Post Malone made his CMA Awards performance debut alongside Morgan Wallen and Hardy. The musicians showcased a medley of Nineties country songs by Joe Diffie, including “John Deere Green” and “Pickup Man.” Diffie, a pillar of traditional country music, died in 2020 at 61 from complications related to Covid-19.
The choice to perform Diffie songs is tied to a new mixtape being released by Hardy. HIXTAPE Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE unites the “Truck Bed” singer with Wallen and Malone, and features updated versions of Diffie’s “John Deere Green” and “Pickup Man.”
While it might seem unusual for Malone to be part of a country awards celebration, he fits in the genre like a well-worn boot. In recent years, he’s covered contemporary country songs like Brad Paisley’s “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song)” and Sturgill Simpson’s “You Can Have the Crown,” and stone-cold classics like Hank Williams’ “There’s a Tear in My Beer” and Johnny Cash’s “Cocaine Blues” (onstage with Billy Strings in 2022).
Malone, who released his fifth studio LP, Austin, in July, has been making the most of his time in Nashville for CMA Awards week. Earlier in the week, singer-songwriter Ernest posted a photo of himself and Wallen in the studio with Malone, and on Tuesday, songwriter James McNair revealed that he, Malone, and Luke Combs were working on something together. “Magical day of creating with these boys!” he wrote.
Posty will take his country tribute act to the live stage next year as one of the key performers at 2024’s Stagecoach festival in Indio, California. Set for April 26 through 28 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California (the site of Coachella), Stagecoach 2024 will feature Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and Morgan Wallen as headliners, with Post Malone slated to play his covers set on Saturday, a day that also includes Willie Nelson, Luke Grimes, and Texas stalwarts Asleep at the Wheel.
Earlier in the night, Wallen turned in another CMA Awards collaboration, performing “Man Made a Bar” with (mostly) surprise guest Eric Church. The track appears on Wallen’s Album of the Year-nominated One Thing at a Time.
The 2023 CMA Awards also featured performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Cody Johnson, Ashley McBryde, and the War and Treaty.
