaborating with such labels as Interscope Records and Republic Records. He has captured photos of some of the biggest names, including Taylor Swift, Metallica, Harry Styles, P!NK, Morgan Wallen, Carrie Underwood, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Shania Twain, and hundreds more. Wendowski’s photos and freelance work have appeared nationwide and can be seen everywhere from ad campaigns to various publications, including Billboard and Rolling Stone. When Wendowski isn’t running Music Mayhem, he enjoys spending time at concerts, traveling, and capturing photos.