The 2019 ACM Awards LIVE Blog
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Saving Country Music 2019 ACM Awards LIVE blog. As the presentation transpires over the evening we’ll be leaving real time quips and observations, snark, praise, disapproval, and whatever else is fancied in real time and completely unscripted. This means typos may be presented and harsh language is not off the table, so come with a thick skin and understand this is all just the way for true country music fans to stay sane and offer spirited dissent. Feel free to leave YOUR observations below in the comments section as well, and get your refresh fingers ready.
For what to expect on the evening, including performers, presenters, nominees, etc., check out the 2019 ACM Awards Complete Preview.
All times Central time.
WINNERS:
- Entertainer of the Year – Keith Urban
- Female Artist of the Year – Kacey Musgraves
- Male Artist of the Year – Thomas Rhett
- Album of the Year – “Golden Hour” by Kacey Musgraves
- Duo of the Year – Dan + Shay
- Song of the Year – “Tequila” by Dan + Shay
- Single of the Year – “Tequila” by Dan + Shay
- Group of the Year- Old Dominion
- New Male Vocalist of the Year – Luke Combs
- New Female Vocalist of the Year – Ashley McBryde
- New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year – Lanco
- Music Event of the Year – “Burning Man” – Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
- Songwriter of the Year – Shane McAnally
- Video of the Year – “Drunk Girl” by Chris Janson
10:14 – Once again Keith Urban walks away with an unearned Entertainer of the Year trophy just like he did at the CMAs in November, but this still feels like it will eventually become a footnote of history. In fact giving the award to Keith Urban feels like it just diminishes the award overall.
But the artist who had the biggest night was Kacey Musgraves. She wins Album of the Year, and gets Female Artist of the Year off her Grammy momentum, and breaks the chain of Miranda, Miranda, Carrie Miranda. Kacey Musgraves is becoming a non radio superstar, and the country music industry better take notice.
Dan+ Shay also had a big night with three awards, and appear to have overtaken Florida Georgia Line as the power duo of the moment.
Overall there was a lot more country music than expected, with George Strait performing three times, and numerous other traditional performances. The bad stuff was luckily compartmentalized to a few moments.
And remember, it’s just the ACMs.
10:00 – THANK YOU to everyone for following along, sharing, liking, tweeting, retweeting, and commenting. I am going to compose some final thoughts on the evening overall, run down the winners, and then we’ll wrap this up!
10:00 – It is absolutely shocking that when people refer back in the country music history books, they will see that Keith Urban was the biggest “Entertainer” in this cycle. What a joke. Nobody wants this except Keith Urban fans. What an aberration.
9:59 – Holy shit! The front of the Broken Spoke is emblazoned all over national television as George Strait takes it out with “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar.”
9:58 – Can’t believe Keith Urban did it again. What an embarrassment for country music.
9:57 – How did this happen? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?
9:56 – The 2019 ACM for Entertainer of the Year goes to … FUCK!
9:54 – “Travelin’ Light” is a great little bluegrass-esque number, and Brandi Carlile can make any song better. So glad to see her having a breakout moment here in the early portions of 2019. She’s been a star waiting in the wings for too long.
9:53 – Dierks Bentley comes out with Brandi Carlile to sing “Travelin’ Light.”
9:51 – The 2019 ACM for Artist of the Year goes to Kacey Musgraves. WOW.
9:49 – This is how you sing a country music duet ladies and gentlemen! Also glad we aren’t just getting 30 second snippets of songs, but a full performance. Great performance George and Miranda!
9:47 – I’ll take two of what Miranda Lambert is wearing in a medium men’s style shirt, please.
9:46 – Miranda Lambert and George Strait take the stage together. That’s the backdrop of Dallas in the background (native Dallasite here).
9:42 – The Chrissy Metz performance was solid, and gave an opportunity to Lauren Alaina, Maddie & Tae, Carrie Underwood, and Mickey Guyton to feature their vocal strengths, and soak up some face time, which Maddie & Tae, and Mickey Guyton both need and deserve.
9:39 – Chrissy Metz of “This Is Us” takes the stage to perform “I’m Standing With You” from the Breakthrough soundtrack with Lauren Alaina, Maddie & Tae, and Mickey Guyton joining her. Good to see Mickey Guyton, who Music Row has basically forgotten about.
9:34 – I guess I’m supposed to know this Chrissy Metz person and be super excited, but I’d never heard the name until this morning. Got an open mind though.
9:32 – Well at least we have more George Strait and Miranda Lambert to look forward to. Strait and Reba are getting a bunch of face time tonight after they both released some of the best albums in recent years.
9:29 – Jason Aldean running through all the songs that remind us why today’s country music sucks.
9:28 – One thing we know for sure, Jason Aldean does NOT use Auto-Tune. Yikes!
9:27 – What’s the over under on how long it’ll take for Jason Aldean to get #metoo ‘d ?
9:25 – Saw George Strait giving an intro to Jason Aldean, but all I could see in my mind is “King” George cutting himself off halfway through, flipping off the camera, dropping the mic, and walking off stage.
9:24 – Oh shit, now we’ve got to sit through this Jason Aldean Artist of the Decade bullshit.
9:22 – Also important to note about Kacey Musgraves winning Album of the Year, “Rainbow” lost its bullet at radio this week, stalling at #33. It hit #17 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
9:20 – Album of the Year was Kacey Musgraves’ to lose. Her losing would have been more surprising. In the field, she was the most deserving winner and it cements her place as one of the top women in country music at the moment, regardless of radio play.
9:18 – Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour” wins the 2019 ACM Award for Album of the Year. The win gives Kacey Musgraves the country music TRIPLE CROWN of an ACM, CMA, and Grammy for the same record. She’s only the 12th artist to ever do this.
9:15 – I probably would have chosen a different song off of “Stronger Than The Truth” than “Freedom,” but it’s a high energy song, and good for an awards show. Good performance, Reba!
9:14 – Reba, we’ve missed you and your red boots, your red hair, and the way you can deliver a country song like no other. Welcome back, and please never go back. Country music needs you.
9:12 – Reba!
9:06 – So we could find time for R&B star Khalid to perform a full, unedited song, but Kacey Musgraves who’s up for multiple awards couldn’t get a performance slot?
9:05 – It’s not even that this Kane Brown song is bad. It’s just so incredibly forgettable, generic, and not country, just like so many of these performances. They’re so dry, you can’t even find hate for them. Flavorless.
9:04 – Hear the banjo in this Kane Brown song? Anyone see a banjo?
9:01 – This Jay Hernandez dude is the new Magnum P.I.? Tom Selleck’s mustache could kick this dude’s ass with one hand tied behind its back.
9:00 – I get it, “Southbound” is a fun song and everything, but one of the few highlights of these awards shows is seeing Carrie Underwood perform a powerful ballad and shakes the rafters with her incredible voice. I won’t remember this performance tomorrow.
8:58 – Um, country performances aren’t supposed to start with DJ’s scrating on baby blue vinyl, Carrie.
8:56 – As Curtis pointed out in the comments, very strange that both Kacey Musgraves and Maddie & Tae’s nominee presentations for awards didn’t include their actual music like it did for the other nominees. Could the ACM’s not secure rights? Something else in the midst? Very strange.
8:52 – LANCO would have been super cool if they were wearing suspenders and bowties and it was 2012.
8:50 – What is this Imagine Dragons version of a Lumineers song bullshit band we got here? LANCO? Yeah, screw these guys.
8:48 – Give Eric Church props for trying something different instead of coming out slinging his penis around backed by arena guitar and pyrotechnics. Your 10-year-old boy thought his snake background was cool as hell.
8:46 – “The Snake” is a strange song for Eric Church to perform on an awards show, but we’ll see how this goes. Remember, he’s the primary reason Ashley McBryde got a big record deal.
8:44 – More than half way through and the server hasn’t crashed! Duct tape holding! Thanks to everyone commenting down in the comments section. I’m reading when I can!
8:43 – Notice that Thomas Rhett’s wife got just as much screen time as Thomas Rhett? That’s the way it is at all of these awards show. It’s because she’s interesting, and he isn’t. Thomas Rhett is the product of nepotism and lifestyle branding. He’s a walking Kohls commercial.
8:41 – The ACM for Male Vocalist of the Year Thomas Rhett.
8:39 – Looks like Hunter Hayes finally hit puberty at 27. Way to go tiger!
8:38 – Was not opposed to that Keith Urban performance, though it got a little crazy at the end. Surprisingly good.
8:37 – Well screw me, this Keith Urban performance is pretty damn compelling. Not country at all, but he’s commanding the moment.
8:36 – If Keith Urban wins Entertainer of the Year, I’ll be flipping more cars tonight than the entirety of the Texas Tech student body.
8:34 – Not sure “Brand New Man” has enough room for three vocal lines. Also not sure if Luke Combs could legally operate a motor vehicle at the moment.
8:33 – I know a lot of folks love the original version, but this reboot of “Brand New Man” does it for me. Yeah it’s too rock, but if it gets an actual country song in the earholes of Bro-Country refugees, I’m all about it.
8:32 – Well damn. Here’s comes Luke Combs’ solo cups again.
8:31 – I don’t know about you, but I think Midland’s new promo photos sound excellent!
8:29 – So let’s get this straight, Old Dominion gets a performance slot, but Kacey Musgraves who’s up for three major awards doesn’t?
8:27 – Lol Jason Isbell on Twitter, “When Reba made the joke about Maren Morris’s birthday party being at Chuck E Cheese she really put me in a bind. Now the toddler is gonna be very offended if she isn’t at Chuck E Cheese for Maren’s birthday party
8:25 – Is it too late to change my vote for most generic country band ever from Dan + Shay to Old Dominion?
8:23 – This Old Dominion guy looks like he made his gold coat out of Nintendo classic Adventures of Zelda cartridges.
8:22 – I’m a professional country music writer, and I can’t name you one Old Dominion song. Including this one.
8:19 – “God’s Country” would be so much better if they had played it more country. But Blake Shelton finds the passion the song calls for.
8:17 – Whatever you think about Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country,” this song is going to be massive. Huge spins at radio, massive sales on iTunes, big streaming numbers.
8:14 – P.S. – Did you see Amanda Shires? Kind of brings it full circle when she showed up to the CMAs a couple of years ago to potentially accept for Jason Isbell’s “The Nashville Sound” wearing a protest T-shirt. Cool that they kind of accepted her into the fold here.
8:10 – Man, I have to be honest. I appreciate the message of all of these women empowerment songs. But there’s better ways to do this than these mawkish, pandering odes hoping to find appeal from fawning media and the hashtag crowd. You want to lift up women and daughters? Tell a story that can appeal to people instead of stringing together platitudes. That’s what “I Hope You Dance” was about. That’s what “Fancy” was about. That’s what “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” is about. Just my opinion.
I’m talking about the new Little Big Town song “Daughters” by the way. Otherwise, it was a fine performance. Probably better than most we will see tonight. Brandi Carlile was crying.
8:05 – Holy shit. Dan + Shay has won three ACM Awards. So mild.
8:04 – The ACM for Vocal Duo of the Year does NOT go to Florida Georgia Line!
8:02 – Why can’t Kelly Clarkson be the one we’re concerned about crossing into country. She’d get no complaints here.
8:01 – Dan + Shay is so inoffensive it’s offense. They’re every pop band from America ever with updated haircuts.
7:59 – Great performance by Luke Combs. Decent, not great song, but he did something great with it, and didn’t need any bombastic production to do it.
7:58 – I know a lot of folks consider Luke Combs a lite version of Bro-Country, but you can’t convince me it’s not a positive development that this guy is quickly becoming the biggest thing in country music at the expense of Florida Georgia Line and Kane Brown.
7:57 – Thanks god Luke Combs isn’t holding a solo cup. That was a bit that needed to die.
7:56 – Something tells be Luke Combs can bankrupt a Chinese buffet.
7:53 – Back to Ashley McBryde, the only flaw in her performance was the ACMs not allowing her to perform the full song. After she worked her magic, and then Brother Osborne and Maren Morris took the stage, it exposed just how fleeting and superfluous party country is, and how important a song can be.
7:51 – Excellent performance by George Strait.
7:50 – This was no “Murder On Music Row,” but make no mistake, George Strait singing “God and Country Music” on the ACM was meant to deliver a message. And it did.
7:48 – “King” George Strait takes the stage. “There’s still two things still worth saving, God and country music.” I like to pretend that line got written after someone spent an afternoon catching up here.
7:46 – Generally speaking, fun performance with Maren and Brothers Osborne. Not country, but fine. The Osborne’s know how to bring it.
7:45 – “All My Favorite People” wish that Maren Morris would take her weak shit to the pop format already.
7:44 – Ashley McBryde just had a “moment” on the ACM Awards. She’s a “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” no more. Millions were just hushed, she received a standing ovation from her peers, and now America and now the world knows how a real country music song can make you feel.
7:42 – When I saw the performance lineup, THIS was the song I was most anticipating. ACMs gave Ashley McBryde the opportunity to have a “moment.”
7:41 – Ashley McBryde!
7:38 – Simple and sweet performance by Stapleton. Classy and country. Just could have used some gas, or put him out there solo and let him wail.
7:36 – I want Morgane Stapleton’s turquoise to hang on my wall.
7:34 – Chris Stapleton is great of course, and “A Simple Song” is a really sweet tune. But I’m not sure this is the most compelling performance they could have pulled together for an awards show. Give him something that can be a launching pad for his voice, and requires electric guitar. This is prime time, after all.
7:32 – Dan + Shay are the scented candles of country.
7:31 – The ACM for Single of the Year goes to “Tequila” by Dan + Shay. Sound familiar?
7:30 – These Single of the Year nominees are pure shit.
7:29 – 30 minutes in, and the first real cowboy hat. Thanks Clint Black.
7:27 – Mouths need shutting.
7:25 – This Luke Bryan performance feels like a good time to evoke the immortal words of Sturgill Simpson:
7:24 – The cameras want to cut to Blake Shelton SO bad. Especially after the “I Got the hell out of Oklahoma” line.
7:23 – Hate these medley performance. You never get the opportunity to get into the groove of anything.
Who’s the old guy on the acoustic behind Lambert in the dark sunglasses? My bet it’s someone cool.
7:21 – Here comes Miranda Lambert. 32 ACM awards. