Dierks Bentley Brings Billy Ray Cyrus to the CMA Fest Stage

Dierks Bentley closed out night four of CMA Fest in style on Sunday night (June 12), performing for a wall-to-wall crowd at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium and enlisting a couple of surprise guests to help him make the night extra special.

Fans could’ve predicted that Elle King would be on hand — not only is she Bentley’s duet partner on the newly-released “Worth a Shot,” but the pair arec also co-hosting the CMA Fest 2022 television special, set to air on ABC in August. Indeed, King did step out onstage during Bentley’s set, performing not only “Worth a Shot” but also a cover of the Charlie Daniels Band‘s “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” according to a report from the Tennessean.

But the biggest surprise of the evening was a guest appearance from Billy Ray Cyrus, who hopped onstage to help Bentley recapture the spirit of ’90s country with a performance of his smash hit, “Achy Breaky Heart,” which recently celebrated its 30th birthday. Fan-captured video footage of the moment shows all the fun, plus Bentley’s attempt at some line dance-style moves to go along with the country classic.

Another cameo during the set was a surprise even to Bentley: Two fans got engaged in the front row near the end of the set, and Bentley followed up the proposal with a hard-charging rendition of his 2012 hit, “5-1-5-0,” to close out the night.

Throughout his performance, Bentley blended new releases with some of his older fan-favorites: He even opened the show with his hit debut single from 2003, “What Was I Thinkin.'”