CMA Fest is known for delivering one-of-a-kind collaborations, and this performance from Tucker, King, and Wilson, certainly lived up to the hype.

Elle King, Lainey Wilson, Tanya Tucker; Photo Courtesy of ABC/Connie Chornuk

Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker joined forces with Elle King and Lainey Wilson for a show-stopping rendition of her 1978 hit, “Texas (When I Die),” at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest.

Fans were shocked in the midst of Wilson’s CMA Fest set when she welcomed Tucker and King to the stage for the surprise performance. Together, the female powerhouses made the stage come alive as they took the crowd on a nostalgic journey as they sang, “When I die I may not go to heaven/ I don’t know if they let cowboys in/ If they don’t just let me go to Texas, boys/ ‘Cause Texas is as close as I’ve been.”

Tucker recorded the song and released it as the first single from her ninth studio album, TNT. The song, which speaks to the singer’s love of the Lone Star State, peaked at No.5 on the Billboard chart.

CMA Fest is known for delivering one-of-a-kind collaborations, and this performance from Tucker, King, and Wilson, certainly lived up to the hype.

Elle King, Lainey Wilson, Tanya Tucker; Photo Courtesy of ABC/Connie Chornuk

CMA Fest 2023

The three-hour CMA Fest special was hosted by Dierks Bentley, Elle King, and Lainey Wilson and aired on ABC on Wednesday, July 19.

Lainey Wilson; Photo by Andrew Wendowski

Dubbed “the music event of summer,” the special featured 30+ performances and surprise collaborations from some of Country music’s hottest stars, including Alabama, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Leon Bridges, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Vince Gill, HARDY, Tyler Hubbard, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Avril Lavigne, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker, Tanya Tucker, Keith Urban, and Lainey Wilson.

CMA Fest marked its 50th Anniversary with a record-breaking celebration in Nashville, June 8 through June 11.

50th Anniversary of CMA Fest

The four-day event hosted an estimated daily attendance of over 90,000, a 12% increase from 2022, according to the Country Music Association. Additionally, the nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium saw 10% growth from 2022.

The festival also hosted fans from all 50 states as well as a record-breaking 51 countries.

“What a weekend! As we’ve spent the past year reflecting on this milestone celebration, one theme has persisted—the incredible connection between Country Music fans and the artists,” Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer, shared in a statement. “It’s magical because it still matters after all these years. From first-timers to legends, so many artists started as fans—some as far back as Fan Fair. Almost every artist who performs during the festival has had their own experience as a fan, so for many of them, taking the stage at CMA Fest is a full-circle moment. We only get the chance to celebrate our 50th anniversary once, and to do so in such an impactful way has meant the world to us. Thank you, Country Music!”

Carly Pearce; Photo Courtesy of John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA/CMA Fest

More than 300 acts took part in CMA Fest this year, including performances at the Chevy Riverfront Stage, Dr Pepper Amp Stage, Chevy Vibes Stage, Maui Jim Reverb Stage and the Hard Rock Stage as well as Fan Fair X inside Music City Center.