THE EIGHTH ANNUAL ‘IHEARTCOUNTRY FESTIVAL AT FRANK ERWIN CENTER (pics)

The eighth annual iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One celebrated Country music’s hottest artists including Blake Shelton, Toby Keith, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Lee Brice, Carly Pearce, Cole Swindell, Chase Rice, Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots, Walker Hayes and surprise guest George Strait on October 30 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. Hosted by iHeartMedia’s nationally syndicated top on-air Country personality, Bobby Bones, the star-studded event exclusively streamed globally for fans on livexlive.com 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 Chase Rice, Carly Pearce, Parker McCollum, Maddie and Tae and Texas’ own Frank Ray.

The music of the iHeartRadio app came to life with an extraordinary lineup and these special moments:

• Toby Keith kicked off the 2021 iHeartCountry Festival with an incredible performance that honored first responders and troops as he took a moment to salute the heroes and raise a glass of  “whiskey for my men,” before continuing his set with 
  “Beer 4 My Horses” and “Who’s Your Daddy.”
• Blake Shelton had the crowd singing along during his set and even paused to teach the audience his newest song “Come Back As A Country Boy.” The country star also performed his oldest song appropriately titled “Austin” as well as “Boys Round Here,” “Honey Bee,” “Ol Red” and “God’s Country.”
• Jake Owen’s enthusiasm while being back on stage was infectious as he sang his hit songs and wowed the crowd with his latest, “Best Thing Since Backroads.” During his set he also  performed “Down To The Honkytonk,” “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” “Made For You” and “Homemade” before closing his set with “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).” Owen told the crowd, “…playing live music is what is the fuel to our fire, the gasoline to our engines. You keep us going.”
• Little Big Town kicked off their set with a crowd-pleasing performance of “Boondocks” and “Pontoon.” The band slowed things down with “Better Man” before playing “Tornado,” “Little White Church” and “Girl Crush.” They saved fan-favorite “Wine Beer Whiskey” for the big finale. 
• Country legend George Strait made a special appearance and surprised fans with his performance during the iHeartRadio “We’re All Country” Guitar Pull powered by RAM Trucks alongside Maddie & Tae and Parker McCollum, who also performed at the Daytime Village.
• Lee Brice gave fans what they have been waiting for when he rocked out on stage with his guitar. During his set, he performed songs like “More Beer,” “Hard 2 Love,” “Soul,” “Memory,” “Rumor” and “One of Them Girls.”
• Carly Pearce dazzled in sequin as she performed her songs “Next Girl,” “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” and “Every Little Thing.” To close her set, she surprised the crowd with Lee Brice as they sang their duet “I Hope You Are Happy Now.”
• Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots helped give an unknown TikTok singer Josh Woods his big break at the 2021 iHeartCountry Festival while covering the Brooks & Dunn hit “Neon Moon” with the special guest Tik-Toker, whom Bobby discovered on the platform after Woods posted a video singing “Neon Moon.” During their entire set, Bobby Bones and Producer Eddie lit up the stage treating the audience to “Hobby Lobby Bobby,” “Fanny Pack” and “Fall Out.”
• Cole Swindell gave fans an unforgettable performance by kicking off his set with a performance of “Single Saturday Night.” During his set he shared a heartfelt moment with fans as the crowd illuminated their cell phones during “You Should Be Here,” Cole Swindell took moment to recognize loved ones lost including his own father and mother. 
• Chase Rice performed at both the Daytime Village and the main stage at the 2021 iHeartCountry Festival. He kicked off his set with “If I Were Rock & Roll” before slowing it down for a performance of one of his first hits “Eyes on You.” The energy shifted when he graced the crowd with a performance of Florida Georgia Line’s hit song, “Cruise” before finishing with “Drinkin’ Beer” and “Talkin’ God. Amen.”
• Special Guest Walker Hayes got “Fancy Like” on stage at the iHeartCountry Festival as he performed his hit single for the crowd at the 2021 iHeartCountry Festival.

The iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One is an iHeartMedia Production. Proud partners of this year’s event include Capital One, Progressive® Insurance, Ram Trucks, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Twisted Tea® Hard Iced Tea. For more information visit iHeartRadio.com/countryfestival.

The iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One is part of iHeartMedia’s roster of nationally-recognized events including the iHeartRadio Music Festival, the 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 the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.