Fans lined up beginning at 5 a.m. on the final day of CMA Fest 2026, yet they didn’t wake up early to catch a glimpse of their favorite country superstar, as one might assume. Instead, they hit the streets of downtown Nashville to gather for a worship service led by Brandon Lake. By the time gates opened for Lake’s Cowboy Church more than three hours later, the queue stretched all the way down 2nd Avenue. Attendees comprised of locals and tourists alike were given bright orange paddle hand fans branded with Lake’s Cowboy Church logo as thousands packed into the Riverfront Stage — the premier country music festival’s largest daytime stage — before it reached capacity ahead of Lake’s 9:30 a.m. start time. Overflow areas with livestreams were set up at two additional stages nearby to accommodate the massive multigenerational crowd that showed up to see the six-time GRAMMY® winner.
It’s no secret the longtime worship leader is readying an upcoming country project filled with collaborations with some of the genre’s biggest names; and his 2026 CMA Fest appearance only served to further heighten the excitement leading up to the impending release. Across a nine-song set, the South Carolina-based artist welcomed three special guests, including gospel music royalty CeCe Winans, celebrated country-pop duo Dan + Shay and reigning country queen Lainey Wilson.
Lake kicked off his high-profile performance with the acoustic-grounded “Good Plans,” the opening track from his “King Of Hearts” album, before launching full-throttle into “RATTLE!” which he initially wrote and recorded with Elevation Worship.
Midway through “I Know A Name” — another original Elevation Worship collaboration — with Winans, Lake halted the show drawing attention to a festivalgoer who had fainted near the front. Winans, Lake and his band quietly remained on stage as the attendee was aided by medical personnel. The concert resumed nearly 10 minutes later with Winans singing the chorus from “Come Jesus Come.”
Next, Dan + Shay joined Lake for their unreleased ballad, “She Believes In Me,” a faith-fueled love song for their spouses. “I don’t think we’d be the men that we are without our wives,” Lake remarked ahead of delivering the trio’s harmony-infused dedication. Later that afternoon, Lake’s wife, Brittany, and Shay’s wife, Hannah, stole the spotlight alongside their husbands on the CMA Close Up Stage as both couples hosted a conversation about marriage, parenting and faith.
As the sun beamed down on the thousands gathered on the banks of the Cumberland River, Wilson rounded out the star-studded parade of special guests at Cowboy Church, taking the stage in a flowy yellow blouse and her signature cowboy hat and bell-bottoms to sing “The Jesus I Know Now,” the autobiographical duet she co-penned with Lake.
The father of three concluded the hour-long set with “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” “Gratitude” and another unreleased dose of back 40, American-made grit, titled “Bones and Boots,” but not before he briefly took time to present the Gospel — as has become his custom at every single show he plays. “This is the only reason I’m here, because I know what God did for me, He can do for you… He wants your heart,” he shared. “I gave my life to Jesus because someone extended the invitation… If you aren’t walking with Jesus, man, you’re missing the point.”
Lake expressed his desire for Cowboy Church to become an annual event with demand so great that the Country Music Association sees fit to even relocate to a larger venue in the years to come.
Sunday night, Lake also popped up at Nissan Stadium as a surprise guest during Bailey Zimmerman’s set. The pair performed their single, “Just Believe.”
Brandon Lake’s CMA Fest Cowboy Church Setlist
June 7, 2026 — Riverfront Stage
“Good Plans”
“RATTLE!”
“I Know A Name” (with CeCe Winans)
“Come Jesus Come” (with CeCe Winans)
“She Believes In Me” (unreleased track with Dan + Shay)
“The Jesus I Know Now” (with Lainey Wilson)
“Hard Fought Hallelujah”
“Gratitude”
“Bones and Boots” (unreleased track)
