Saving Country Music Official 2015 ACM Awards LIVE Blog
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Saving Country Music’s LIVE blog of the 50th Annual ACM Awards being held at Cowboys (AT&T) Stadium in Arlington, TX. To celebrate its 50th year in business, the ACM Awards are going all out and offering an extended telecast, and Saving Country Music will there to offer blow by blow commentary on the night’s festivities for the sane minded and true country listener. Check your high-mindedness at the door because this is the opportunity to get small, let the snark fly, but also be willing to acknowledge the positives, if in fact there are any.
If you want to know what to expect tonight, here’s a complete preview, as well as Saving Country Music’s predictions and prognostications.
All times will be Central time. Please feel free to pipe up in the comment section below, and get them refresh fingers ready.
Pot right? Let’s wheel ’em around!
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WINNERS
- Entertainer of the Year: Luke Bryan
- Single of the Year: Lee Brice, “I Don’t Dance”
- Male Vocalist of the Year: Jason Aldean
- Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert
- Album of the Year: Miranda Lambert, “Platinum”
- Vocal Group of the Year: Little Big Town
- Vocal Duo of the Year: Florida Georgia Line
- Song of the Year: Miranda Lambert, “Automatic”
- Video of the Year: Dierks Bentley, “Drunk on a Plane”
- New Artist of the Year: Cole Swindell
- Vocal Event of the Year: Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan, “This is How We Roll”
- Milestone Awards: George Strait, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney
SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC’S PREDCTIONS? 6 for 8. Hit on all the major awards. Completely fanned on Song of the Year and Single of the Year.
11:05 – Some swearing Garth was lip syncing. We’ll have to review the video evidence, see what the big man says, and re-assess.
10:46 Seriously, I think this was the worst ACM Awards ever. The venue was WAY too boomy, making for bad sound, the entertainers couldn’t compose themselves with the allure of the stadium crowd and it was just a bunch of shouting and grandstanding. The production was TERRIBLE. Despite spending a bunch of money on technological doo dads, it didn’t really make any difference. It all got gobbled up in the enormity of the building. The crowd was talking over everything. The camera cues were a complete mess. Nobody knew where they were supposed to be looking. The camera producer/director should be fired. Most of the performances were daisy-chained medleys with just one chorus and then on to the next hit. There was never a moment for a soaring performances. There was a lot of off-key stuff, but I don’t know if I should blame the performers seeing that the sound was terrible. There were a few decent performances but overall it was just a muddy mess.
All of the winners were excruciatingly predictable except for the song awards, and those seemed to be dictated by label politics and backroom payoffs.
But what sucks the most is the ACM’s could have made this an history event to celebrate their 50th, and instead just made it a jarring, busy, and forgettable night. There were no real cool collaborations. Taylor Swift of all people had one of the few classy moments, George Strait and Alan Jackson were good, but the crowd was talking over them, the Merle Haggard “tribute” was a joke. Garth was decent.
Yeah, pretty terrible.
10:35 – Alright folks, I’m going to compose some final thoughts, recap the winners and the results of my predictions, and then I’ll be out of here. THANK YOU for following along, commenting, tweeting, sharing, liking, etc. etc. I really appreciate it!
10:32 – And why is Darius Rucker singing “Let The Good Times Roll”? The tie in is WHAT?
10:30 – Oh my gosh, what just happened? I was traumatized by a big eyeball on Steven Tyler’s super-tight glued-on pants clinging to his 67-year-old legs, and then Luke Bryan won the biggest award of the night. I want to fall into a fetal position and suck my thumb. WORST ACM AWARDS EVER!!!
10:29 – Steven Tyler’s pants. What the fuck?
10:28 – Boooooooooo!!!!!! Luke Bryan wins the ACM Entertainer of the Year.
10:26 – Oh Gosh, all of a sudden Steven Tyler is on my TV screen.
10:23– Shout out to everyone commenting below! If I had my way, I’d give you all ACM Milestone awards, and there’s probably enough to go around!
10:20 – A Kacey Musgraves sighting! Get that girl up on stage and bump Pitbull or whatever hell on earth they have coming up next.
10:18 – Ronnie Dunn looks like your divorced singles club uncle that perpetually smells like Pall Malls, but I have to say, after the other madness tonight, a simple Brooks & Dunn classic is incredibly refreshing.
10:16 – Dan + Shay told Dr. Phil McGraw backstage that he was one of their greatest influences & they grew up on “Indian Outlaw” and “Don’t Take The Girl.”
10:15 – Thank goodness Dr. Phil is here because I need a shrink about now. This presentation has traumatized me more than Saddam Hussein when his uncle touched his butt hole.
10:12 – Gee, I don’t recognize Brad Paisley without camouflage or him complaining how “Accidental Racist” ruined his career because we’re all morons and didn’t understand the song.
10:10 – And to think, we’ve come all this way just to eventually witness Luke Bryan win Entertainer of the Year, and really have our noses shoved into our own feces.
10:04 – Great performance by Alan Jackson. I understand the detractors of this song who say it’s opportunist, but it’s hard to not feel that it comes straight from Alan Jackson’s heart. THIS is what I’m talking about when I say a “moment.”
10:01 – Alan Jackson comes out to sing “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning.”
10:00 – Ah! Troy Aikman announces the date of the Oklahoma City bombing, and everyone lets out a long applause. THEN Troy Aikmen says what the date is for. So awkward.
9:58 – The ACM Male Vocalist of the Year goes to Jason Aldean.
9:57 – If you missed it, during the commercial break, the ACM’s gave out seven more Milestone Awards.
9:55 – They got 30 more minutes of the madness since it’s the 50th, but I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
9:52 -And speaking of forced stardom, is there any other act that they’ve tried to get to stick harder and failed at than Dan + Shay? Only Joey + Rory are Saving Country Music approved to use mathematical signs in their name.
9:50 – Oh my God that Dan + Shay guy (don’t know which one) looks like he should sitting on the shoulder of an Arabian Knight and wearing a fez. Never wear white pants unless your fiance is making you take engagement photos.
9:49 – Doesn’t Nick Jonas have a Nickelodeon special to star in right now? Oh, he’s Disney? Well screw it, he doesn’t belong on this stage either way.
9:46 – This is the deal with Lee Brice folks. Curb Records still has enough political power to be guaranteed at least one win per awards show, and Lee Brice is the label’s last cash cow. That’s all that award is. No disrespect to Lee, but that’s the reality.
9:46 – Lee Brice wins the ACM for “Single of the Year” for “I Don’t Dance.
