The iHeartCountry Festival returned to Austin on Saturday, May 13, 2023. It's clear that even after 10 years, the fest — with superstar performances, a daytime village, and a packed Moody Center crowd — is still going country strong.

Fans that weren't able to get tickets to the big show still enjoyed some amazing performances from today's hit makers. A free daytime village event took place in front of the Moody Center throughout the afternoon. The crowd was treated to performances by Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny, Priscilla Block, Cooper Alan, and Bailey Zimmerman.

There were other opportunities to get prepped for the evening as well. Capitol One hosted a Soundcheck Party with Kane Brown, where he played three songs for the intimate group, then took part in an exclusive Q&A with Jordan Davis as surprise guest. Attendees were treated to a VIP event with food, drinks, photo ops, and swag.

But the main event is what really had the crowd cheering: Luke Bryan kicked things off with a handful of his biggest hits, followed by sets from Mitchell Tenpenny and Carly Pearce. There was a guitar pull (musicians sharing the same guitar, as if at a campfire) where Bailey Zimmerman performed "A Rock and A Hard Place," which paints a lyrical picture of "A midnight in Austin/Damn, I'm exhausted."

Speaking of Austin, as always, the event was hosted by iHeart's Bobby Bones Show gang. Bobby, Amy Brown, and Lunchbox all hosted the popular radio show for many years here in Austin before moving to Nashville.

At the conclusion of the guitar pull, the Brothers Osbourne took the stage for a surprise performance, and the crowd erupted. Two nights prior, they took home Duo of the Year at the 2023 ACM Awards in Frisco, Texas.

Fresh off her performance at the LBJ Foundation's tribute to Willie Nelson the night before, Elle King performed next. There were also performances by Justin Moore, Jordan Davis, Sam Hunt, and Austin's own Parker McCollum. Technically, McCollum is from Conroe, Texas, but he moved to Austin after high school and recorded his debut album at Cedar Creek Recording.

Kane Brown headlined the show, closing out the night with a number of tunes, including "Like I Love Country Music" and "Good As You." For his final song, Kane's wife Katelyn Brown joined him on stage to perform their massive hit "Thank God."

  

Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

Luke Bryan performs onstage during the 2023 iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One at Moody Center on May 13, 2023 in Austin, Texas.