Wynonna Judd honors late mom as top country stars perform

The hotly-anticipated Country Music Association Fest’s ABC special finally hit our screens Wednesday night.

And it’s safe to say the music-filled night gave country fans their fix with some famous names taking to the stage at Nissan Stadium in Downtown Nashville.

The special was filmed during the star-studded, four-day festival, which took place June 9 through June 12.

And the event, which was broadcast on ABC and streamed on Hulu, featured many surprises and breathtaking performances marking the 49th year of the festival.

Hosted by first-time hosts Dierks Bentley and Elle King, the three-hour special featured over 30 performances from the world’s top country music artists.

The night kicked off with Kane Brown’s stunning rendition of his mega-hit, “I Love You Like I like Country Music.”

His performance was followed by Bentley, who teamed up with Billy Ray Cyrus to sing the hit 1992 track, “Achy Breaky Heart.”

During the night, the crowd took a moment to honor Grammy-winning Country Music Naomi Judd, who died in April.

Her daughter Wynonna Judd then teamed up with Carly Pearce for a rendition of “Why Not Me,” and subsequently received a standing ovation in honor of Wynonna’s mother.

Kelsea Ballerini was another showstopper during the night, treating fans to not one, but two of her tracks.

Rocking out with a guitar on stage, Ballerini performed “Heartfirst” as well as her latest chart-topping single, “Half Of My Hometown.”

Lainey Wilson also performed, singing “Never Say Never” with Cole Swindell. Swindell later performed his newly-released song, “She Had Me At Heads Carolina.”

Luke Bryan was welcomed on stage by a crowd of screaming fans before performing his 2015 hit track, “Kick The Dust Up.”

Elsewhere, Grammy Award-winning singer Carrie Underwood performed two of her own tracks, including “Ghost Story” and “Good Girl.”