Vince Gill, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney and George's son Bubba Strait (making his debut) kept the evening moving on the rotating stage in the middle of the stadium. But it was Alan Jackson who seemed to elicit exceptional warmth for Strait. The two shared a toast and praised each other's talents. Jackson tried to wave off Strait's compliments and said, "I've been a fan of yours since 'Unwound.'" Strait remarked, "This is too much fun. Too much fun."

The encore featured the whole cast for "All My Ex's Live In Texas" and "Folsom Prison Blues." Then, finally, it was time. As nine of country music's top artists stood behind him and silently took it in, George Strait sang "The Cowboy Rides Away" as many in the audience openly wept. Strait, too, had a deeper glisten in his eyes. His voice cracked once. Confetti, balloons and ear-splitting adulation from the crowd ensued, then Strait tossed his hat into the crowd. And that was that.

• Friday (6/6): Eric Church was joined by Lzzy Hale of Halestorm for "That's Damn Rock & Roll." "The Outsiders" and "Give Me Back My Hometown" were also in his set. The Band Perry delivered the first full sing-along of the night by covering Pitbull and Kesha's "Timber." Fans were on their feet for "If I Die Young." Jason Aldean turned the show into "My Kinda Party" and brought out fellow Georgian Travis Tritt to duet on Tritt's "Homesick." Miranda Lambert showed up in platinum-colored cowboy boots, blasting out "Fastest Girl In Town," "Mama's Broken Heart," "Automatic" and "White Liar," among others. Blake Shelton closed with a set that included "My Eyes" with Gwen Sebastian and "Sure Be Cool If You Did."
• Saturday (6/7): Storms sent crowds from the parking lots into the stadium for shelter and delayed the show by more than an hour, but fans stuck it out. Sara Evans sang "Born To Fly," "Slow Me Down" and "A Real Fine Place To Start." Little Big Town delivered "Little White Church" and "Tornado" before being joined onstage by a drum line for "Day Drinking." They finished with "Pontoon." Darius Rucker had fans dancing with "Alright," "This," "Radio," "Come Back Song" and "Wagon Wheel." Florida Georgia Line rocked through "Get Your Shine On" and "This Is How We Roll" before getting the crowd singing on "Cruise." Keith Urban invited Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild to join him on "We Were Us" and brought FGL out to finish the show with "You Gonna Fly."
• Sunday (6/8): Thomas Rhett introduced his new single “You Make Me Wanna” and closed with “Get Me Some Of That” and “Something To Do With My Hands.” Lady Antebellum’s six-song set was made for sing-alongs. “American Honey,” new single "Bartender," “Need You Now” and “Downtown" were prime examples. Hunter Hayes played “Wanted,” “Invisible” and “I Want Crazy.” Zac Brown Band kept fans on their feet with “The Wind,” “Sweet Annie” and a surprise appearance by Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora. And, just like last year, Brad Paisley was the final LP Field performer. “Ticks,” “Beat This Summer” and “River Bank” rocked right through to closers “Mud On The Tires” and “Alcohol.”

Here’s how artists kept us on our toes at the 2014 CMA Music Festival:

• Though technically before CMA Fest, Alan Jackson played unannounced at The Stage after the CMT Music Awards (6/4).
• Brantley Gilbert welcomed tour buddies Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett for “Small Town Throwdown” at LP Field, while show closer Tim McGraw brought his better half Faith Hill for their duet, “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s" (6/5).
• Hunter Hayes surprised fans with a pop-up show near the stairs of the Nashville Schermerhorn Symphony Center (6/6).
• Friday’s LP Field show (6/6) boasted three surprise duets – Jason Aldean with Travis Tritt on “Homesick,” Eric Church with Lzzy Hale on “That’s Damn Rock & Roll” and Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood on “Somethin’ Bad.”
• Bad weather was the suprise Saturday night (6/7). A tornado watch and severe thunderstorm warnings delayed the LP Field set by 90 minutes. Dedicated fans withstood the intermittent rain until the end of Keith Urban's closing set.
• Lady Antebellum treated fans to cake pops from Nashville Sweets at their Sunday morning (6/8) CMA Close Up Q&A Session.
• Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was a special guest during Zac Brown Band’s LP Field set Sunday (6/8). They performed “Wanted Dead Or Alive." 

Miranda Lambert

Lee Ann Womack performed "I Hope You Dance" at Maya Angelou's memorial service Saturday (6/7). Watch here.

Tim McGraw was featured on Sunday's (6/8) Oprah's Master Class, in which he talked about discovering who his real father was, risking everything to move to Nashville, the moment he knew he had a drinking problem, his marriage to Faith Hill and more. Watch here.

Birthdays

Thursday (6/12): Junior Brown.

On TV

Tuesday (6/10): Josh Turner, Today (NBC).

Wednesday (6/11): Miranda Lambert, The Talk (CBS) and Chelsea Lately (E!).

Thursday (6/12): Martina McBride Live With Kelly & Michael (syndicated); Miranda Lambert, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (CBS).

Friday (6/13): Cassadee Pope, Fox & Friends (FOX News); Kacey Musgraves, CMT Crossroads.

This Week's Album Releases

Gene Watson My Heroes Have Always Been Country: "I recorded these songs to honor my music heroes and pay homage to the artists and the songs that shaped my career." The album's 11 tracks include Watson's covers of Eddy Arnold's "Make The World Go Away," Johnny Paycheck's "Slide Off Your Satin Sheets" and George Jones' "Walk Through This World With Me."

Demun Jones Jones County: The former member of the duo Rehab's first solo album is named after the Georgia county in which he grew up. The 12 tracks feature country-inspired lyrics with hip-hop grooves, including "Tannerite," about boys playing with explosives who come across Bigfoot, and "I'm A Man," inspired by his father.

Danny Boone Fish Grease (Average Joes): The other half of the duo Rehab has a debut country solo album, too. Included in the 12 songs are the title track, which is about the country-rap movement, "!965," inspired by Boone's stepfather, and "My Small Town," a song about how things change over the years.

Upcoming Album Releases

Jun. 17            Willie Nelson  Band of Brothers

Jun. 24            Breelan Angel Dirty Little Secret

July 1               Colt Ford Thanks For Listening

Jul. 15             Cowboy Jack Clement For Once And For All

Aug. 19            Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe