CMA Fest 2026 may have wrapped a little more than a week ago, but George Birge is one of many people who are still riding the Fan Fair high. 

His euphoria comes from getting to play his top-15 hit “Ride, Ride, Ride” with Luke Bryan during his set on the main stage in Nashville.  

“It was my first time performing in a stadium,” George reveals. “Seventy thousand people out there and it was just electric. Luke leaned into me right before we walked onstage and he said, ‘Man, don’t let this freak you out and go out there and get weird or nothing. Just go out and crush it, man.'”

For the “Mind on You” hitmaker, Luke’s encouragement helped. 

“I gotta admit, I did have a little bit of nerves, but we went out there and it was electric,” he tells ABC Audio. “The crowd ate it up, and [it] may be one of the best nights of my life, easily, of my musical journey, getting to play that song with Luke Bryan at Nissan Stadium to close out CMA Fest.” 

Not only was George part of Luke’s closing Sunday night set, he got to be part of the final CMA Fest performance at the original Nissan Stadium. Next year CMA Fest will be in the new home of the Tennessee Titans, which is currently being built. 

The 2026 CMA Fest special premieres Thursday, June 25, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu. 

Disney is the parent company of ABC, ABC News and Hulu.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Alicia Keys had the honor of closing New York’s Tribeca Festival Saturday night with the premiere of her new documentary Alicia Keys: Girl From Hell’s Kitchen. The film is both an examination of her life and career, and a look at how she put together her hit musical Hell’s Kitchen, loosely based on her own experiences.

With the musical, the film and a 25th anniversary edition of her debut album Songs in A Minor, Alicia’s spent a lot of time looking back lately. On the red carpet ahead of the film’s premiere, she shared with ABC Audio what all that looking back tells her about her future.

“It tells me that there is such a consistency, actually, between who I have always been and the growth is continuous. It never ends, it never stops,” said Alicia, who posed on the red carpet with her mother, Terria Joseph. Her mother’s own story is a major part of the film, as is Alicia’s relationship with her father, Craig Cook.

“I feel really grateful every step along the way,” Alicia continued. “I’m learning more and I’m becoming more brave and courageous. So, I mean, I’m really just getting started.” 

Following the screening, Alicia and the film’s director, One 9, sat for a Q&A in which they discussed how, above all, the film was inspired by “the spirit of each of us as dreamers.” They also talked about how important it was to show the “diversity and the danger” of Hell’s Kitchen, the area of New York where she grew up, which shaped and continues to shape her music.

Alicia also headlined the Festival’s closing night party, playing an hour-long set featuring surprise guest Nas, and ending — fittingly, on the night the Knicks won the NBA Finals — with “Empire State of Mind.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Oliver Tree has died. He was 32.

Tree was among six people killed when two helicopters collided Sunday in Brazil, according to federal police of Rio de Janeiro.

Tree began his music career in 2010, and in 2018 he released his Alien Boy EP, which includes the RIAA Platinum-certified title track. His full-length debut album, Ugly Is Beautiful, dropped in 2020, and features “Alien Boy” and the single “Hurt,” which hit the top five on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.

The deluxe version of Ugly Is Beautiful spawned the single “Life Goes On,” which became Tree’s first crossover hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to earning fans with his blend of alternative and pop music, Tree became known for his distinctive bowl haircut and eccentric personality, which he displayed in his music videos. He would often mention quitting or retiring from music before putting out new material, and would be described in interviews as “trolling.”

Tree has released three more albums, 2022’s Cowboy Tears, 2023’s Alone in a Crowd and 2026’s Love You Madly Hate You Badly. According to a press release, Love You Madly Hate You Badly was recorded “across seven continents and 80 countries, from Africa to China to Afghanistan.”

Singer Melanie Martinez, who dated Tree, wrote in an Instagram Story, “Been an absolute wreck today.”

“Rest in peace Oliver,” Martinez wrote. “I know you’re making the angels giggle. I’ll be here wondering what stunt and creative project you’re scheming up in heaven.” 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen was honored with the 2026 Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award by the Tribeca Festival in New York City Saturday.

After an opening speech by Tribeca founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, U2 frontman Bono introduced Springsteen, noting, “Bruce made poetry from the voices of the people and set that poetry to music. We honor him tonight as a musician and poet and as an activist and a patriot.”

During the pair’s discussion, they touched on the current divisive political climate and Springsteen’s most recent protest tour.

“I don’t even really consider myself an activist,” Bruce said at one point. “I’m a little embarrassed to get this award tonight cause I feel like at best I’m a concerned citizen.”

He added, “What do I do, you know,  I sing my songs, I say a few things and wish for the best.” “There’s so many people … who do so much more than I do,” he noted, pointing to Bono as one of them.

In a lighter moment, Bono talked about trying to get Springsteen to let them use his 2008 song “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” for a Gap ad tied to Bono’s (RED) campaign, with Bruce turning him down.

“That was a big mistake,” Springsteen said. “That was just a song that, I love that song. Damn it, I still think back: ‘Bono asked you to put this thing on a commercial on television.’ I should have f***** done it! People would hear it like a hit, you know? So I have to apologize.”

The afternoon ended with Patti Smith, backed by Tony Shanahan, performing “Peaceable Kingdom,” with a snippet of “People Have the Power.”  Then Springsteen and Bono joined them for a full rendition of “People Have the Power.”

Springsteen wrapped the event with a solo acoustic performance of his 2012 track “Land of Hope and Dreams.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.