The 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which took place Thursday night (May 16) and aired live on Amazon's Prime Video, handed out awards to a number of artists whose music has made an undeniable impact over the past year, but also skillfully stacked on from a Dozen shows over the course of two hours — including breaks in streaming. Still, the evening — produced by Dick Clark Productions — felt tightly paced, but never rushed. And of course, one of country music's most professional, entertaining entertainers, Country Music Hall of Famer Reba McEntire, headlined the festivities.
In that two-hour slot, the ACM performances highlighted a range of artists, showcased new music and also included a number of high-profile pop artists.
Dua Lipa made a surprise appearance with Chris Stapleton. Post Malone delivered one of the most solid traditional country songs of the night. Nate Smith's performance got an extra edge thanks to rocker Avril Lavigne, while Kelsea Ballerini teamed up with Noah Kahan to cover their songs “Mountain With a View” and “Stick Season.”
Meanwhile, artists such as Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson and McEntire all took part in performances of fresh material, while Kane Brown chose to honor the late Ray Charles by tackling one of the icon's classics.
While every performance was solid throughout the night, some stood out more than others. Here, we count down the top performance of the night during the ACM Awards.
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Thomas Rhett, “Beautiful As You”
Thomas Rhett offered his new song “Beautiful as You”. Walking across the stage, TR continued in the same musical vein with many of his romantic, uptempo, pop hits. His voice was top-notch, but given the range of musical styles represented throughout the evening, his refined performance still seemed a little tame.
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Parker McCollum, “Burn It Down”
McCollum delivered his third Country Airplay topper, “Burn It Down,” while sitting on a stool on a smaller stage. The Texan's voice was in fine form, although with his performance following sets from Chris Stapleton and Post Malone, the song lacked energy and zest by comparison.
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Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, “Purple Irises”
Taking a cue from the song's title, the stage was bathed in shades of violet as a purple-clad Stefani traded lyrics and harmonies with her husband and duet partner on their new song, “Purple Irises.” Purple flowers surrounded the couple, while the screen was decorated with a stained glass effect of purple irises. Their voices blended well and their energetic chemistry was undeniable, bringing gravitas to a fairly standard sounding song.
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Nate Smith with Avril Lavigne, “Bulletproof”
Nate Smith, who was recently named Rookie of the Year in the Advertising signEarlier in the week, the Country Power Players took the stage at the ACM Awards to perform “Bulletproof.” She was then joined by 2000s pop-punk queen Avril Lavigne, whose gritty, shrill vocals brought out the song's punk edges. They shared a relaxed camaraderie, with each artist elevating the other. A solid collaboration between these two.
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Kelsea Ballerini & Noah Kahan, “Mountain With a View” x “Stick Season”
Kelsea Ballerini teamed up with “Stick Season” creator Noah Kahan to mash up two of their songs. The performance had a theatrical bent, opening with Ballerina reclining on a blue couch and singing “Mountain With a View” from her album Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, before the cameras cut to Kahan, standing on a grassy backdrop, performing the Hot 100 top 10 hit 'Stick Season'. Ballerini joined in on the harmonies as they traded lyrics from each of the two songs. The pair of tracks meshed beautifully, as did the performers' voices, making this low-key performance a delight.
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Jason Aldean, “Should've Been a Cowboy”
During his career, Toby Keith won 14 ACM Awards, including back-to-back wins for Artist of the Year in 2003-04. The late singer-songwriter was honored at this year's ceremony as Jason Aldean performed Keith's No.1 hit 'Should've Been a Cowboy'.
Instead of the straightforward rendition that many might have expected, Aldean offered a slowed-down version of the song, accented with violin. Aldean doesn't have the burly, muscular voice to belt out the song, but the performance came across as genuine and honest, and he had no problem with the lyrics – it was clear he knew the words by heart.
“We love you, Toby,” he said, as cameras focused on Keith's wife Tricia and his children, as well as others in the audience wiping away tears.
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Tigirlily Gold, “I tried on a ring”
This sibling duo delivered lovely, family harmonies on their new song 'I Tried a Ring On', performing on the Satellite Stage, surrounded by the audience. The soulful, heart-wrenching ballad translated well, showcasing their confidence and ability to perform on one of country music's biggest nights.
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Miranda Lambert, “Wranglers”
Dripping with confidence from the first notes of her performance, Lambert took center stage to perform her new single, 'Wranglers', her first new music since signing to Republic Records in collaboration with Big Loud. Wearing a sparkly hat and a fringed blazer and pant set, Lambert was in classic form. She strode across the stage, performing as her booming voice was imbued with a sultry frenzy. The blues-drenched country/rock track gave her plenty of room to showcase her vocal edge and proved that her stubbornness is here to stay.
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Kane Brown, “Georgia on My Mind”
Brown has a solid voice, but with his style being largely uptempo and often oriented toward pop music, he rarely gets the chance to fully showcase his vocal talents. On stage at the ACMs this year, he reminded viewers that he's as much a supple singer as he is an energetic performer when he delivered a rendition of Ray Charles' 1960 classic “Georgia on My Mind.” Dressed in a suit and surrounded by singers, piano, guitars and strings , Brown delivered a stately, soulful and respectful rendition of a classic, briefly bringing a bit of Georgia spirit to the Lone Star State.
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Jelly Roll, “Liar”
Jelly Roll receives consistent hits Advertising signcharts last year, scoring three No. 1 Country Airplay hits, including “Need a Favor,” and six tracks on the Hot 100 as of 2022. On the ACMs stage, he introduced new music, performing his new shade, the song ” Liar,” a gospel-tinged, country-rock song that offers reflection and defies moments of temptation — whether in the form of pills or other addictions.
He sang about the inner voices that fueled his addictions, voices that “say drink another whiskey/ pop another pill.” But in the chorus, he calls out those vices for what they are, in lyrics that include: “You burned me too many times/ Like a devil in disguise.”
Jelly Roll made his mark with songs that speak of struggles, hope and healing. On stage at the ACMs, she kept that mission alive with a powerful performance.
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Chris Stapleton and Dua Lipa, “Think I'm in Love With You”
Although there had been a lot of buzz in the weeks leading up to the ACM Awards, speculating whether Cowboy Carter supplier Beyoncé was set to perform at the ACM Awards, the audience was in for a surprise when another pop star — Dua Lipa — appeared, performing with Chris Stapleton, who is a longtime favorite collaborator of many artists from Pink to Taylor Swift.
Dua Lipa joins Chris Stapleton on “Think I'm in Love With You,” from Stapleton's Higher album. The sultry performance combined his grizzled vocals with her high, glossy tones, making for one of the most talked about performances for sure.
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Reba McEntire, “I Can't”
Country Music Hall of Famer and host of this year's ACM Awards McEntire closed the night with a performance of her new song, “I Can't.” For decades, she's made commanding a stage look effortless, with her octave-hopping, polysyllabic vocal style and powerful stage presence — and this year's ACM Awards performance was no exception.
A vocal chorus, smoke and fire added to the power of the song's empowering message. As the show drew to a close, sparks filled the stage as the tune soared, confetti rained down and Reba looked into the camera as only she could, taking the essence of the song straight to the heart.
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Lainey Wilson, “Hang Tight Honey”
Lainey Wilson kicked off the evening with a fitting nod to the Lone Star State, offering a rendition of Little Texas' “God Blessed Texas” — a song that made perfect use of her signature twang. Performing the song on a satellite stage, she entered the audience, walking through the crowd to the main stage to perform another barn-burner, her new song, “Hang Tight Honey.”
Wilson was all Louisiana in the high-octane song, clutching her acoustic guitar, while a group of backup singers, and later two guitarists, flanked Wilson on each side of the stage. The song ended with her holding her guitar aloft and welcoming host McEntire to kick off the awards night. Wilson ended the night as the night's biggest winner, taking home the ACM Artist of the Year trophy.
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Post Malone, “Never Love You Again” & “I Had Some Help”
Post Malone delivered one of the more traditional country performances at the show, with the steel-guitar-driven, fiddle-driven heartbreak of “Never Love You Again,” the rapper-singer clutching his acoustic guitar and delivering a raw, watered-down with whiskey. vocals on lines like “I'll love you until tomorrow/ Then I'll never love you again.”
From there, Posty launched into his new hit, the Morgan Wallen collaboration “I Had Some Help,” though the “Last Night” singer wasn't there to join him for the song. Don't worry: Post Malone finally ended up with a duet partner: He later joined host McEntire to honor the late Allman Brothers Band singer and guitarist Dickey Betts with an a cappella rendition of “Ramblin' Man.”
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Cody Johnson, “Dirt Cheap”
Sitting on a stool, Texan Johnson delivered a heartfelt performance of his new single 'Dirt Cheap'. His interpretation was restrained, focusing precisely on this classic country structure and the story of a man whose land is so full of value and memories – the place where backyard children grew up, where lovers proposed and where faithful dogs were buried — that no amount of money would be sufficient to induce him to sell. As always, Johnson knows how to deliver a song, whether on stage or on record, and his simple performance was a highlight.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-performances-2024-acm-awards-ranked-worst-to-best/