Jelly Roll’s performance came to life during the broadcast, just days after officially releasing the track.
Jelly Roll; Photo via Getty Images for CMA
Jelly Roll previewed his newly released song, “Hands Up” live during night one of CMA Fest 2026 at Nissan Stadium. Now, fans at home are getting the chance to experience that unforgettable moment through CMA Fest presented by SoFi, the three-hour ABC special showcasing highlights from the four-day festival.
The Tennessee native’s time on the main stage of the massive venue came to life during tonight’s broadcast, just days after he officially released it to streaming. Even before it was out, the song has become a powerful part of his live sets recently.
Throughout the track, penned by Jelly Roll with HARDY, Chase McGill, Joe Fox and Rocky Block, the genre-bending star reflects on different chapters of his life, from his teenage years attending concerts in Nashville to some of the mistakes he made as a young adult and the lessons he learned along the way.
As the song unfolds, he continues to take listeners on a journey through those memories, showing how each experience helped shape the person he is today, one that has parted with the devil and found himself leading with his faith. By the end, listeners learn that the overall message signals growth, gratitude, and finding peace with the road that got him to this point.
Once the impactful chorus hit, the “Save Me” singer encouraged the crowd at Nissan Stadium to throw their hands in the air and join him on the singalong.
He sings, “Put your hands up/ Everybody put your hands up/ If you ain’t perfect but you try/ Put ‘em way up to the sky/ Touchin’ heaven kinda high/ Ain’t that where we wanna go when we die/ Whoa, whoa, whoa/ Just put your hands up/ Everybody put your hands up.”
Jelly Roll was just one of the many superstars who appeared during the three-hour broadcast. CMA Fest Presented by SoFi was co-hosted by Riley Green and Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer and aired Thursday, June 25 at 8/7c on ABC. It will be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
The special also featured performances from Bailey Zimmerman, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Deana Carter, Ella Langley, Fetty Wap, Florida Georgia Line, Gretchen Wilson, HARDY, Jason Aldean, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan, Michael McDonald, Molly Tuttle, The Red Clay Strays, Ricky Skaggs, Riley Green, Russell Dickerson, Shaboozey, Shay Morgan, Stephen Wilson Jr., Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore, and Zach Top.
All the fun, excitement and even more star-powered performances will return to Nashville from June 10-13 as the longest-running Country Music festival in the world once again takes over the city’s downtown area.
