Before he took the stage for his Night 4 CMA Fest set at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Sunday night (June 11), Tim McGraw delivered an extra-special, impromptu performance backstage. After he ran into Randy Travis in the halls, McGraw serenaded the country titan with a singalong rendition of “On the Other Hand.”
Travis — who released “On the Other Hand” as part of his landmark Storms of Life album in 1996 — was waiting to see McGraw’s main stage performance when he ran into the country superstar and his equally legendary wife Faith Hill, in the stadium halls.
“I can’t tell you how much it meant to see [Tim McGraw] and Faith last night at [CMA Fest]. We don’t get to see each other often enough — they are lights!” Travis notes when sharing the special clip on TikTok. “And we loved meeting their nephew Timothy!”
McGraw had a big surprise for fans when he took the stage for his CMA Fest set: He brought out a chorus of fifth and sixth graders from Metro Nashville Public Schools to join him for
his performance of “Humble and Kind.”
The night included performances from Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, Dierks Bentley and Josh Turner. Alabama gave a special surprise performance.
The country group got a surprise of their own during their time onstage, too: They received the CMA Pinnacle Award, a recognition of their longstanding prominence in the country genre via performances, sales and other industry achievements. Only three other artists — Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney — have been awarded this honor.
First debut, first heartbreak, first ever to break a world record doing it.