WATCH: Kenny Chesney Performs Touching Tribute to Brett James with ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ at CMA Awards 2025

A classy moment.

Kenny Chesney serenaded Nashville's Bridgestone Arena with two beloved tracks from his catalogue, ‘American Kids’ and ‘When the Sun Goes Down’, with the No Shoes Nation figurehead using the latter to pay tribute to his late friend, Brett James.

It was a powerful move from Chesney, and again showcases the heart and warmth he always brings to the stage. James was one of the Knoxville native's go-to songwriters over the years and a close buddy. He penned ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ by himself for Chesney, as well as co-writing ‘Out Last Night’, ‘Bucket’ and more.

Towards the end of Chesney's performance of ‘When the Sun Goes Down’, a photo of James flashed up on the big screen, along with the message, “Thank you. We miss you”.

James died alongside his wife and daughter in a tragic plane crash in September, with a host of collaborators within the industry paying homage to the prolific songwriter. As well as crafting anthems for Chesney, James penned iconic hits such as Carrie Underwood's ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ and ‘Blessed’ by Martina McBride.

In addition to performing this vibrant rendition of ‘When the Sun Goes Down’, Chesney served up an energising performance of his nostalgic, uptempo earworm, ‘American Kids’, one of the stand-outs from his stellar 2014 album, The Big Revival.

Earlier in the evening, Chesney walked the CMA Red Carpet alongside his ‘You Had To Be There’ duet partner, Megan Moroney. The duo were nominated for Musical Event of the Year, which went to Ella Langley and Riley Green for ‘you look like you love me’.

Meanwhile, host Lainey Wilson took home the most coveted gong of the evening, with the Louisiana native beating stiff competition from the likes of Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs to take home her second CMA Entertainer of the Year accolade.

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