Scotty McCreery Leaves 70,000 Fans Hanging on Every Word With “Five More Minutes”
Scotty McCreery brought a deeply personal moment to the massive stage at CMA Fest, stripping away the usual production and letting his voice and lyrics do all the work.
During the 52nd anniversary of CMA Fest in Nashville, the 31-year-old country star delivered an emotional rendition of his chart-topping hit “Five More Minutes” from the B-stage at the center of Nissan Stadium.
With more than 70,000 fans surrounding him, McCreery appeared onstage alone, dressed in a royal blue button-up and jeans and holding nothing but an acoustic guitar.
Just Scotty, His Guitar and 70,000 Fans
The stripped-down arrangement created a striking contrast to the scale of the stadium.
McCreery gently strummed his guitar as his signature baritone carried across the packed venue. Fans swayed and sang along, while the stripped-back setting placed the full focus on his vocals and the heartfelt lyrics that have made “Five More Minutes” such a beloved song.
Ahead of the performance, McCreery admitted that performing the song in such an intimate format for such a massive audience would be a unique experience.
“I get to play it and instead of just me and the whole band like we do every night, it’s just going to be me and my guitar,” he explained. “So that’ll be cool. I mean, you typically do that at a writer’s round with 200 people, not 70,000 people.”
The Song That Became His First No. 1
“Five More Minutes” holds a particularly important place in McCreery’s career. Released from his fourth studio album, Seasons Change, the song became his first No. 1 single in 2018.
McCreery co-wrote the track with Frank Rogers and Monty Criswell, and its emotional message resonated strongly with the CMA Fest crowd.
The singer was equally enthusiastic about returning to the Nashville festival and performing inside Nissan Stadium.
“It feels so good. I always love coming out here to CMA Fest. It’s just one of the best, if not the best events of the year, country music fans from all over,” McCreery said ahead of his appearance.
“It’s been a little while since we got to play the stadium, so being here tonight is special, and we have had this circled on the calendar for a while.”
A Star-Studded 2025 CMA Fest
Billed as “The Music Event of Summer,” CMA Fest Presented by SoFi brought together more than 30 performances from some of country music’s biggest names.
The lineup included Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cody Johnson, Riley Green, Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Jordan Davis, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Parker McCollum, Ashley McBryde, Rascal Flatts, The Red Clay Strays, Dylan Scott, Zach Top and Keith Urban, among others.
The three-hour television special also featured a series of high-profile collaborations.
Brooks & Dunn performed “Play Something Country” with Lainey Wilson and “Rock My World [Little Country Girl]” with Marcus King. Dierks Bentley joined Zach Top for “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and a “Mountain Music” medley, while Cody Johnson and Carín León performed “She Hurts Like Tequila.”
Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll teamed up for “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” Jason Aldean and Travis Tritt performed “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive,” Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins delivered “Hillbilly Bone,” and Bailey Zimmerman and BigXthaPlug showcased their new duet “All The Way.”
From Nissan Stadium to the Small Screen
The 2025 CMA Fest was filmed at Nissan Stadium during Nashville’s four-day celebration, which ran from Thursday, June 5, through Sunday, June 8.
The 2025 event marked the 19th consecutive year that CMA had produced a summer concert television special, while the airing itself marked the 22nd consecutive year of the CMA Fest television tradition.
Produced by the Country Music Association, the special was executive produced and written by Robert Deaton and directed by Alan Carter.
The three-hour CMA Fest special aired Thursday, June 26, at 8/7c on ABC and became available to watch on demand through Hulu on Friday, June 27.
For McCreery, however, one of the most memorable moments of the festival came without elaborate staging or a full band — just an acoustic guitar, a familiar song and 70,000 fans singing along.