It’s been quite a few years since Blake Shelton played the main stage at CMA Fest at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, but that all changed in early June.
To mark his return, he brought along a buddy.
“I have a secret weapon,” he said before the performance. “Trace Atkins is gonna come out and perform ‘Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,’ which it’s [the] 20 year anniversary of that song becoming a hit.”
“And then once he’s out there,” Blake continues, “I’m keeping him on stage with me. We’re gonna do ‘Hell Right,’ we’re gonna do ‘Hillbilly Bone,’ and just have a ‘me and Trace’ moment.”
“He’s one of my best friends in the world,” Blake adds. “He’s literally like — he is a brother to me, you know.”
The 2025 version of the pair’s 2009 hit, “Hillbilly Bone,” is part of Thursday night’s yearly CMA Fest special on ABC, as well as Blake’s latest single, “Stay Country or Die Tryin’.”
Tune in to watch at 8 p.m. ET, or check out the three-hour concert extravaganza Friday on Hulu.
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