Darius Rucker hosted the 16th annual “Darius and Friends” concert on Monday (June 2) at the Ryman Auditorium benefiting St. Jude. The event featured performances from Rucker as well as special guests including Morgan Wallen, Tyler Braden, Luke Bryan, Kashus Culpepper, Lanie Gardner and Austin Williams.

After a live auction and donation round, Rucker kicked off the main event with a newly-written song plus a duo of fan favorite hits including his 10th and most recent No. 1 single “Beers and Sunshine” plus “Radio.” He then introduced the first friend of the evening, with rising star Williams, who will join Rucker on tour this fall, taking the stage to perform his popular “90s Rap Mashup” as well as his latest single, “Crazy Over You.” Culpepper, who is also set to tour with Rucker this fall, received a standing ovation from the packed house for a set featuring his own “Southern Man” and “Pour Me Out” as well as a cover of The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.” Appalachian singer-songwriter Gardner added heartfelt performances of “Six Feet Deep” and “Cry” as well as “Takin’ The Slow Ride” off her forthcoming EP Polaroids, arriving this Friday, June 6.

As is customary at the annual event, Rucker also returned to the stage between each guest set, treating fans to hits ranging from his Country Airplay No. 1 songs to ’90s covers.

Country-rock standout Braden, another of Rucker’s tourmates this fall, added to the festivities with Platinum-certified breakout “Devil You Know” and the introspective “Right on Track” before Luke Bryan took the stage for “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” “Play It Again” and “Country Song Came On.”

The final guest of the evening, Wallen, brought “20 Cigarettes” and “More Than My Hometown” to the crowd.

The night wrapped as per tradition with Rucker joined by the sold-out Ryman crowd plus Culpepper, Gardner and Williams for a “Wagon Wheel” singalong.

“Every time I visit St. Jude, I’m blown away. You walk in expecting it to feel heavy, but there’s so much joy, so much hope,” shared Rucker following the event. “The work they’re doing – the research, the breakthroughs – it’s incredible. But what gets me every time is knowing that families never get a bill. Not for treatment, travel, housing or food. That kind of support changes everything for these families, and I’m proud that me and my friends here tonight can be part of that.”

In addition to Monday evening’s concert, celebrity friends Drew Baldridge, Priscilla Block, Braden, NFL Pro Bowler Randall Cobb, Travis Denning, Hannah Ellis, Walker Hayes, NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, Tracy Lawrence, Bryce Leatherwood, Vincent Mason, Drake Milligan, Walker Montgomery, John Morgan, Dan + Shay’s Shay Mooney, Restless Road’s Garrett Nichols & Colton Pack, Eric Paslay, Shane Profitt, Michael Ray, Lily Rose, Schmitty, Matt Stell, Nick Wayne, Mark Wills and Scott Wolverton joined Rucker for the corresponding golf tournament June 3, with the total raised across both events adding to the more than $5 million raised to date.

Post Malone is opening a new Nashville entertainment venue with TC Restaurant Group.

Located at 305 Broadway, the venue will be 26,000 square feet and feature six bars, three stages, a full-service dining room and a rooftop. The building is undergoing construction to remaster the spaces while preserving historical architecture and, once complete, Post’s venue will be Broadway’s largest ground floor footprint.

“We’ve created a space where everyone can come together and kick some ass. Nashville has really become a second home for me so I can’t wait to invite y’all over to my house,” says Post.

“Post Malone is one of the most influential and gravitational artists of our time, and we’re thrilled to partner with him on this exciting concept,” says Adam Hesler, President and CEO of TC Restaurant Group. “We’re honored to work with someone as dynamic as he is and create a venue that embodies his spirit and brings a new experience to Nashville’s Entertainment District. There’s only one reason we would consider expanding our artist partnerships, and that is to have the ability to partner with someone of the caliber, innovation and authenticity of Post. His talent and ability to transcend multiple genres is one of a kind, and we look forward to creating a venue that resonates with his global fan base.”

TC Restaurant Group manages and operates celebrity-branded venues such as Morgan Wallen’s This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen, Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge, Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa and Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottoms Up.

Malone is currently in the midst of his “Big Ass Stadium Tour,” with upcoming dates in New York, Miami, Orlando, Denver and more through July 1.

Morgan Wallen‘s song “What I Want” featuring Tate McRae off of his new album I’m The Problem tops the country songs chart this week. According to Luminate data, the track garnered 23 million streams.

Wallen maintains his lead on the country albums chart with I’m The Problem at No. 1 (286k). One Thing At A Time (41K) stays at No. 2 and Dangerous: The Double Album (30K) comes in at No. 3. At No. 4 is Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been Isn’t Where I’m Going with 28K in total consumption, while Post Malone‘s F-1 Trillion takes No. 5 with 21K.

Elsewhere on the country songs chart, Wallen keeps the top four. “Just In Case” rolls in at No. 2 with 21 million streams, “I’m The Problem” stays at No. 3 with 19 million and “I Got Better” at No. 4 with 15 million. Closing out the chart is BigXThaPlug‘s “All The Way” featuring Bailey Zimmerman with 14 million.

Churchill Downs is set to host the inaugural Erv Woolsey Memorial Race on June 15 presented by Aces Racing. The event will be race 8, with a post time of 4:23 p.m. ET. A portion of the proceeds will support the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Tickets and more information are available here.

Woosley, a longtime music industry veteran and horse racing enthusiast, saw his athletes compete in the 143rd Kentucky Oaks and the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby. Aces Racing, co-founded by Jordan Markwell and Ashley Lamb in 2024 in partnership with Woolsey’s longtime trainer Mike Tomlinson, aims to carry on Woosley’s legacy, love of racing and thoroughbreds by building a brand founded in bringing people together, spreading knowledge, having fun and cultivating lasting relationships around the sport of racing.