Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley split in 2022. They signaled the return of FGL Thursday night with an appearance at Nissan Stadium in Nashville
First, Oasis. Then … Florida Georgia Line? Finally, country’s bro-riginators are back. The duo of Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard made a surprise appearance at Nissan Stadium on Thursday evening during the first night of CMA Fest in Nashville.
After being introduced, the pair made their way separately through the audience while singing the feel-good 2013 track “Round Here.” High-fiving with fans on the way, the pair reunited on stage as the crowd cheered and sang along.
Kelley and Hubbard had been teasing a reunion all week. They updated their social accounts for the first time in years with a new profile pic (“FGL LFG”), followed by a billboard in downtown Nashville that included a mysterious phone number. The message that arrives when you text? “Turns out, some things are just better together. Much more to come. FGL LFG.”
The members of Florida Georgia Line have been pursuing solo careers since 2022, when they announced an “indefinite hiatus.” Fans surmised that the break was due to a political rift between the duo — with Kelley on the right, and Hubbard on the left — though they never explicitly confirmed the reason, other than claiming they wanted to work on their own projects. Is their reunion a sign that America is healing its political divide and moving to an era where people from all sides of the aisle can exist — and bro down — in peace?
Regardless, there’s no denying the impact that Florida Georgia Line had on country music. In their heyday, the massive success of “Cruise” ushered in a new era for the genre, both in crossover success (the song spent nearly 30 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100) and in helping to open up artists and listeners alike to sonic possibilities far beyond traditional sounds. Their collaboration with Bebe Rexha, “Meant to Be,” was even bigger and still holds the record for longest-running single on the Hot Country chart, and spent 50 weeks on the Hot 100.
Love them or hate them, the massive popularity that country music is now experiencing owes a debt of gratitude to the omnipresence of FGL. Whether they’re back to collect their flowers or offer a lesson or two in post-partisan friendship, we’ll just have to stay tuned. And, presumably, roll our windows down and cruise.
