Urban got the crowd amped up with his performance of “Straight Line,” perfectly ringing in 2026.
He returned to the stage later to deliver an upbeat cover of New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give.”
Urban is just one of many people performing during the five-hour-long CBS special. Headliners Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman will take the stage at Bicentennial Park. While there, they’ll be joined by CeCe Winans and the Fisk Jubilee Singers.
Meanwhile, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Riley Green, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Gretchen Wilson, and Stephen Wilson Jr. will perform at various venues across Music City.
Additionally, Dwight Yoakam and Marcus King will take the stage at Category 10, home of the official New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash watch party, with special guests Cody Alan and Caylee Hammack.
Bert Kreischer and Hardy are hosting the special, which will include appearances by comedian Dusty Slay, Entertainment Tonight‘s Cassie DiLaura, Sirius XM host Buzz Brainard, and UFC champion Kayla Harrison.
Keith Urban’s Big Year
Urban largely spent 2025 on the road in support of his album, High.
The High and Alive World Tour began on May 22 in Orange Beach, Alabama, and ran through an Oct. 17 show in Nashville, Tennessee. After the tour wrapped, Urban released his first-ever full-length live album, High And A (Live).
On top of all of that excitement, 2025 saw the release of Urban’s singing competition series, The Road. The show followed 12 artists as they opened for Urban on tour. Each night, the audience voted to determine who should stay and who should go.
The series found its first-ever winner in Adam Sanders, who received $250,000, a recording contract, and a set at Stagecoach.
“What an awesome experience for all of us. I’m very, very grateful to be in this position,” Sanders told American Songwriter of opening up for Urban. “To be handpicked to be a part of a show like this is validation for all of us in our career, something that we’ve all worked for for a very long time to be in this position. The 12 of us that were on the show didn’t just start singing a week ago and create a TikTok. We’ve been at this for a really long time.”
