While some have speculated that streaming could be one way to keep award shows alive given their TV ratings have plummeted across the board, time will tell – there have definitely been some growth issues as ACM switched format for the first time in years. compressing the show to two hours without commercials. But the producers made sure to bring in star power by bringing in country music icon Dolly Parton as co-host, along with rising stars Jimmy Allen and Gabby Barrett.
In a rare reception for country concerts, where they usually prefer not to talk about anything topical, Parton started the conversation by mentioning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I don’t want to get into politics and I don’t; I’d rather get rid of kidney stones than do that,” said Parton, who often shirks politics. “But I want us to send our love and hope to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.”
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Other than Parton, only Old Dominion lead singer Matthew Ramsey mentioned the invasion, saying in his band’s acceptance speech that it was strange to celebrate when “people are right now fighting for their lives.” Everyone else followed the typical scenario.
Carly Pierce continued her career-defining year by winning Female Vocalist and Musical Event of the Year for her duet with Ashley McBride. Newcomer Lainie Wilson equaled Pierce’s wins by earning the New Artist Award as well as a surprise Song of the Year award for her first radio hit “Things a Man Oughta Know”.
And in case it’s not already obvious, much of the industry is poised to walk away from the controversy over how Morgan Wallen was caught on camera saying the “n” word last February. During his first performance at the awards ceremony since the incident, Wallen won Album of the Year for “Dangerous”, the best-selling album of 2021, and thanked “everyone who has shown me grace along the way.”
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Miranda Lambert (who also won two awards) later became the ninth artist in the show’s 57-year history to win the biggest award, Artist of the Year, although she had to accept it virtually because she is touring Europe. Here are some of the other best and worst moments with the full list of winners and nominees below.
Duet Carly Pierce and Ashley McBride
There’s something about slowing down the pace during live TV that makes the audience absolutely chained – and that’s what happened when Pierce and McBride sang an acoustic version of their popular duet “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.” (Pierce sings from the point of view of a girl being cheated on; McBride is a girl being cheated on by a man.) it was this time and it was easily one of the highlights of the night.
Clarkson’s attempt at a career in country music didn’t really work, but the pop superstar-turned-daytime talk show host proved she can continue to crush any vocal in any genre. Her rapturous rendition of “I Will Always Love You” at the end of the telecast was a bit accidental, but caused a sensation and led to an onstage hug from Parton, the original songwriter. “I was backstage trying not to cry out on my false eyelashes!” Parton exclaimed.
Jimmy Allen and Gabby Barrett performing
Hosting is often a thankless job, and Allen and Barrett courageously held on to it, even though they clearly knew their roles were to serve as Parton’s assistants. (Which yes, Allen was probably legally required to joke that while Parton has the stamina of an Energizer bunny, she’s more like a Playboy bunny. Never gets old!) Just the right amount of energy as they kicked off the ceremony with “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis, followed by “Let’s Go To Vegas” by Faith Hill.
Sharp speech by the Osborne brothers
Admission speeches can be extremely boring, but the Osborn brothers know what people want. “About a week ago they took our single off country radio, so I needed to puff our sails up a bit,” T.J. Osbourne said when the Maryland siblings won duet of the year. While his record company would probably prefer that he didn’t talk about the behind-the-scenes publicly, fans love that kind of candor. The duo ended the evening with a rousing performance of their song “Skeletons”, followed by a collaboration with fellow Maryland native Britney Spencer on Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made for Walking”. ”
Thomas Rhett’s performance
Long an industry favorite, Rhett continues to solidify as a live performer; he plunged headlong into his latest single “Slow Down Summer”, starting with the piano. He also added a burst of enthusiasm by appearing during new artist Breland’s “Praise the Lord”, one of the most memorable songs of the evening.
Big Night Lainey Wilson
Wilson, who released her first major-label album in 2021, looked as shocked as everyone else that she won the challenge category and won song of the year for “Things a Man Oughta Know.” “Oh my God, all of you,” she said as she accepted the trophy, adding that country music has been her life since she grew up in rural Louisiana. She noted that the text should be a lesson for everyone in general, and not just for men: “This song is about the right attitude towards people.”
Chris Stapleton performance
Stapleton released “Watch You Burn,” a rage-filled track aimed at a mass shooter at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas, in 2020. But the song rose to a new level when he performed it so close to where the massacre took place.
Weird production issues
Any new version of the awards show should make adjustments, but there were definitely some bumps – it was frustrating to see the show in the stadium and not at his former home, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, especially since it was still light outside when it started. The sound seemed to be muted for several performances in the beginning, and poor camera angles while walking and Walker Hayes singing “AA” and his hit “Fancy Like” made it clear that there were plenty of empty seats; besides, the shaky camera that followed him was a recipe for motion sickness. Also, one of the best parts of the celebrity-filled trophy show is watching the artists react to their famous peers performing (like Carrie Underwood rocked by Kelly Clarkson), but the producers mostly focused on random fans dancing in crowd.
Eric Church’s Odd Choice Medley
Church was introduced as a superstar with a 16-year career, and although he has many hits, he chose to play excerpts from more than a dozen. It was strangely frustrating to start songs like “Drink in My Hand”, “Springsteen” or “Love Your Love the Most” only to have Church stop abruptly at a few lines and move on to another.
Luke Bryan Confusion
Many fans on social media were puzzled to see Brian perform “Up” as well as his hit “Buy Dirt” with Jordan Davis, given that the “American Idol” judge had a big concert scheduled at the Houston Rodeo on Monday night. A spokeswoman for the show later confirmed that Brian pre-recorded the performance… but if you’re promoting a live performance, it’s probably best to let the public know. (The spokeswoman added that this had been mentioned in an earlier news release.)
Miranda Lambert didn’t actually attend her win
It’s one of those things that isn’t really anyone’s fault (again, Lambert is on tour in Europe), but it certainly ended the show with a thud as the biggest award was accepted via remote screen.
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Miranda Lambert – Winner
WOMAN ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Chris Stapleton – Winner
The Osborne Brothers – Winner
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Parker McCollum – Winner
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29: Written in Stone – Carly Pierce
“Country Again: Side A” by Thomas Rhett
“Dangerous: The Double Album” by Morgan Wallen – WINNER
“Famous Friends” by Chris Young
Martha’s Records – Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, John Randall
“Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis feat. Luke Bryan
“Unusual Like” Walker Hayes
Famous Friends by Chris Young and Kane Brown
“If I Didn’t Love You” by Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood – WINNER
“You should probably go” Chris Stapleton
“Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis feat. Luke Bryan (written by Davis, Jacob Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins)
“Fancy Like” Walker Hayes (written by Hayes, Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, Shane Stevens)
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“7 Summers” by Morgan Wallen (Written by Wallen, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally)
“Things a Man Should Know” Lainey Wilson (Written by Wilson, Jason Nicks, Jonathan Singleton) – WINNER
“Knowing You” by Kenny Chesney (written by Adam James, Brett James, Kat Higgins)
“Never Wanted to Be That Girl” Carly Pierce and Ashley McBride
“If I Didn’t Love You” – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood
“Drunk (and I don’t want to go home)” by Elle King and Miranda Lambert – WINNER
Famous Friends by Chris Young and Kane Brown
“I Bet You’re Thinking of Me (Taylor Version)” Taylor Swift feat. Chris Stapleton
“Never Wanted to Be That Girl” Carly Pierce and Ashley McBride – Winner
“If I Didn’t Love You” – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood
Famous Friends by Chris Young and Kane Brown
“Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis feat. Luke Bryan
“Half of My Hometown” by Kelsey Ballerini featuring. Kenny Chesney