9:45 – Wait huh? I thought we were getting a tribute to an old great?
9:44 – Oh great, the “Two Broke Girls” chick is singing. She’ll be signed to Big Machine before she leaves tonight.
9:43 – All of these performances have so much nothing. Just noise and flashing lights.
9:42 – That’s a mandolin. Play it like one, or get off the stage.
9:41 – Ugh. Lady Antebellum.
9:34 – Hunter Hayes talking about battling child hunger. Something he knows about since he’s still a child. Then Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten swallows Hunter in one gulp on stage.
But seriously, give to charity or something. Though I’m not sure I can support anything ConAgra is part of.
9:30 This is supposed to be Chesney’s “female empowering” song. Still don’t hear it.
9:28 – Yawn, Kenny.
9:25 – There’s worse country performers that could be winning all the awards than Miranda Lambert. But Miranda winning everything is worse for country music than Jimmie Johnson winning every NASCAR season.
9:24 – The ACM Female Vocalist of the Year is Miranda Lambert.
9:21 – And what was Cole Swindell wearing? A faux leather PVC grey searsucker? Screw this show.
9:19 – At least it wasn’t Sam Hunt, I guess. And not to belittle merch people out there slagging it out on the road. Some of those dudes and gals are the reason some of your favorite artists can make a living playing music and are a really important part of the system. But that’s where Cole belongs, not holding ACM Awards up over his head in victory. Worst nominees I’ve ever seen in an awards category.
9:17 – Merch boy Cole Swindell wins the ACM for New Artist of the Year.
9:16 – Dwight Yoakam comes out with a roll of duct tape and a fake Outlaw Justin Moore. Apparently Justin Moore ripped his bloomers. Let your imagination wonder how.
9:14 – The performance looked live to me, and frankly showed flashes of vintage, and good Garth. As easy as he is to hate, it is hard to hate that performance and presentation.
9:13 – Various service members come to the front of the stage to be serenaded by Garth and saluted by the crowd.
9:12 – The Telecaster Garth is playing was given to him by Buck at the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield on the day he proposed to Trisha Yearwood in 2005.
9:11 – Garth Brooks comes out singing “All-American Kid” after Tayla Kyle’s introduction.
9:10 – Taya Kyle has bigger balls than the scrunched & sweaty acorns growing yeast infections in the skinny jeans of all the bros combined.
9:08 – Not that there couldn’t have been worse winners, but Miranda Lambert winning Album of the Year is so achingly predictable and boring.
9:07 – Miranda Lambert’s “Platinum” wins the ACM for Album of the Year.
9:06 – Wait, an award? I totally forgot this was an award show. And I thought Clint Black was dead.
9:06 – Oh my God I want to projectile vomit on that dude from Rascal Flatts and his little gesticulations.
9:03 – Christina Aguilera backstage: “So I’ll wear this little denim coat. That’s country, right? Denim?”
9:01 – No! Not the Imagine Dragons drummers!
8:59 – Christina Aguliera? Still more country than Sam Hunt.
8:54 – Wouldn’t it be awesomely terrible if Garth Brooks re-enacted his moment from 1993 at the old Cowboys Stadium and flew over the crowd suspended on wires like Sandy Duncan?
8:53 – I need to chug an entire box of Franzia to make it through this Blake Shelton performance of “Sangria.”
8:52 – All the bros want to be Mr. Sexy now. So creepy, calculated, and transparent.
8:51 – And nothing drains my life force more than the untied bowtie.
8:50 – A 3-year study commissioned by Cornell University in Ithica, New York determined conclusively that Thomas Rhett is the whitest dancer in the world.
8:47 – I love how 2nd-tier’s star’s ACM “exposure” is to stand beside a brand new truck an talk for 7 1/2 seconds. This presentation is the antithesis of taking time in life to smell the roses.
8:46 – Say what you want about Taylor Swift, to thank country music, and to do what Sam Hunt and SO many other country music performers SHOULD do and call a spade a spade and say they’re pop instead of country, she took a difficult and awkward situation and made me not hate her.
8:42 – This was the classy way for Taylor Swift to accept the award. She still needs to eat a cheeseburger, right Unknown Hinson?
8:39 – Taylor Swift’s mother Andrea comes out to accept Taylor Swift’s Milestone award. It was just announced she has been diagnosed with Cancer. Very classy move by Taylor and The ACM’s.
8:38 – Of course, Taylor Swift gets a full video montage for her “Milestone” award when everyone else got shoved an award when they were still out of breath after a performance.
8:36 – Basically Cole Swindell’s performance was two choruses, and the out. No wonder people don’t pay attention to lyrics anymore.
8:35 – Security! There’s a merch boy loose on the stage! #coleswindell
8:34 – Cowboys Stadium is filled with every single one of the assholes who spend $20 on concert tickets and then talk over the music the whole damn time.
8:32 – Huh. For some reason I always envisioned a performance of “Girl Crush” involving a bunch of lesbians making out. Oh well.
8:29 – A mole on the ass of Skrillex injected with Molly and twirling glo-sticks in a club on New York’s upper east side is still more country than Sam Hunt.
8:27 – Plus, Kelly Clarkson is still more country than Sam Hunt.
8:26 – No jokes about Kelly Clarkson’s weight. Girl can sing unlike most of the country talent being showcased tonight.
8:24 – One of the things about these television shows is if it’s done right, you can really have a serious “moment.” But it will never happen when you never give songs more than 45 seconds to develop. This is just basically audio and video stimulation for the iPhone generation. What a waste.
8:23 – Hell is country music artists singing 10 second snippets of their songs in montage form for eternity.
8:21 – Gee, Reba doesn’t look like she’s aged a bit ……..
8:20 – Totally awesome story Kelly! 🙁
8:19 – This Jason Aldean performance is so busy and misguided, it’s like 15 seconds per shitty song. It’s not just bad, I feel like I’m getting punched in the face.
8:16 – All the cues with camera angles and such are so screwy with this presentation. What’s the point of spending so much on the presentation if you can’t get the little things right?
8:15 – Well, if Jason Aldean is on the stage, at least we know he’s not cheating on his wife at the moment.
8:09 – Little Big Town continues their roll of being gerrymandered back to relevancy by label politics.
8:08 – The ACM for Vocal Group of the Year goes to Little Big Town.
8:05 – Just like Florida Georgia Line, Alabama can’t find where they’re supposed to look. Maybe there’s something to them being the Godfathers of Bro-Country.
8:04 – Okay. Miranda was hot, but that song is an ass whip. Oh and here come the alligator tears.
8:03 – Told you Taylor Swift would get an inordinate amount of face time. She’s still more country than Sam Hunt.
8:02 – “Tony LAMA” not “LamaS.” Oh, nevermind.
8:01 – Hey that steel guitar player for Miranda Lambert is Spencer Cullum Jr. of Steelism, who used to play with Caitlin Rose and Jonny Fritz.
8:00 – This Amazon presenter chick has no idea what a country music is.
7:58 – Welp, that sucked.
7:58 – Have no idea what that spinning laser of death is supposed to do, but it just gave the 8-year-old Asian Pokemon fanboy inside of me a seizure.
7:56 – Goodness, I haven’t seen this type of horror at the Dallas Cowboys’ 50-yard line since Dave Campo was their coach.
7:53 – And yes, the Florida Georgia Line win means I don’t have to wear a Florida Georgia Line t-shirt to Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic. Though I may bring one with me and burn it in effigy.
7:50 – I know Martina McBride is a good singer. The sound must be tough up there.
7:48 – Yep, Martina McBride, is um, not lip syncing either.
7:46 – Wow, that’s more than I’ve heard from Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley in two full length albums. Morons didn’t even know where to point their noses. Like Spinal Tap getting lost backstage.
7:45 The ACM for Vocal Duo of the Year goes to Florida Georgia Line. And water is wet.
7:43 – Dierks Bentley once again proves why he’s one of the few relevant mainstream country males you can get behind. Nothing special, but an intimate performance that does need fire, explosions, or lasers.
7:41 – Tony Romo is my MVP of the 50th annual ACM Awards so far!
7:40 – Tony Romo to Blake Shelton: “Blake, we’re The Dallas Cowboys, we have real balls.”
7:37 – Tony Romo comes out to present an award and throws two interceptions, and has a forced fumble.
7:35 – BTW, shame Miranda Lambert’s “Roots & Wings” had to be played on a commercial instead of on the broadcast.
7:32 – Sorry folks, technical difficulties. Basically the Randy Travis appearance nearly crashed the SCM server, but we’re back up and running now!
7:27 – Miranda Lambert wins Song of the Year for “Automatic”
7:25 – Really cool moment as Lee Brice introduces Randy Travis. This is the first official appearance by Randy Travis since his stroke.
7:23– Florida Georgia Line’s instrument track is totally pre-recorded.
7:22 – Crowd noise and boomy-nees of the venue is pretty obvious in the audio mix.
7:20 Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton doing “We’re not worthy” bows in front of George Strait. Let’s just be happy they weren’t given time for a proper monologue.
7:16 Love how Big & Rich have to tell us who they are. Classin’ up the joint fellas!
7:14 – King George don’t need no flash, just heartfelt songs. Let’s nott Auto-tune the encore broadcast like they did with his final show at this very stadium.
7:12 That said, can’t complain listening to The King George Strait singing “All My Ex’s Live In Texas.” Hey, there even giving him a second song. ACM’s taking a big risk losing their young demo. Usually they start off with the most non country performance first.
7:10 Oh I see, rope a dope folks into thinking this is going to actually be about country music by getting it all out of the way at the beginning.
7:09 So seriously, when to we start the anorexia watch on Taylor Swift?
7:08 Any cool points to Keith Urban for wearing a Don Williams T-shirt are subtracted for the Gentle Giant’s visage being rendered in shimmer paint.
7:06 So apparently the “Merle Haggard Tribute” was name dropping him in their crap rock songs while his image is imposed on the stage background for 11 seconds.
7:05 Sorry. LIVE blog rules state I have to make fun of someone’s hair at least once. Best to get it out of the way early.
7:04 Most performers have hairstylists. Keith Urban hires Jack Hanna to train an Australian rabidback to perch on the top of his head.
7:02 More like a Def Leppard tribute.
7:01 When they said Merle Haggard tribute, I was hoping they’d do it with Haggard songs instead of tricked up rock tributes.
7:00 Here we go!
6:58 Saving Country Music has recently been optimized for mobile/tablets for those who want to follow along tonight on their phones!
6:56 Self-imposed prediction/bet: If Florida Georgia Line doesn’t win Duo of the Year, I’ll wear a Florida Georgia Line T-shirt to Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic this year.
6:54 Ha! Farce The Music doing their photoshop magic, introducing Scott Borchetta on the ACM red carpet.
6:52 Some red carpet stuff: The Band Perry proving undoubtedly that country music has entered its hair metal phase.
Brett Dale
April 19, 2015 @ 8:05 pm
Hats off to Garth and Alan and George, all true legends of the genre.
Jaxxx
April 20, 2015 @ 8:03 am
Totally agree. Too bad the tech system was so awful. Venue too big. Terrible talking audience. My fav was Garth.
Wes Trickel
April 26, 2015 @ 11:42 am
The new Country Music all sounds the same. You use to know the singer just by his voice and you listened to the story of the music. I don’t know who said the following. ( I’d rather hear a fat lady fart then a pretty boy sing country) Wake up Nashville.
Natalie Woods
November 3, 2016 @ 1:48 pm
The old timers are the best and where was Leann Rimes, she’s has recorded some of the best country music and guess what- she can actually sing and write great songs. After the first few minutes, I turned it off, boring and predictable. Sick of Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, their songs suck and neither one can sing worth a darn. Refused to post my comment and no, I have never said this before.
natalie woods
November 3, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
Refuse to watch Country music shows that do not feature Leann Rimes.
Natalie Woods
November 3, 2016 @ 1:50 pm
Where was Leann Rimes??
megan
April 19, 2015 @ 8:05 pm
Well at least they let Alan sing the whole song.
nascarfan999
April 19, 2015 @ 8:11 pm
I’m betting he didn’t give them a choice and even if they told him to sing half, he’d have sung the whole song anyway.
The comment about the 30 sec clips being a byproduct of the iphone generation is a great one, but I do have to say I much preferred hearing Aldean sing halfway decent songs from the past than having to listen to a full length new piece of junk. Coming into tonight, I would’ve died for as many clips of older songs as they’ve performed tonight, but given they also gave full length time to some of those songs it does make me want to hear the rest of Young, anything by King George, or even Lee Brice’s version of Forever and Ever Amen.
Waymore2
April 19, 2015 @ 8:08 pm
I hope all of those country posers were taking notes while AJ was singing. But I don’t think they have the ability to.
Seta
April 19, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
The posers are too busy drooling over the pop singers.
Shane
April 19, 2015 @ 8:52 pm
Nah they were too busy remembering who they saw so they could name drop it in a song next year.
Golddust
April 19, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
Well done, Alan Jackson, well done. He obviously still ‘feels” that song. Well done.
Strait Country 81
April 19, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
So anyone else excited for the new Star Wars Movie?
Seta
April 19, 2015 @ 8:13 pm
Absolutely 🙂 I would prefer to watch it over the ACM award show.
Bobsled
April 19, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
The cheering was for Troy aikman when he began talking, not for the date of the bombing.
Remember, the show is at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Troy doesn’t make many public appearances like that, in his house. They were showing their appreciation for Troy.
Dr. Trout
April 19, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
Perhaps. But that’s the show producers fault. You don’t introduce a poignant moment by marching out a local star to bombastic music. CBS has shit for brains. After watching this show, not a surprise.
Trigger
April 19, 2015 @ 8:25 pm
I agree, the production of this thing has been all over the place. Everyone missing their camera cues, and that made for a REALLY awkward moment.
Seta
April 19, 2015 @ 8:11 pm
This is the worst ACM I have ever seen. I won’t be listening to POP music in country music. Very sad. I no longer watch CMT, ACM, or listen to the radio because of this. I will continue to stick to my collection of REAL country music: George Strait, Johnny Cash, Alan Jackson, Josh Turner, Brooks and Dunn, John Anderson, Aaron Tippin and other REAL country artists. They can keep their horrible music.
Diana
April 19, 2015 @ 8:18 pm
And Miranda wins again. Seriously if I didn’t already know these award shows were a joke, I would after tonight. Automatic and little red wagon are bad songs, and she is just an alright singer.
Seta
April 19, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
I agree with you. Her popularity grew because of Blake Shelton. Really bad songs.
michaelene
April 22, 2015 @ 12:10 pm
Saw Miranda years ago when she opened for the great Alan Jackson. At the time…her breakout” song was Kerosene. I cannot even want to think of sitting through an entire concert with HER as the headliner. The voice is poor. Whiny and high pitched.
Saw The Last Rodeo. Wish they would re-unite!!! We need Brooks and Dunn!!!
George …please DON’T ride away.
REBA FOREVER!!!!!!
Who in the hell is Florida Georgia Line? From what underground were they spawned????
Only country station that is true: WSM 650 AM straight from Nashville. They do NOT give Jason Aldean ANY play!!!!!
Tori
April 19, 2015 @ 10:22 pm
I respectfully disagree. I dont think Automatic is her best, but I like it. Little Red Wagon is not country, we can agree on that, but it is a guilty pleasure I kind of like. But is is not country.
King George, Garth, Dierks, Jackson and Brooks and Dunn made it worth fast forwarding most if the rest of it.
Because of the list above it was not the worst ACMs ever in my book, but bot the best either…by a long shot.
nascarfan999
April 19, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
OK That Dan + Shay comment is my new favorite of the night.
Seta
April 19, 2015 @ 8:22 pm
That’s right. The Greatest duo of all-time, Brooks and Dunn!
Gena R.
April 19, 2015 @ 8:23 pm
“Ronnie Dunn looks like your divorced singles club uncle that perpetually smells like Pall Malls, but I have to say, after the other madness tonight, a simple Brooks & Dunn classic is incredibly refreshing.”
Agreed — that was a pretty fun performance of “My Maria”! 🙂
CaseyK.
April 19, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
Oh that was so great!! So awesome to see those two on stage together again! Best performances tonight….Alan, B & D, Reba and Garth. The rest stunk up the place. OH..and GEORGE!!!!
(thank you for the edit button)
Big Red
April 19, 2015 @ 8:27 pm
And George.
CaseyK.
April 20, 2015 @ 6:28 am
I also thought Dierks gave a good performance…understated, and I really like that song. Heck, I like the album and think it should have won Album of the Year.
I agree, the venue was WAY too big for the event. Just a big hot mess.
Motown Mike
April 19, 2015 @ 8:25 pm
Do what I did and put a Don Gibson radio station on in Spotify, that way you can avoid this sea of heartbreak that the ACM Academy has created tonight.
Golddust
April 19, 2015 @ 8:27 pm
I accept this Milestone Award on behalf of Trigger and also on behalf of every artist who’s been affected by the serial “Murder on Music Row.”
Dr. Trout
April 19, 2015 @ 8:29 pm
Amen. And Amen.
megan
April 19, 2015 @ 8:27 pm
Steven Tyler references the Carter Family and the audience let’s out a big Huh in unison.
Michael
April 19, 2015 @ 8:30 pm
He then announces Luke Bryan
megan
April 19, 2015 @ 8:32 pm
We take what we can get at the ACM’s.
Kevin
April 19, 2015 @ 8:31 pm
Say what you will, but Garth should have been EOTY. 100 shows so far with no signs of slowing down. Luke Bryan is a stain on a perfectly good sock.
nascarfan999
April 19, 2015 @ 8:32 pm
This has nothing to do with his merits of Luke Bryan winning the award, but I was glad to finally see an artist actually excited to win. Although I guess when you win everything you are nominated for (yes, I’m looking at you Miranda), you get tired of coming up with new thank you speeches and looks of excitement.
David Coffmam
April 19, 2015 @ 8:43 pm
I agree about someone being excited..but can’t believe a mother to intro her daughter got more time than ety got!!!!!!!!!!! Come on people thought it was top award! Not swift?
Trigger
April 19, 2015 @ 8:55 pm
In fairness, I think the ACM’s would have liked more time at the end, but they ran out. They were rushing everyone at the end. Also, all the other Milestone people got performances, so basically that’s what Taylor Swift spent her time on. Plus that mother is suffering from Cancer, and so I think the ACM’s wanted to be gracious. I understand what you’re saying, but I think it’s understandable.
pete marshall
April 19, 2015 @ 8:38 pm
I am glad I am reading Trigger’s website instead of watching this waste of time ACM awards show.
Ryan
April 19, 2015 @ 8:44 pm
Now, go rid yourself of all those demons from that clown show and get the new Wade Bowen & Randy Rogers- Hold My Beer, Volume 1. It’s ready for download on iTunes and it is something special!
martha
April 19, 2015 @ 8:46 pm
I don’t know about the rest of you, but Alan singing that song moved me to tears. Haven’t heard it in awhile. Outstanding!
Gena R.
April 19, 2015 @ 9:22 pm
Sadly, I missed most of it, but I’m glad to hear he did that. I remember when he did that song on the 2001 CMA’s — oh my goodness… :’)
michaelene
April 22, 2015 @ 12:16 pm
The REAL Country Stars…Alan, George and friends should have done “Murder On Music Row”….because THAT is a TRUE story!
Truth No. 2
April 19, 2015 @ 8:48 pm
Throws up arms. Turns off TV. Sighs,”I’ve actually did it.” Tells Siri,”Play El Cerrito Place.” “There. That’s better.”
Truth No. 2
April 19, 2015 @ 8:59 pm
Done it.
pete marshall
April 19, 2015 @ 9:04 pm
I watched Taylor Swift speech, I also watched Thomas Rhett singing his crappy song and Blake Shelton performed and I turned off the T.V.
MarkJ
April 19, 2015 @ 9:07 pm
Meanwhile, Sturgill Simpson rocked the Fillmore here in SF last night. Wish I could have bought you all tickets and flown you out here. Would have sure made up for watching the ACM drivel tonight. It’s like they’re in two completely different genres.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
April 20, 2015 @ 8:48 am
they are in two totally different genres. Sturgill Simpson plays country music
Dr. Trout
April 20, 2015 @ 10:33 pm
Saw Sturgill at taping of Austin City Limits a few weeks ago. He tore it up. Closest comparison is Waylon Jennings. Every now and then, there is hope for country music. The show will air this Fall.
Jimmy
April 19, 2015 @ 9:37 pm
I hate the schmalztiness of these award shows, but you’re starting to sound like Kelly Osborne or Giuliana Rancic (?).
Trigger
April 19, 2015 @ 10:55 pm
Starting? I’ve been doing this nonsense for 8 years now. Don’t think for a second I don’t recognize the superfluousness of this entire exercise.
Jimmy
April 20, 2015 @ 6:26 am
Hehe
carey
April 19, 2015 @ 9:39 pm
WHY DALLAS????????????????????????? IT WAS ALL FIXED AND SUCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sam Jimenez
April 19, 2015 @ 10:07 pm
Nice commentary as usual. It’s the only way I would ever expose myself to one of these shows.
Paul Zawadzki
April 19, 2015 @ 10:10 pm
They should have called this the country music lip syncing awards show! Just about every performance! If anyone for a second believes Garth Brooks wasn’t lip syncing tonight I have some ocean front Arizona property I would like to sell you! And to put down Martina Mcbride for NOT lip syncing and being a little off key, shame on you. Would we rather have this joke of a show where everyone lip syncs!! Terible show. Man I would be pissed if I paid big bucks to go this show in Dallas. If you can’t sing live, then don’t agree to perform at all! They really think we are all really stupid.
Trigger
April 19, 2015 @ 10:56 pm
As I said, I imagine the sound was off for Martina. We all know she can sing. I’m just calling them like I see (or hear) them.
Paul Zawadzki
April 20, 2015 @ 8:22 am
Point taken on Mcbride being off key. My point is this. I am sick and tired of lip syncing and am absolutely amazed more people aren’t metioning this in their critique of show! In fact, the critiques are mostly directed at those who did atttempt to sing live and didn’t sing up to their standards. Sorry, but I do not give a pass to lip syncers and never will. If we are going to have lip syncing then let’s have the female singers sing male artist songs and vice versa! That would be more entertaining to me!
Note to those of you who either don’t know that the singers are lip syncing or for some reason don’t seem to care, if it sounds just like the record, guess what, there is about a 99.99% chance it is lip synced! I really find it rather humurous when comments are made about someones performance positively when they lip synced! Sorry they get an automatic zero rating from me!
If this is the new reality of music, where only the illusion of live performance is presented in order to not let any fans down or not hurt your sales somehow, then count me out. Why people want to see people perform to a recording and pay good money to do so, has me scratching my head. I don’t like phony performances.
michaelene
April 22, 2015 @ 12:26 pm
Let’s not forget AUTO TUNE for releases currently!!!!! Have seen the great ones here…George, B&D, Alan , Reba martina etc live and they do sing! For REAL. Even Blake….but if HE goes on with stuff like Sangria…..he will soon be Mr. Lambert. Miranda I do not like…heard her in person as an opener….Whiny, high pitch of voice. UGH!!!! All who love country…tune in to WSM 650 out of Nashville. NO Jason or Florida-Georgia get play there! I listen via computer.
Jaxxx
April 20, 2015 @ 7:54 am
I totally agree. He sells out all shows, adds more until all fans get a chance to go and wants everyone to pay the single price of a show. He should have won that award. Never seen anyone more sincere, harder working or more generous in every way as GARTH!
Jaxxx
April 20, 2015 @ 7:57 am
No one was lip syncing. Problem is that, in the huge arenas, the sound is not keeping up with the cameras. Poorly done by the tech people
Paul Zawadzki
April 20, 2015 @ 9:12 am
Jaxx, sorry but I believe you are delusional. Not for a second do I believe that most of the performances were not lip synced. The sound when a vocalist is live in a stadium has more echo as was rather clear when Christine Aguilera and Rascal Flats and Martina Mcbribe sang.
While I do believe these artists have talent, I have been to too many concerts and seen artists perform and sorry they very rarely sound the same or as good as the record. Here they had artist after artist, some moving around a fair amount and high fiving people, and no noticable difference with their voice in the mic, in other words, never sounding like their voice is either slighlty too close to mic, too far, or even the slightest bit off. NOT POSSIBLE. The sound was like a studio recording in these circumstances.
marlboroman
April 20, 2015 @ 2:18 pm
Jaxxx is right. They were not lip-syncing. If they were – the vocals would have been in perfect pitch. They were almost all badly out of tune apart from a few real artists.
Jared
April 19, 2015 @ 10:17 pm
I agree with you about Dierks Bentley he is one of the few guys in mainstream country that I follow.
Albert
April 19, 2015 @ 11:11 pm
Never has someone with a ho-hum voice come so far with so little . Dierks is an anomally . He ain’t Bro …he ain’t traditional , he ain’t roots and he can’t sing . But every fifth song he puts himself back on the map and he gets away with a few more years in the saddle . Hmmmm ?
Eric
April 20, 2015 @ 12:02 am
Being a solid songwriter who can relate to the audience at an emotional level (with songs such as “Home” and “I Hold On”) can overcome the burden of a weak voice.
Albert
April 20, 2015 @ 12:31 pm
Very true ( Neil Young , Kristofferson , Dylan , Lucinda Williams are some extreme examples of folks who get by with ” unique ” vocal styling with limited actual natural vocal talent or skill ). As I said …Dierks does come up with a killer song about every 4th or 5th time out ….and in my opinion his best cuts are better than most- everyone’s best cuts . So again , he DOES get by with a mostly unremarkable vocal because those great writes do ‘overcome the burden of a weak voice ” relatively -speaking of course. He still has a bit more character in that voice than the Hunts , the Swindles , the Bryans , Aldeans , the Kruise Kids and most other sound-alike Bro- boys . He just has no ‘ je ne sais quois ” …and a limited range .
SVOM
April 19, 2015 @ 10:21 pm
I find the “Taylor Swift is not country why is she there” argument/whine amusing because I’m here like, “country music is not even country anymore…”
Sara
April 19, 2015 @ 10:53 pm
There’s something fishy going on Miranda Lambert always seems to win and yet she only comes up with one so so song every year. She doesn’t even look surprised anymore she just looks guilty and constipated!
Diana
April 19, 2015 @ 11:44 pm
I know. I have been saying the same thing for years. I guess she just knows the right people, or knows how to play the game better. She does look guilty when she wins now, she has for the last couple award shows. I do like her first 3 albums, but not the last two.
Jaxxx
April 20, 2015 @ 8:06 am
Don’t like Miranda at all. Mediocre vocalists at best. She looks trashy to me. Not classy sexy. Ugh odd she’s so popular and gets so many awards. She and Blake in my opinion….highly overrated
Albert
April 19, 2015 @ 11:07 pm
I caught pieces of the show on breaks from polishing my coin collection .
I think there was TOO MUCH show between commercials .
I think a show trying to be all things to all people ( movie stars , pop singers , rap-mannerism-ed ‘country singers ‘, professional athletes , Tv show hosts etc.. ) ends up only being all things to 17 year old girls in prom dresses who can’t dance to ANY of the songs . Oh ….they were plants ? …well shucks ..I knew THAT !
I think the best vocalist in the house was that ‘country ‘ girl Christina Aguilera . I hate her ‘diva-tude’ but her voice blew EVERYONE off that stage . Did no one else turn on their in-ear monitors ?
I think I missed the Merle tribute …..or maybe I didn’t judging by the comments in this thread .
What a sad, sad representation of country music . Almost totally devoid of anything resembling the traditional ingredients of the genre’s best . Aldean .. MALE VOCALIST of the year ?? Luke Bryan’s new worst -song-ever ( no wonder Zak didn’t show ) ..God that is one cliche-riddled generic son- of- a bitch piece of crap song. The guy has NO shame . And with all of the people that have come down the pike in the past 8-10 years WHY do we keep seeing the SAME entertainers 3 times a year on these shows for years on end singing the same half-baked songs with the same half- baked lyrics . Damn ….where’s 1985 when you need it ? Next year I’ll make sure I have more coins to polish .
CaseyK.
April 20, 2015 @ 6:37 am
I thought the same thing when I saw Christina….She has an amazing voice…Who thought it was a good idea to have her sing with Gary LaVox/Rascal Flatts? Her voice was the only one powerful enough to fill that arena. I’m still scratching my head as to why she was there though. Maybe she’s trying to get on all 4 networks this season. Three down, one to go.
Albert
April 20, 2015 @ 12:44 pm
I am a big fan of Cristina’s vocals no matter what she sings because she CAN sing and interpret and emote and has unbelievable range.However , like Mariah Carey , even Celine and others with ‘the gift’ , they can find so few worthy contemporary songs to showcase it . They have all recorded more forgettable trendy pap than they have solid , timeless , well-crafted melodic writes which have the ability to become standards and career songs. Yes , we can argue that those trendy things sell because the market is exposed to it so often in these times …online purchasing etc…..but I’m talking about just the song- one being worthy of these amazing women and their super-human talents in the vocal department . This is why , I believe , so many great vocalists invariably end up doing a ” Classics ” or a ” Standards” album at some point – female AND Male . ( Martina’s done 2 , Buble , …Dianna Krall , Natalie Cole , ..countless others. ) They can’t sell a GREAT song with a market conditioned to a different set of sonics ( samples , loops , grooves , chants and sing-alongy hooks and rap . ) So they look at another way to challenge themselves with the great writes of eras perhaps past ….Bacharach , Hamlisch , Holland Dozier Holland , Porter , Kerns , Lennon -McCartney ..etc… etc….
I may stand corrected but I can’t recall if Christina has yet done one of these Classic records . I’m certain if she hasn’t …she will as she becomes less chart-freindly/trendy .
Chase
April 19, 2015 @ 11:29 pm
I swore that the song Sangria was written and sung by Chesney. I thought a little more of Blake before this song. Also, if I was not watching the TV, and Dan + Shay came on with the Jonas Brothers I would have swore it was sung by women.
I think we should petition to remove the word “Country” from the ACM’s. This was an absolute disgrace.
Albert
April 19, 2015 @ 11:35 pm
Can you imagine someone telling you in 1999 that one day you’d see Steven Tyler , Taylor Swift , Nick Jonas , Christina Aguilera , Reese Witherspoon , and ” Hootie ” (sans the Blowfish) on a big time Country Awards show ? I can’t .
Summer Jam
April 20, 2015 @ 1:38 am
ALL of these millions of country awards shows are all A COMPLETE JOKE.
i was excited when I first heard about Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, George Strait, and Brooks & Dunn performing so i thought it may be worth tuning into. When I saw the nominees, I decided I’m not gonna waste my time watching. Came in from working on a car and caught Brooks & Dunn’s performance and Luke Bryan’s award. Steven Tyler being on there was a joke, i cannot stand that freak he is so f’ing ugly and weird. I was taken by total surprise when Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley closed out the show with an absolutely terribly off-note performance….Darius sounded nothing like he does on his CD’s and Brad couldn’t hold a note to save his life. Terrible show. Cole Swindell won for new artist of the year?? LMFAO….that hilarious! The guy is a joke….he has to be one of the most boring people in the world, not to mention he has a terrible voice and he cannot sing worth shit, his music is generic as hell (and is so bizarre sounding that you don’t know what genre it is), and hes ugly as sin….I do like two of his songs, aside of that he sucks. But seriously, Thomas Rhett deserved that award! Country music continues to die.
Kev
April 20, 2015 @ 1:55 am
What horrible results! Apart from a few names in the Milestones section, it’s pretty much a list of people I never want to hear again!
