WATCH: Jon Pardi, Chris Janson and Riley Green Join Forces To Cover Hank Williams Jr. and Dwight Yoakam

Country hitmakers Jon Pardi, Chris Janson and Riley Green kept the party going on New Year’s Eve with lively covers…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

January 3, 2022

10:56 am

Jon Pardi, Chris Janson & Riley Green; Photo by Brett Culver, CBS

Country hitmakers Jon Pardi, Chris Janson and Riley Green kept the party going on New Year’s Eve with lively covers of Hank Williams Jr. and Dwight Yoakam.

The trio of country superstars paid tribute to the 90s country icons while performing at Nashville’s Skydeck at Assembly Food Hall during New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash.

Joining forces to perform Hank Jr.’s chart-topping hit, “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight,” Pardi, Janson and Green got the sold-out crowd fired up as they traded verses throughout the country party song.

Janson stole the show with his signature harmonica solo. Click below to watch.

https://youtu.be/SgsEVXn2b5s

In addition to paying homage to Hank Jr., Green, Janson and Pardi also tipped their hats to Dwight Yoakam with a special performance of “Honky Tonk Man.”

“Honky Tonk Man,” which appears as the debut single on Yoakam’s 1986 album, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc, was originally co-written and performed by Johnny Horton. Pardi later covered the track on his 8-track covers project, Rancho Fiesta Sessions.

Backed by a full band, the rowdy performance featured the three chart-topping singers playing acoustic guitar while singing the Yoakam classic.

https://youtu.be/KJCcdDLBjrg

The inaugural New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash also featured performances from Fisk Jubilee Singers, Lady A, Ingrid Andress, BRELAND, King Calaway, Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell and more.

Sam Hunt, Elle King and Zac Brown Band were also set to perform during the concert event, however, they dropped off the lineup at the last minute.

The five-hour celebration also included once-in-a-lifetime collaborations, performances of chart-topping hits and covers of some of the most iconic songs in country music.

Co-hosted by Radio and TV personality Bobby Bones and Entertainment Tonight‘s Rachel Smith, the star-studded New Year’s Eve special aired live from Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, December 31 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT, 11:30 PM-1:30 AM, ET/PT), on CBS Television Network.

The show was also available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.