For a couple minutes there, Jelly Roll and Brooks & Dunn turned the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville into a church with a spiritual performance of “Believe” at the 2024 Country Music Association Awards Wednesday (Nov. 20).
With Kix Brooks on piano and Ronnie Dunn sharing lead vocals with the “Son of a Sinner” singer, the trio took the stage in front of a full orchestra to perform their version of the track, which appears on the “Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” duo’s 2024 LP, Reboot II. With the emotional density of the track increasing in tandem with the power of Dunn and Jelly’s raw voices, the musicians’ peers in the audience started raising their hands and wiping away tears as the spirit took over the room.
“I can’t quote the book/ Don’t know the chapter or the verse,” Jelly sang, trading lines with Dunn on the song’s bridge.
“You can’t tell me this all ends/ In a slow ride in a hearse,” jumped in Dunn.
As the song faded away, the “Need a Favor” musician — who pointed up at the sky — said into the microphone, “I love you, Lord.”
Hosted this year by Peyton Manning, Luke Bryan and Lainey Wilson, the CMAs are back to honor some of the biggest names, songs and moments in country music over the past year. Both Jelly and Brooks & Dunn scored nominations in 2024, with the former competing for entertainer of the year and male vocalist of the year, and the latter up for vocal duo of the year.
Jelly was also in the running for album of the year thanks to his 2023 breakout LP, Whitsitt Chapel. The prize ended up going to Cody Johnson’s Leather.
