Overview
- Urban made a surprise entrance in Lainey Wilson’s opening medley at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, joining her for his 1999 hit “Where the Blacktop Ends.”
- The performance opened the telecast and flowed into the show’s first presentation by Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley.
- Social media response was mixed, with many posts invoking Urban’s separation and his Mar-a-Lago appearance days earlier.
- On November 15 he performed at Anthony Pratt’s private party at Mar-a-Lago, covering Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” and Bob Marley’s “Is This Love,” according to an attendee’s Instagram post, with President Donald Trump in attendance.
- Coverage of a recent onstage lyric change referencing guitarist Maggie Baugh fueled speculation that singer Alexandra Kay publicly denied, while Nicole Kidman’s late-September divorce filing remains pending.