Cathy Porter
April 20, 2015 @ 2:16 am
I found you via googling “ACM award reviews.” Your comments during the show were spot on.
Last year when it was announced that the 2015 awards were going to be in Cowboy Stadium, everyone who has ever been there said, “What?” Because the acoustics are simply dreadful in that stadium for any event held there, “what?” is about the extent of any conversation you can have. That’s why the audience was so noisy. Everything has to be repeated, followed by another, “What?”
I knew it was going to sound bad. I was pretty sure every artist would be accused of lip syncing. I don’t think they were. The sound is just so bad. It wasn’t any better for George Strait than it is for a high school girl singing the National Anthem at a first-round playoff football game on a Friday night. The show was doomed before they even started planning. It was the worst choice ever for a venue.
Trigger
April 20, 2015 @ 8:09 am
I agree. They got excited about all the people they could put in the stadium, but didn’t think about the logistics whatsoever. In the end, this is a music show, and that was where the least attention was paid. Also, there were many empty seats. All that talent and they couldn’t even sell it out.
Cathy Porter
April 22, 2015 @ 3:30 pm
The people I know who love country music and are in driving distance, also have been to the Death Star and knew it would sound terrible. I’m not surprised it wasn’t sold out.
Charles Murphy
April 20, 2015 @ 2:22 am
What a shit show…kept flipping in on some hopes of some thing sounding remotely good or not sounding like a bunch of douchbag frat boys sucking each other’s balls…although Cole Swindell may have sucked them all to get where he is.
And all of ya and the production crews…in a production this grandiose…MAKE THEM ALL PLAY AND SING LIVE!! All these acts like to name check the country artists who could actually do this…because there was no “fixing” and the public expected you to sound good. If you are gonna be a “country artist”, be able to sing in time and in tune…if you don’t, the public might not give a shit anymore…unless your songs suck anyway.
Country Music is the ONLY genre continually and awkwardly trying to be something that it isn’t, all to chase the almighty dollar. No other genre tries to carpet bag so blatantly unless it’s jackasses in the country genre trying to pull other genre’s members down to their level looking for more publicity..cough…cough..Christina…cough.
Until next bunch of disposable dick wads are up again next year….
Wait til all these artists are 40+ singing these party anthems, seeming like the creepy uncle no one at the pool party wants to talk to anymore cause he’s stuck in one time.
Lisa
April 20, 2015 @ 5:05 am
40+?? Pretty soon for Luke Bryan – he is already 38. Blake Shelton is 38, Jason Aldean is 38, so hopefully they either grow up and start singing better stuff – or stop altogether!
marlboroman
April 20, 2015 @ 3:28 am
The Absolute Bullshit Hypocrisy Of The Academy of Country Music Awards
Wow. Where do I start ? Well here goes.
1. They nearly all seemed to thank Jesus for their success. At the same time they are parading some scantily-clad little NFL-looking tarts around the stage all night. Would their so-called beloved “Jesus” approve of objectifying women in such a manner? The fact is – absolutely none of these fuckers believes in Jesus or Christianity (not that I could give a flying fuck anyway) – they are just making sure they fit in with the expected stereotype of the God-fearing, truck-loving, whiskey-drinking, gun-toting, cowboy hat-wearing, Stars & Stripes Flag-waving all-American dickbrain.
2. 95% of the “artists” performing tonight were singing totally out of tune (many as much as a quarter tone flat or sharp) – which proves that they have no innate sense of pitch at all . . . also a testament to the fact that most of them have been fixed in the studio with modern pitch-correction tools such as Auto-Tune etc.
3. The entire segment glorifying war and military might was abso-fucking-lutely disgusting. This ties in really nicely with point #1 – don’t you think? Yeah right. Jesus loved war, invading countries, and killing people for oil.
4. The music mixing and audio was generally appallingly bad. The mixing people could not even have been listening. Can’t say I blame ’em.
Eric
April 20, 2015 @ 12:11 pm
Being out of tune in a live performance does not indicate that one will also be out of tune in the studio.
1) In live performances, especially in the ACM yesterday, the crowd can get very loud and make it difficult for the singer to hear his/her own voice.
2) In the studio, singers have the opportunity to record their songs multiple times, whereas in a live performance he or she must get it right the first time.
Eric
April 20, 2015 @ 12:12 pm
Also, as anti-war as I am, I greatly appreciated the tributes to the military. The troops deserve some love after the hell that they have faced over the past decade.
Jack_J
April 20, 2015 @ 1:56 pm
i support our troops too. but not when they’re being exploited. risking their lives 4 special intersts. this display was like a recruitment ad. funny how its the less wealthy familys who’s kids go off to war. if you wanna honor them – give a private concert. i agree with the OP. this was nasty.
Eric
April 20, 2015 @ 10:30 pm
Well, I support our troops, period. It’s not their fault if the president or Congress decides to start a war based on lies. Their profession is truly honorable and essential to the survival of our nation. In my opinion, country music’s constant shows of support for the troops is one of the most culturally appealing aspects of the genre.
A private concert would not reach a national audience. Just think about the Iraq or Afghanistan veterans suffering from PTSD and sitting at home. If they turned on the TV and tuned in to the ACMs, I’m sure they would find the show of support by all of these celebrities to be invaluably uplifting emotionally.
Lisa
April 20, 2015 @ 4:59 am
I’m pretty biased – I’m a huge Eric Church fan, but I thought his performance with Keith Urban was one of the better ones. Like them or hate them, I thought they actually seemed into their performance, and excited to be there. So many others seemed like they were just going through the motions, and singing the same songs they’ve sang at other awards shows over and over and over again. The whole 2-song medley everyone did seemed weird to me, and even still, the songs they chose to do seemed like REALLY odd choices for most people.
Plus, I really dont get why they need to cross genres so much. It IS the country awards – do the MTV awards spend half of THEIR air time on COUNTRY? No! I know country hasnt been country for a long time, but last night was one of the most extreme displays of country being anything BUT country that I’ve ever seen! Nick Jonas, Christina Aguilera, Miranda Lambert singing songs that make her look deranged when she has better stuff, Sam Hunt just looking greasy… it was just awful! Best parts for me were Eric Church, Garth, Alan Jackson, and of course GEORGE!
KathyP
April 20, 2015 @ 5:11 am
“10:16 ”“ Dan + Shay told Dr. Phil McGraw backstage that he was one of their greatest influences & they grew up on “Indian Outlaw” and “Don”™t Take The Girl.”
Trigger, please tell me you made that up. It’s hysterical.
Steve
April 20, 2015 @ 5:39 am
I would’ve rather seen Eric and Keith do Ramblin’ Fever or another guitar-heavy Hag tune than “Pledge Allegiance”..
bamstrait
April 20, 2015 @ 6:10 am
When will this Miranda madness end? What is special about her vocals or songwriting? She is just another face in the crowd. She is just lucky she came at a time where women are having such a struggle to gain attention in country music. Why is an award given to award her for already winning too many awards? Her history of winning in an embarrassment to country music. Only Reba, who is a far superior singer is ahead in vocalist wins with 7. But too many better women trail Miranda and it is utterly ridiculous.
Dolly Parton – 1 vocalist win, none for songwriting !!
Loretta Lynn – 4 vocalist wins
Tammy Wynette – 1 vocalist win
Martina McBride – 3
Barbara Mandrell – 2
Emmy Lou Harris -0
Faith Hill – 3
Rosanne Cash – 0
Patty Loveless – 2
Pam Tillis – 0
Sara Evan – 0
LeAnn Rimes – 0
Lee Ann Womack – 0
Trisha Yearwood – 1
Tanya Tucker – 0
I’m not sure if this list proves the greater competition and quality of previous eras or just show how meaningless these awards are.
There is nothing pleasant about that bloated rocker Aldean or his vocals, no distinct sound like true country giants Randy Travis or Geroge Jones but he has surpassed them both and many others now that he has 3 wins in that category.
Someone please make the crazy stop, I’ve had enough.
Chuck Taylor
April 20, 2015 @ 8:45 am
Where was all the country music? Why did it seem like everyone was hesitant to even say the words ‘country music’? Why did everyone thank Texas? Where was all the country music??
suzanne
April 20, 2015 @ 9:04 am
First of all, this was the ACM awards – the Academy of Country Music Awards. While I like Steven Tyler he and others rock and pop should not have been included for this special 50th in big D. 2nd, where were the history makers? Dolly, Loretta, Merle, Kenny, Hank Jr.,, etc.? Would have been a privilege to see and hear them. 3rd, who got a tribute and entry to the hall of fame? I think Keith and Eric tried but who could hear it? 4th, the venue was too big for the small stages. It was too dark and the screens were delayed. 5th but not least were the acoustics. We could not understand anything. We had to wait for the big screen to catch up with the recipient to even know who won. There were a few good songs. Martina, George,Alan, Little Big Town. Garth should have sung lowly places or the dance. II have been to several CMT awads and typically the ACM’s are better. They were rushed and we couldn’t enjoy the moments that were good. Where were the jokes between Blake and Luke? We really forgot who was hosting. I don’t blow money but I do feel this was the worst 300 dollars I have ever spent. I am also surprised that Jerry Jones did not have a hand in this to make it better. Or maybe he Did. I am sure he made His millions. Cmon cousin Jerry, the Tollett’s from Arkansas were dosappointed!
Fayettenam Brad
April 20, 2015 @ 10:15 am
I love your reference to Unknown and cheeseburgers…..one of my favorite clips! “Put some meat on them bones”
kim
April 20, 2015 @ 11:04 am
what happened to country music these pop stars all they sing about is there jacked up trucks dirt roads I don’t even think they drove a pick up truck on a dirt road lol,,,who the heck was that guy wearing skinny jeans and high tops and the Jonas ,wtf,were is hank Jennings ,,poor ol George Jones ,I will never watch them awards never again ,can’t believe Erick church got beat out ,atleast he tell story’s in his music ,
Mary Miller
April 20, 2015 @ 1:53 pm
Worst CMA awards yet. Steven Tyler???? WHY? Where the heck was Willie Nelson? Hasn’t he contributed over the years enough to be included in the 50th anniversary? Why the heck did Luke Bryant win the big one? I am so done…I was upset when they all but ignored the death of George Jones now I am done. This was my last.
George
April 20, 2015 @ 3:42 pm
Do y’all like country?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuDqD2HfuWs
idahojones
April 20, 2015 @ 7:18 pm
Am I the only one who felt like it was kind of wrong for Alan Jackson to sing his 9/11 song for an OKC bombing tribute? And then the ACM’s show 9/11 pictures after the performance? Man, as an Oklahoman, it just felt like a little slap in the face to OKC.
Kristin
April 21, 2015 @ 10:32 am
If I got a dollar for every time they showed Taylor Swift!
Carrie
April 21, 2015 @ 6:39 pm
I know I am a little late to the party but just watched the ACMs on DVR. I wanted to comment about Martina McBride’s performance. I am sad to say cause I love her that it was NOT the sound. As a fan only, I have seen her live several times and she killed it each time. Most memorable was her Christmas concert where she sang O Holy Night a cappela. It was amazing. The reason I can say it was not the sound was because I saw her in December at a small venue and she was completely off – couldnt hit the notes and was flat. She had back up to help and some auto tune but it was definitely not the old Martina. I really think her voice might be shot and it makes me sad.
Greg
April 22, 2015 @ 6:40 am
I did not watch the ACM’s.I played an old Wilburn Brothers DVD with Loretta & Ernest Tubb instead.
Another thing,Loretta won an award from the ACM’s,marking her 50 plus years in Country Music.Only problem is:The award was not presented on camera.While Loretta was doing a concert,and could not attend anyway,the question needs to be asked: If Loretta could attend the show,would the ACM’s give it to her on camera?
Proably not.
drumroll
April 24, 2015 @ 5:49 pm
All I can say about the train wreck is—where the hell was Carrie Underwood. She usually has the best and most talked about performances of any of the award shows and she sounds better at times singing live than she does on her records. She usually saves face for country music. Miranda Lambert winning female vocalist awards over Carrie Underwood makes me laugh. It is just that insane as Lambert can not sing well at all and Underwood has the numbers and Lambert does not.The awards are a joke at this point as we all know who is going to win the awards and why. Oh yes—back door dealings, deals on the side, etc..
Diana
April 26, 2015 @ 10:37 am
I agree. However it cannot be just those two winning these shows need some diversity when it comes to who wins these awards, they are just predictable and boring. Now don’t get me wrong I like Carrie and I think she has a country voice, I just wish at least some of her album fillers where country, and not all country pop. On a side note I recorded it for my sister, and she said by fat the best part’s was seeing the older acts Alan jackson, brooks and dunn, Reba and the other older ones was the best part of the show. She said Jason Aldean sucked, and that she would never pay to see him live, and that she was over Miranda winning and that she is just a good enough singer, and that little red wagon sucked.