Welcoming over 90,000 people to the 2025 CMA Fest, Nashville brought in some of the biggest names in country music. While each night featured acts like Kelsea Ballerini, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Darius Rucker, and numerous others, fans at the Nissan Stadium received a special treat when Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll took the stage together. Having collaborated on the new song “Hard Fought Hallelujah”, the singers brought more than a little faith with them to the CMA Fest.
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While thousands of fans packed the arena to see Lake and Jelly Roll perform, many were shocked when a massive cross appeared in the sky. Over the last few years, drones have become a popular way to take a concert to the skies. With drones able to put on a spectacular show in the sky, Jelly Roll and Lake thought the technology could help them spread their message of faith.
Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake brought God to CMA Fest Friday night 🙌 🎤
— FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) June 7, 2025
See all the photos from night two at Nissan Stadium here >> https://t.co/p0gEMpxdfW pic.twitter.com/fgawU8zhYs
Thankfully, fans caught the special moment and shared images of the massive cross in the sky. Already climbing to nearly 500,000 views, fans appeared to love the message the country singer wanted to share. “Nothing like good music and faith to lift the soul, Christ is King, no doubt.” Another comment included, “Jelly Roll bringing the vibe, and faith leading the way. That’s the energy we need.”
Be sure to tune-in to CMAfest presented by SoFi on Thursday, June 26 at 8/7c on ABC to relive your favorite performances.
Jelly Roll Focused On Spreading A Message Of Faith
Back in February, Jelly Roll opened up about his faith and how he believed God put Lake in his life. “I think God put you in my life for a reason. I think God’s been circling my wagon for a while, and I think He’s kind of starting to pick at me a little more every day.”
Joining forces on “Hard Fought Hallelujah”, Jelly Roll added that he hoped fans connected with the song. “I just hope this record connects people in any way that it connected me again. It connected me in a way to my faith, in a way that I haven’t been connected in a while. It made me challenge some of my own dogma. I’ve been so bitter and hurt by the church and their dogma that I created my own. It really started challenging all this, and this was all just coming through. …God sends me the record.”
Quickly climbing the ranks of country music, it seemed that Jelly Roll wasn’t focused on shining the light on himself but using his stardom to spread faith, love, and peace.
(Photo by Tammie/AFF-USA/Shutterstock)
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