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CMA Fest 2026: If You Love Stephen Wilson Jr., Here’s Your Full Week
Stephen Wilson Jr. is what happens when a former scientist-turned-boxer-turned-songwriter decides to make the most honest music he can.
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By That Nashville Girl
Stephen Wilson Jr. is what happens when a former scientist-turned-boxer-turned-songwriter decides to make the most honest music he can. His Søn of dad album is a raw meditation on grief that doesn’t sound like anything else in country music, and that’s exactly the point.
You found him through someone saying “you have to hear this” or when you saw his iconic “Stand By Me” performance at the CMA Awards last year.
You love that his covers EP includes Nirvana, Temple of the Dog, The Postal Service, and Smashing Pumpkins. You love that he sold out the Ryman for two nights. You love that he doesn’t try to be anything other than exactly what he is: a writer who happens to make country music because that’s the vehicle that best carries what he’s trying to say.
This itinerary follows that thread. Not the commercial thread or the party thread, but the thread that connects writers who take the craft seriously, who understand that the best country music has always been literature set to three chords and the truth.
STAGE KEY
Chevy Riverfront — Riverfront Park, 1st Ave & Broadway
Dr Pepper Amp — Ascend Park, 310 1st Ave S
Chevy Vibes — Walk of Fame Park, 5th & Broadway
Good Molecules Reverb — Bridgestone Plaza, 5th & Broadway
Wrangler Remix — Fan Alley (new for 2026)
Nissan Stadium ★ — requires pass
Riverfront + Amp on 1st Ave. Vibes + Reverb + Remix at 5th & Broadway. ~10 min walk between clusters. Nissan Stadium: 15–20 min walk or shuttle.
Thursday, June 4
Meet Your Artist
Morning — Build the foundation
| 12:05 PM | Karley Scott Collins Emotionally direct songwriting with literary instincts. A good opener for the writer-focused fan. | Chevy Vibes |
| 12:40 PM | Ashley Cooke Walk to Riverfront. Strong songwriting foundation and confessional instincts. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 1:30 PM | Cooper Alan Stay at Riverfront. Commercial country with real writing underneath. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 2:20 PM | ★ Alana Springsteen Smart, woman-centered songwriting. A true peer of the literary country generation — and she writes every word. | Chevy Riverfront |
The main event
| 2:50 PM | Arrive early for Stephen Wilson Jr Get to the Riverfront Stage 20 minutes early. This is a free stage, and literary country fans know a good thing when they see it. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 3:10 PM | ★ STEPHEN WILSON JR. Thursday afternoon, free stage, no pretense. “Father’s Son,” “Year to Be Young 1994,” songs from søn of dad. This is where it starts. If you don’t know him yet, you will after this set. | Chevy Riverfront |
Afternoon continuation
| 4:00 PM | Redferrin Stay at Riverfront and process what you just heard. Good moment to grab water. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 4:50 PM | Vincent Mason Rising Platform Stage act — he’s also on at Nissan tonight. This is the preview set. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 5:40 PM | ★ Shane Smith & the Saints Perfect daytime closer. Texas Americana storytelling with the same literary sensibilities that Stephen Wilson Jr. brings to his work. Real deal songwriting. | Chevy Riverfront |
Dinner + Stadium
| 6:15 PM | Dinner break Assembly Food Hall (5th Ave N) near the pedestrian bridge or Acme Feed & Seed rooftop. Head to Nissan by 7:15 PM. | Food |
Tonight — The literary foundation
| 8:30 PM | Tucker Wetmore Alabama-raised, emotionally direct. Shares some of the same Southern literary sensibilities. | Nissan Stadium |
| 10:00 PM | ★ Ella Langley She writes the same kind of emotionally honest, no-pretense country that Stephen Wilson Jr. specializes in. “Choosin’ Texas” in a stadium crowd. | Nissan Stadium |
| 10:50 PM | Gretchen Wilson Pure country rebellion. “Redneck Woman” as a full stadium singalong. | Nissan Stadium |
