HARDY – CMA FEST

Question: You just got some exciting news..
HARDY: “Yeah. I found out today that I’m playing the stadium this year at CMA Fest, which is so crazy because, like, I grew up going like when I first moved here, like for the first five, six or honestly, until I got to where I couldn’t, like, walk around with everybody. I would go to see my fest every year and see, you know, it became a thing where I would see my buddies play and all that. But it was always a thing like the biggest of the biggest stars play the stadium at the end of the night every night. And to to know that I like included in that is like trips me out and it’s just really cool to be considered kind of on a level with some some of the biggest names in country music that will go down in history. And anyway, so I just found out about that. And then Smith, one of my best friends, is getting married the next day in Nashville, and I will be in the wedding. So it’s it’ll be a just a really, really fun weekend. I’ll probably be super hung over for his wedding, but, you know, that’s the way it should be.”

Question: You think Lainey might join you?
HARDY: “I heard a rumor that Lainey Wilson is playing the same night, so we’ll have to play “wait in the truck”. At least I’m doing a few of the Morgan Wallen Stadium shows beforehand, so I won’t completely freak out at the fact that, you know, we’re doing our first stadium, but I’m super excited about. Literally just found out, told my mom and she sent me a video of her my sister, like freaking out like, oh my God. So it’s cool. Really exciting.”

Question: What songs are you going to play?
HARDY: “We got to do, like “wait in the truck” and then, I mean, maybe “one beer”, but I don’t I don’t know if I want to do one beer at the stadium. I want to do either give heaven some hell and then we’re going to have to do one of the rock songs like the mockingbird in The Crow or something. We got to do something that to show those people like the rock side, because my country singles aren’t necessarily, you know, the heaviest in the most energetic parts of our show. So, yeah, we got to we got to throw a rock one in there to to shake it up a little bit.”

Question: Favorite CMA memory or performance?
HARDY: “Blake Shelton, because I’ve always been a huge Blake fan. And he he came out and did all read and like, you know, his hits at the time, I don’t even remember what he had, what his big song was at the time, but was a while ago. And that was really cool. And that was back when that was before him and Miranda got married. And I think he had her out to do a song and they were like, it was rumored that they were dating and stuff, but that was really cool. And I remember that. And I also remember she just came out like in a t shirt and jeans, and I thought that was so cool. But she didn’t like dress up. She was just there hanging out and just happened to come out and do the song. But the coolest one was I was there when Darius did it and he did. He closed. I think he still does this with Purple Rain, and it was just so cool to see it’s such a country format. Somebody do something completely out of the genre. And man, I just thought that that was super cool and definitely like I used to get this thing when I would see people on stage, I would get really jealous in a way where I was like, I want that to be me one day. And just knowing that it’s weird there now, it’s like, incredible.”