Country salutes its own
ACM Awards celebrate the best, honor the lost.
The 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards were held Sunday night in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Didn’t watch? Here’s what you missed.
Route 91 Harvest Festival tribute
The show was country music’s return to Las Vegas after the Oct. 1 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.
On the red carpet, many stars wore pins depicting the numbers 851, 58 and 1. “Tonight I’m gonna wear these pins for the 851 injured, the 58 lost and the 1 life we can save in the future if we’re willing to start a conversation about things that need to be done for our children, our families and our fans,” Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild wrote on Instagram.
Standing on a darkened stage, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett delivered a somber and heartfelt introduction to the show.
“For those of us that have experienced tragedy and unexpected loss, music helps us remember what really matters in life,” Bryan said.
“With respect and love for the victims, our friends, family and fans, we celebrate the music tonight,” Aldean added. “America, this is your ACM Awards.”
Reba hosts with humor
Reba McEntire is no stranger to the ACMs; she’s hosted the show more than a dozen times and has won a slew of awards. Sunday night, the Country Music Hall of Famer seemed at home on stage.
In her opening monologue, she took a poke at the men who handled hosting duties in recent years. Bryan and Dierks Bentley hosted in 2016 and 2017, and Bryan hosted with Blake Shelton for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 ceremonies. “I guess they finally figured out that it only takes one woman to do the job of two men,” McEntire said, earning laughs from the audience.
Later in the evening, she proved that she’s still one of the best in the business, singing Does He Love You (a duet she originally recorded with Linda Davis) with Kelly Clarkson.
Miranda Lambert is golden
Heading into Sunday’s awards, Lambert had 29 ACM wins under her belt, the same as duo Brooks & Dunn.
Then she took home three more awards: song (for Tin Man, which she wrote with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall), video and female vocalist of the year.
She is now the winningest artist in ACM history, with 32 trophies to her name.
Carrie Underwood makes an emotional return
In her first public appearance since a fall in November that left her with more than 40 stitches in her face, Underwood gave a powerhouse performance of her new single, Cry Pretty.
When she was done, the crowd gave her a standing ovation that lasted for more than a minute. Immediately afterward, Underwood was back on stage to accept the award for vocal event of the year with Keith Urban.
1993 flashbacks
A trio of 25-year-old chart-toppers were revisited during Sunday’s show. Alan Jackson and Jon Pardi performed Jackson’s Chattahoochee; Blake Shelton joined Toby Keith for the latter’s debut single, Should’ve Been a Cowboy; and there was that Reba/Clarkson duet. The throwbacks weren’t just musical: McEntire was in the same red dress she wore at the 1993 CMA Awards to sing Does He Love You with Davis.