The ACM Awards went down last night and it was a blast. Also, it finished in around two-hours, which should be the length of all awards shows moving forward. (We’re looking at you Oscars.) Reba did a great job as host, and the Bobby Bones backstage interviews were an awesome touch.
The performances were killer, too. Lainey Wilson opened the show by singing “God Bless Texas” which everyone loved. Chris Stapleton surprised everyone by bringing out Dua Lipa to sing with him. And the Toby Keith intro by Blake Shelton, and song by Jason Aldean, was a really nice tribute.
One of the stranger moments of the night was when Kane Brown chose to sing “Georgia on My Mind” . . . in Texas. And then he went backstage with Bobby Bones and appeared very nervous and said, “I wish I had tequila before I went on.”
Without a doubt, the best moment of the night, was Jelly Roll’s acceptance speech when he won with Lainey for Best Music Event for “Save Me”. This man has a heart of gold, and the story of how he wrote that song should be listened to on repeat.
Keep giving Jelly awards please, because we need more of his acceptance speeches in our lives.
Also, how cool is it that in the Entertainer of the Year category, it was six men and Lainey . . . and Lainey took down the big prize.
Here are all the winners from last night:
• Entertainer of the Year: Lainey Wilson
• Album of the Year: “Higher” by Chris Stapleton
• Best Male Artist: Chris Stapleton
• Best Female Artist: Lainey Wilson
• Best Song: “Next Thing You Know” by Jordan Davis
• Best Single: “Fast Car” which is a Tracy Chapman cover by Luke Combs
• Best Duo: Dan + Shay
• Best Group: Old Dominion
• Best Video: “Burn It Down” by Parker McCollum
• Best Songwriter: Jessie Jo Dillon
• Best Artist-Songwriter: Chris Stapleton
• Best Music Event: “Save Me” by Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson.
(Here’s a list by Billboard of all the performances from the ACM Awards, ranked from worst to first.)
