Last night, the 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards brought down multiple Las Vegas venues and provided 3 hours of entertainment for country music fans across the globe. The evening was hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, who dubbed themselves “Bluke” across various social media platforms. Here’s our ACM recap.
The evening was an interesting mix of really short performances, multiples performances by more than one artist and more uncomfortable jokes than your favorite uncle could provide at a family dinner.
We had more than a few questions after the show ended, starting with:
Are crop tops really, officially back?
I think it’s safe to say, yes, since both Kimberly Perry and Taylor Swift were sporting one proudly.
Do people like being showered with confetti?
I’m going to go with no, judging by the faces of more than one audience member after The Band Perry’s opening number and confetti shower.
Does Blake Shelton want to go to a Britney Spears concert?
Definitely not.
Do people love George Strait?
Yes, even more than we thought possible. Blake Shelton called him, “our hero” and there wasn’t an unhappy person in the place when he won Entertainer of the Year.
Did George Strait have to sit in a folding chair all night?
Yes. It seems as though the casino hosting the show last night had George, Tim, Faith, Taylor, Miranda and a host of other A-list country music stars sitting in folded chairs all night long. I can’t imagine that being very comfortable.
Can Stevie Nicks still bring it?
Absolutely. In this reviewer’s opinion it was the best performance all night (followed very, very closely by Dierks Bentley and Sheryl Crow).
Should “Wagon Wheel” be retired?
Yes, it’s just time. It’s a great song, but every storm runs out of rain.
It took about 45 minutes for some awards to finally be presented, but when they finally started announcing winners most were well-deserved and it was fun to see artists genuinely excited for the winners.
Here’s a the list of the night’s winners:
Entertainer of the Year: George Strait
Album of the Year: Kacey Musgraves, “Sam Trailer Different Park”
Vocal Group of the Year: The Band Perry
Male Vocalist of the Year: Jason Aldean
Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert
Vocal Duo of the Year: Florida Georgia Line
New Artist of the Year: Justin Moore
Single Record of the Year: Miranda Lambert, “Mama’s Broken Heart”
Song of the Year: “I Drive Your Truck,” Lee Brice; songwriters: Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, Jimmy Yeary
Video of the Year: “Highway Don’t Care,” Tim McGraw featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban
Vocal event of the Year: Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert, “We Were Us”
Song of the Year: “I Drive Your Truck,” Lee Brice; songwriters: Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, Jimmy Yeary
Video of the Year: “Highway Don’t Care,” Tim McGraw featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban
Vocal event of the Year: Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert, “We Were Us”
Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks
It was really fun to watch this group perform “Golden” and “Rhiannon.” You could tell they were all having a really good time.
Dierks Bentley and Sheryl Crow
This one was good, too. I’d like to see these two together more!
All in all, it was a fun night. But, how could it not be when Blake Shelton is in charge?
Image sources: John Witt/PR Photos, Andrew Evans/PR Photos