| 11:30 PM | Jason Aldean Thursday headliner. Thursday delivered what you came for. | Nissan Stadium |
Friday, June 5
The Writers
Morning — Songwriting focus
| 11:00 AM | Chayce Beckham Honest blue-collar storytelling. A good Friday foundation. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 11:50 AM | Alana Springsteen If you missed her Thursday, here she is again. Writer-first country. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 12:40 PM | ★ Charles Wesley Godwin The single most important daytime set for the Stephen Wilson Jr. fan. West Virginia Americana, deeply literary, and absolutely uncompromising. This is what literary country sounds like when it’s done right. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 1:30 PM | Dylan Marlowe Rising male country voice with good instincts. | Chevy Riverfront |
Lunch
| 2:10 PM | Lunch break The Southern Steak & Oyster (150 3rd Ave N) for a sit-down meal, or Assembly Food Hall for speed. Tonight runs late. | Food |
Afternoon
| 2:20 PM | ★ Priscilla Block Raw, unvarnished storytelling. The kind of emotional honesty the literary fan appreciates even when the sound isn’t purely traditional. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 3:10 PM | Nate Smith Whiskey on You” has real emotional weight underneath the commercial appeal. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 3:50 PM | Tyla Rodrigues Walk to Fan Alley for a discovery set. | Wrangler Remix |
| 4:15 PM | Austin Snell Walk to Walk of Fame Park. Rising voice with interesting crossover instincts. | Chevy Vibes |
| 4:50 PM | RaeLynn Walk back to Riverfront. High energy, good crowd builder. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 5:40 PM | ★ Kaitlin Butts Oklahoma singer-songwriter with literary sensibilities. Raw, unflinching, zero pretense. In the same emotional territory as Stephen Wilson Jr.’s most honest work. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 6:15 PM | Dinner before Cody Johnson Assembly Food Hall or The Southern. Head to Nissan by 7:30 PM. | Food |
Tonight — The rockers
| 8:30 PM | Blake Shelton | Nissan Stadium |
| 9:15 PM | SHABOOZEY Genre-crossing in a completely different direction from Stephen Wilson Jr., but the same fearlessness about not fitting in boxes. | Nissan Stadium |
| 10:00 PM | ★ The Red Clay Strays Alabama Southern rock-soul. Raw, guitar-forward, completely committed. For the Stephen Wilson Jr. fan who loves when country has some rock and roll bite. | Nissan Stadium |
| 10:35 PM | The Band Perry If I Die Young” nostalgia. | Nissan Stadium |
| 11:30 PM | ★ Cody Johnson Traditional country with fierce intensity. The Friday headliner worth staying for. | Nissan Stadium |
Saturday, June 6
The Genre-Fluid Day
Morning
| 12:05 PM | Sister Hazel ’90s alt-country. “All For You” crosses every genre line beautifully. | Chevy Vibes |
| 12:40 PM | Ian Munsick Wyoming cowboy country with authentic grit. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 1:30 PM | Drew Baldridge Commercial country-pop with good energy. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 2:10 PM | Lunch break Saturday is the busiest crowd day. Skull’s Rainbow Room (222 Printers Alley) for Nashville atmosphere. Back by 2:20. | Food |
Afternoon — Genre-Fluid Centerpiece
| 2:20 PM | Priscilla Block She plays Friday and Saturday. The honesty and craft are worth seeing both times. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 3:10 PM | ★ Midland Best traditional band of the decade. For the Stephen Wilson Jr. fan who appreciates pure songcraft and impeccable musicianship. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 4:00 PM | ★ Kaitlin Butts Literary, raw, unflinching. A natural Saturday companion for this audience. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 4:35 PM | Alli Walker Walk to Fan Alley. Rising songwriter worth knowing about. | Wrangler Remix |
| 5:40 PM | Braxton Keith Back to Riverfront for the high-energy closer before dinner. | Chevy Riverfront |
Dinner + Stadium
| 6:15 PM | Dinner break Head to Nissan by 7:45 PM. | Food |
Tonight — The craftsmen
| 8:00 PM | Sara Evans “Born to Fly” in a Nashville stadium. Pure country vocals. | Nissan Stadium |
| 8:30 PM | ★ Carly Pearce Traditional country with modern emotional gut-punch. Excellent songwriter, powerful performer. For the literary fan who loves when country music tells hard truths beautifully. | Nissan Stadium |
| 9:15 PM | ★ Zach Top Grammy-winning neotraditionalist. Pure songcraft and traditional country done right. The Stephen Wilson Jr. fan will appreciate the commitment to craft over commercial considerations. | Nissan Stadium |
| 10:00 PM | Jordan Davis Commercial country with real writing underneath. | Nissan Stadium |
| 11:25 PM | ★ Tim McGraw Saturday headliner. One of country’s greatest voices and catalogs. | Nissan Stadium |
Sunday, June 7
The Full Circle
Morning
| 9:30 AM | Brandon Lake Optional Sunday morning worship music at the Riverfront. Gospel and country have always shared the same emotional territory. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 11:00 AM | Lauren Alaina Southern country with big emotional range. Good Sunday morning anchor. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 12:40 PM | ★ Priscilla Block She plays Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. This itinerary says go every single time. She is the week’s most consistent genre-crossing emotional anchor for this crowd. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 1:30 PM | ★ Waylon Wyatt Outlaw country meets modern production — one of the week’s most interesting next-wave picks for any genre-curious fan. | Chevy Riverfront |
Lunch — Final day
| 2:10 PM | Final day lunch Back by 2:20 for Marcus King. | Food |
Afternoon — The craftsman’s corner
| 2:20 PM | ★ Marcus King Southern soul and blues-rock with literary intelligence. His guitar playing and songcraft are what matter. For the Stephen Wilson Jr. fan who appreciates pure musical ability and emotional range. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 3:10 PM | ★ Molly Tuttle Grammy-winning bluegrass and Americana. The roots of everything good in country music. An artist’s artist. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 3:25 PM | Ashland Craft Walk to Walk of Fame Park. Pure country voice, and people are talking about her as “one to watch.” Go see her set and then you can catch our interview with Ashland on the podcast on July 7th! | Chevy Vibes |
| 4:00 PM | Chase Matthew Back to Riverfront. Young voice with good writing instincts. | Chevy Riverfront |
| 5:40 PM | Mackenzie Carpenter Final daytime closer. End four days of music where you started. | Chevy Riverfront |
Dinner + Final Night
| 6:15 PM | Final dinner Last night. Head to Nissan by 7:45 PM. | Food |
Tonight — SWJ Headlines
| 8:30 PM | Russell Dickerson Nashville local with crowd energy to open the final night. | Nissan Stadium |
| 9:10 PM | ★ Bailey Zimmerman Raw emotion, massive voice, zero filter. The gut-punch emotional honesty the literary country fan lives for, even if the sound isn’t traditional. | Nissan Stadium |
| 9:50 PM | Riley Green Traditional country with party energy. Natural closing-night energy. | Nissan Stadium |
| 10:30 PM | ★ HARDY Country rock with edge and real songwriting chops. HARDY has played guitar on Stephen Wilson Jr. sessions and wrote “Father’s Son” with him. The connection is real. | Nissan Stadium |
| 11:15 PM | ★ STEPHEN WILSON JR. The full circle moment. Thursday afternoon on the free Riverfront Stage. Sunday night headlining Nissan Stadium. Literary, grief-rooted, indie-rock-inflected country music on the biggest stage at the biggest country music festival in the world. From Søn of dad to stadium headliner. This is the moment the entire week was built toward. | Nissan Stadium |
| 11:30 PM | ★ Luke Bryan CMA Fest’s final headliner. Pure entertainment value and massive crowd energy. The perfect way to close out four days. | Nissan Stadium |
That Nashville Girl | @thatnashvillegirl | CMA Fest 2026 | June 4-7 | Nashville, TN
★ Nissan Stadium shows require a 4-night pass or single-night ticket. All other stages listed are free and open to the public. Capacity limits apply at free stages — arrive early for priority sets. Schedule subject to change; verify times in the CMA Connect App.
