Inside iHeartCountry Festival 2026: Backstage Photos from Moody Center

On May 2, 2026, the iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One landed at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, assembling a roster of country heavyweights and delivering a string of moments fans will be replaying for weeks.

Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green and Carly Pearce were among the names lighting up the stage, but it was the little crossovers and crowd-pleasing moments that made the night feel like more than a series of sets. Shaboozey sent the room up on its feet with his breakout hit A Bar Song (Tipsy), while Riley Green closed out the festival with Worst Way and brought Pearce back for Don’t Mind If I Do. Earlier, Green had joined Pearce onstage for their duet If I Don’t Leave, and Pearce also turned in a heartfelt run through Happy Now.

On the bigger-party end, Bryan leaned into his anthems—think That’s My Kinda Night—and Kane Brown kept the tempo high with songs including Bury Me in Georgia and Famous Friends. Gretchen Wilson reminded the crowd why her voice cuts through, mixing classics like Here For The Party with the new stomper Redneck Shit.

The festival’s Daytime Village was its own discovery zone, too: Lauren Alaina, George Birge, Chase Matthew, RaeLynn and Josh Ross all took turns on the smaller stages, offering glimpses of what’s next for country radio and streaming playlists.

Bobby Bones returned to host the evening, and the event’s reach was unmistakable: broadcasts ran on iHeartCountry stations nationwide and via the iHeartRadio app, while performances were also livestreamed on Disney+ and Hulu.

Partners on this year’s festival included Capital One, America250, Bobcat, booking.com, Electric For All, She Rises Studios and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Below is Billboard’s collection of behind-the-scenes and onstage photos from the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival. The images capture quick-changing moods—from late-night singalongs to intimate backstage handshakes—that made the Austin stop feel equal parts hometown party and industry showcase.

Backstage and onstage photos

Shaboozey and Russell Dickerson
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Shaboozey and Russell Dickerson at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Riley Green
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Riley Green at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Parker McCollum
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Parker McCollum at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Lauren Alaina and RaeLynn
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Lauren Alaina and RaeLynn at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Luke Bryan
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Luke Bryan at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Russell Dickerson
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Russell Dickerson at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Kane Brown
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Kane Brown at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Gretchen Wilson
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Gretchen Wilson at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

George Birge
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
George Birge at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Carly Pearce
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Carly Pearce at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Chase Matthew
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Chase Matthew at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Bobby Bones
Image Credit: Izzy Nuzzo
Bobby Bones at the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival held at Moody Center on May 02, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

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