The Ninth Annual ‘iHeartCountry Festival Presented By Capital One’ Celebrated The Biggest Names in Country Music On May 7 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas
The Event Featured Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Jimmie Allen, Scotty McCreery, Cody Johnson, Plus Surprise Guest Dierks Bentley
The Daytime Village at the iHeartCountry Festival Featured Performances from Jimmie Allen, Lainey Wilson, Ryan Hurd, Ingrid Andress, Caroline Jones and Conner Smith
eMusic Live Exclusively Streamed the iHeartCountry Festival For Fans Across The Country.
New York, NY – May 8, 2022 – The ninth annual iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One celebrated Country music’s hottest artists including Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Jimmie Allen, Scotty McCreery, Cody Johnson and surprise guest Dierks Bentley on May 7 at the new state-of-the-art venue Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Hosted by iHeartMedia's nationally syndicated top on-air Country personality, Bobby Bones, the star-studded event exclusively streamed globally for fans on eMusic Live and Country music radio stations broadcasted the event live in their local markets and on iHeartRadio.com.
The Daytime Village at iHeartCountry Festival featured performances from Jimmie Allen, Lainey Wilson, Ryan Hurd, Ingrid Andress, Caroline Jones and Conner Smith.
The music of the iHeartRadio app came to life with an extraordinary lineup and these special moments:
- Thomas Rhett opened the 2022 iHeartCountry Festival with an acoustic performance of songs from his new album, Where It Started, as well as some of his biggest hits. Joined by just one other guitarist, he kicked off his set with "What's Your Country Song," before moving into his new single, "Slow Down Summer.” During his set, he performed "Sixteen,” “Die a Happy Man,” "Half Of Me” and "Look What God Gave Her.”
- Carrie Underwood dressed in denim and rhinestones – an ode to her upcoming new album – as she took over the stage for an incredible performance of several of her biggest hits and fan favorites, including "Church Bells," "Good Girl," "Ghost Story," "Jesus Take The Wheel," "How Great Thou Art," "Last Name" and "Before He Cheats.”
- Maren Morris returned to her home state to perform some of her biggest hits and opened her set with "Circles Around This Town,” before trading in her guitar for a tambourine to perform "I Can't Love You Anymore," the duet she penned with husband Ryan Hurd. She then took the crowd to church with a performance of "My Church" and one of her biggest hits, “The Bones.”
- Jimmie Allen made his debut at the 2022 iHeartCountry Festival and kicked off his set with an energetic performance of “Make Me Want To,” while dancing around stage before grabbing his guitar for an acoustic performance of “Down Home,” a song he wrote for his late father. He also performed “Best Shot,” and closed his set with “Freedom Was A Highway,” his feel-good anthem with Brad Paisley.
- Texas native, Cody Johnson took the stage to perform three of his biggest hits, starting with "Dear Rodeo," his duet with country legend Reba McEntire. He then moved into his next song "Human," which will serve as his next single off his new album, and closed his set with "Till You Can't.”
- Dustin Lynch had everyone at this year's iHeartCountry Festival in "Party Mode" throughout his entire performance. He made a memorable entrance to the iconic Beastie Boys song “Fight For Your Right (To Party),” while chugging a beer with his bandmates. During his set, he also handed out a beer helmet and sombreros to nearby audience members who later participated in an on-stage game of beer pong. He set the perfect tone for his unforgettable country anthems including “Small Town Boy,” “Where It's At” and his perfect-for-summer song, “Tequila On A Boat.”
- Surprise guest Dierks Bentley joined Maren Morris and Daytime Village performer, Lainey Wilson for the "We're All Country" Guitar Pull powered by RAM Trucks. Joining forces for an unforgettable performance, Maren Morris and Lainey Wilson kicked off the set, each performing two songs — Morris sang "Rich" and "The Middle," while Wilson performed "Never Say Never" and "Things A Man "Oughta Know." Lainey then introduced the third star of the guitar pull: Dierks Bentley and helped him perform "Burning Man," before he continued with "Beers On Me" and "I Hold On."
- Scotty McCreery opened up his set with "In Between," and “Damn Strait," while paying tribute to one of the biggest country stars ever to come from Texas, George Strait. He also performed "Five More Minutes," and concluded with “You Time.”
- Zac Brown Band pulled out all the stops for their iHeartCountry Festival set, performing some of their biggest hits, and a few incredible covers. The band kicked off with "Homegrown" and "Out in the Middle" before performing a mashup of "Colder Weather" and the Eagles' "Take It To The Limit." Then, the group performed a cover of Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls On Parade" and finished the entire show with fan favorite, "Chicken Fried."
The iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One is an iHeartMedia Production. Proud partners of this year’s event include presenting partner Capital One; and Altrua Healthshare, BioNTech & Pfizer, Progressive® Insurance, Ram Trucks, Stetson Original, Stetson Spirit and Dolly: Scent From Above, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, W Austin and Nurtec® ODT (rimegepant) 75 mg.
iHeartCountry has more than 150 Country stations across the U.S. reaching more than 110 million Country music listeners per month on broadcast alone, making it the largest Country broadcast radio group in America. The iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One is a part of iHeartMedia’s roster of nationally recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Festival, iHeartRadio Music Awards, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour Presented by Capital One, iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartRadio ALTer Ego Presented by Capital One, iHeartRadio Wango Tango and iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.
About Capital One
At Capital One we’re on a mission for our customers – bringing them great products, rewards, service, and access to unique and unforgettable experiences they are passionate about. Capital One is a diversified bank that offers products and services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients. We use technology, innovation and interaction to provide consumers with products and services to meet their needs. Learn more at capitalone.com/access.
About Moody Center
Moody Center will provide the nation’s 11th largest city with a premier venue to host the biggest artists and acts on the planet. Designed specifically for concerts, the new arena will replace the 45-year-old Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center at The University of Texas and will be the home to the University of Texas women’s and men’s basketball games as well as other sports and community events. Moody Center is privately financed by Oak View Group, Live Nation/C3 Presents, University of Texas, and Matthew McConaughey and is set to open April 2022. Also, follow along on social media on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @moodycenteratx.