Stephen Wilson Jr. Releases 'Gary' (Live From CMA Fest 2026)

Official Announcement | Published: Jun 26, 2026 11:48 AM EDT

(MPG) Stephen Wilson Jr. released a live version of his single "Gary" that was recorded during his Nissan Stadium performance at CMA Fest 2026. Last night, his powerful solo performance aired during the ABC primetime special "CMA Fest Presented By SoFi," which is now available to stream on demand on Hulu.

"Gary" (Live From CMA Fest 2026) follows the release of Wilson Jr.'s latest single "Preacher's Kid" which was released earlier this month. The song was named a Song You Need To Know by Rolling Stone and was featured in Billboard's New Music Friday Guide, with All Country News proclaiming, "[the] sprawling, electrifying new track that arrives as both a statement and a reminder of why Wilson remains one of the most fascinating storytellers working today."

Wilson Jr. premiered "Gary" late last year with an electrifying performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and also performed it on This Past Weekend with Theo Von and The Howard Stern Show. In March, he released the official video for "Gary," which stars award-winning actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13). The song is currently in the Top 40 on Billboard's Country Airplay Chart.

The video marked his ninth collaboration with director Tim Cofield who also directed his official video for "Cuckoo," which took home the ACM Award for Visual Media of the Year in May.

Throughout the rest of the year, Wilson Jr. will tour the US and Europe on his headline Gary The Torch Tour that will culminate with two shows at The Truth in Nashville, TN on December 11 and 12. He will also tour as part of the Outlaw Music Festival this summer, and will support Dave Matthews Band on September 4 at the Gorge Amphitheater and Brandi Carlile on September 11-13 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

2026 Tour Dates:
6/30 - Dublin, IE - Summer Series
7/3 - Irving, TX - Outlaw Music Festival *
7/4 - Austin, TX - Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic
7/5 - Woodlands, TX - Outlaw Music Festival *
7/10 - St. Paul, MN - Minnesota Yacht Club Festival *
7/11 - Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Folk Festival *
7/17 - Spokane, WA - BECU Live at Northern Quest #
7/18 - Whitefish, MT - Under the Big Sky Festival *
7/23 - Floyd, VA - FloydFest *
7/24 - Virginia Beach, VA - The Dome by Rutter Mills #
7/25 - Baltimore, MD - Pier Six Pavilion #
8/7 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre #
8/8 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater #
8/18 - Maryland Heights, MO - Outlaw Music Festival *
8/21 - East Troy, WI - Outlaw Music Festival *
8/22 - Clarkston, MI - Outlaw Music Festival *
8/23 - Noblesville, IN - Outlaw Music Festival *
8/25 - Tinley Park, IL - Outlaw Music Festival *
8/28 - Wantagh, NY - Outlaw Music Festival *
8/29 - Bethel, NY - Outlaw Music Festival *
8/30 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Outlaw Music Festival *
9/4 - George, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre ^
9/6 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium #
9/11-9/13 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre %
9/17 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre #
9/18 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre # SOLD OUT
9/19 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Grand Lodge (Concerts in the Grove) #
9/22 - Nampa, ID - Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater #
9/24 - San Francisco, CA - The Masonic #
9/29 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre #
10/15 - Belfast, UK - SSE Arena #
10/17 - Sligo, IE - Sligo Live Festival *
10/19 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT
10/20 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy Glasgow #
10/22 - London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton #
10/23 - Bristol, UK - The Prospect Building #
10/25 - Manchester, UK - O2 Victoria Warehouse #
10/27 - Paris, FR - Le Trianon #
10/29 - Zurich, CH - Volkshaus #
10/30 - Cologne, DE - Theater am Tanzbrunnen #
11/1 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg (Ronda) #
11/3 - Copenhagen, DK - VEGA #
11/4 - Stockholm, SE - Fållan #
11/5 - Oslo, NO - Sentrum Scene #
11/20-11/22 - St. Petersburg, FL - St. Pete Country Fest *
11/21 - Birmingham, AL - Avondale Brewing Company # SOLD OUT
12/2 - Pittsburgh, PA - Citizens Live at The Wylie #
12/9 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy #
12/11 - Nashville, TN - The Truth # SOLD OUT
12/12 - Nashville, TN - The Truth #
1/20-23 - Cancun, MX - Dave & Tim Riviera Maya 2027

* Festival
# Gary The Torch Tour
^ Supporting Dave Matthews Band
% Supporting Brandi Carlile