Dierks Bentley, Elle King discuss co-hosting August 3 CMA Fest concert special on ABC

The Country Music Association's three-hour “CMA Fest" TV special will air on ABC on August 3 at 8 p.m. EST /7 p.m. CST. Dierks Bentley and Elle King, a pair of 2022 country radio chart-toppers, will host the event.

“I’m thrilled we get to partner with Dierks and Elle as our hosts this year,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “They have such passion for the fans. I know the chemistry and camaraderie they bring to the stage will be felt by the millions of TV viewers around the globe.”

2019's CMA Fest saw roughly 200,000 people visit downtown Nashville from all 50 states and 37 international countries to celebrate country music excellence. Expect 2022's event -- which takes over downtown Nashville from June 9-12 -- to surpass those numbers.

Before Bentley and King released their new, lovestruck and 80 proof summer duet "Worth A Shot," they met at Skyway Studios for different shots -- promotional ones for CMA Fest.

"I can't imagine what [CMA Fest] will be like in downtown Nashville. Right now, it's already crazy on, like, a Tuesday at noon. In the middle of summer, after a pandemic, in a city that's already growing anyway, I mean, wow," says Bentley about Music City's 49th CMA Fest.

The successful duo -- who both play the Nissan Stadium stage on Sunday, June 12 -- also offered The Tennessean more thoughts about their expectations.

At the time of the interview, Bentley's July 2021-released single "Beers On Me," a collaboration with BRELAND and HARDY, had replaced King's February 2021-released Miranda Lambert duet "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" at the top of country's ever-competitive radio charts.

"I think it's great for us to go into the summer with hit songs," said Bentley. "It's a good time for artists like Lainey Wilson and Jimmie Allen too," Bentley noted, adding another pair of recent country chart-toppers. "CMA Fest will see several artists experience a new level of success."

King's recently flirted with deeper inclusion in country music's ranks, but her recent success may have finally gotten her to settle into country for good.

"Being on the CMA Fest main stage at Nissan Stadium is one of the biggest deals in country music; it's a huge deal. I'm also currently making a country album, so I'm officially stamping myself as a part of country music," added the now two-time country No. 1 hit-maker (she and Bentley achieved No. 1 status with 2016's "Different For Girls").

However, when Bentley advised her of what having hundreds of thousands of fans in downtown Nashville could mean as far as having them wanting to meet her, her jaw almost hit the floor as she learned about CMA Fest's legend and lore.

"Back in the day, I did a twelve-hour meet and greet for my fan club," Bentley deadpanned. "Garth Brooks would sign autographs and shake hands for 24 hours, and once Billy Ray Cyrus would find that out, he'd make the joke that he was doing the same for 25. It was competitive." King laughed, adding, "That many people would never want to meet me. Maybe I'll do one for thirty minutes."

A limited number of four-day passes, plus recently announced single night tickets, for the Nissan Stadium nightly concerts are available at CMAfest.com or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST. Four-day and single-day tickets are still available for purchase at CMAfest.com/tickets.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dierks Bentley, Elle King discuss co-hosting August 3 CMA Fest concert special on ABC