Post Malone And Chris Stapleton To Open 2024 CMA Awards With ‘California Sober’

The CMA Awards are off to a great start thanks to Post Malone and Chris Stapleton!

On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Malone, 29, and Stapleton, 46, opened the 58th annual country music awards show with a rocking performance of “California Sober.”

Both musicians took to the stage wearing cowboy hats and strumming their guitars as they belted out the lyrics to the track, which was featured on Malone’s country album F-1 trillion.

“She said, ‘I’ll take you on a little ride/Come on, try these lips,'” they sang, smiling at each other. “She said, ‘Baby, give me one more kiss/Before I kiss your ass goodbye’.”

In addition to his performance with Stapleton, Malone — a first-time CMAs nominee — will also take the stage to perform “Yours,” a song inspired by his daughter.

See all of PEOPLE’s full CMA Awards coverage here.

Stapleton entered the night with five nominations, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year award, and took home an early singles win of the year for “White Horse.” Malone, meanwhile, is nominated for four.

Earlier this week, Malone leaned even further into country music by teaming up with Jelly Roll for The Big Ass Stadium Tour across North America in the summer of 2025.

The massive tour kicks off on April 29th in Salt Lake City and makes stops in major cities across the country before wrapping up on July 1st in San Francisco.

Malone’s F-1 trillion was released in August and reached no. 1 on Billboard 200 albums chart. The project featured star-studded collaborations including the #1 single “I Had Some Help” with Morgan Wallen, as well as “Pour Me a Drink” with Blake Shelton, “Guy for That” with Luke Combs and “What Don’t.” Belongs to me.”

The 58th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 20 from 8pm to 11pm on ABC. The show will be streamed the following day on Hulu.