chris stapleton and justin timberlake tennessee whiskey

“Just when I thought I had the best beard onstage,” Timberlake quipped before the pair, along with their respective backing bands, recreated the famed 2015 performance of the song in what was now their second time onstage together. “This man and this woman that I’m about to bring out have inspired me so much since I met them,” Timberlake, who bought in as a producer of Pilgrimage last year, told delighted festivalgoers before introducing Stapleton and his wife and singing partner Morgane Stapleton to the stage over the slow-walking intro to “Tennessee Whiskey,” the Dean Dillon- and Linda Hargrove-penned classic Timberlake and Stapleton performed at the CMAs, and which Stapleton cut on his 2015 debut Traveller.

That chemistry was back on display for a capacity crowd of more than 25,000 Saturday night, when Stapleton made a lengthy guest appearance during Timberlake’s headlining set at the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tennessee, 20 miles south of Nashville. And yet – as America learned in a now legendary 2015 CMA Awards performance that was a career-maker for Stapleton and a game-changer for country music – these polar opposite powerhouses have an inscrutable chemistry that bridges the gap between polished pop R&B and raw, uncluttered traditional country. The other is a compelling stoic who can plant himself at center stage and devastate an audience with his wrecking ball voice. One is a quintessential pop star, hyping the crowd and working every inch of the stage with high notes, hot steps and a bottomless supply of sex appeal. When it comes to show-stopping charisma, Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton are poles apart in how they captivate.

Chris stapleton and justin timberlake tennessee whiskey