Photo: Rick Kern / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Country crooner Parker McCollum kicked off the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival on Saturday (May 2) in a big way!
The Texas native opened the highly anticipated evening at the Moody Center in Austin, TX, clad in a black t-shirt and baseball hit, along with his signature guitar.
McCollum began the seven-song set with his 2024 hit, "What Kinda Man," putting on a rock-tinged version of the country track.
"It's good to be here Austin!" he told a screaming crowd after he finished, before going into his second song, "Killin' Me." He then went into his 2022 country hit "Handle on You," after which he opened up to the crowd about being back in his home state of Texas.
"It's good to be home!" McCollum exclaimed to the crowd. "It's an honor to kick this off being first, we don't take that lightly." He then performed his hits "Big Ole Fancy House, "Pretty Heart" and "Solid Country Gold."
Before the Gold Chain Cowboy hitmaker continued his set, he paused to reflect on the moment. "We're glad to be here!" McCollum told the cheering crowd before going into his final song of the night, his 2021 hit "To Be Loved By You."
Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Carly Pearce, Shaboozey, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Gretchen Wilson, Chase Matthew and Lauren Alaina, plus special guest George Birge, made up the star-studded lineup of the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival. It was all hosted again by iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones.
The 2026 iHeartCountry Festival is streaming live on Disney+ and Hulu. If you missed the show (or just want to relive the experience), you can replay the festival on Sunday (May 3) only on Hulu.
Check back with iHeartCountry for a photo gallery of red carpet looks, more performance recaps, backstage moments and other unforgettable highlights from this year’s iHeartCountry Festival.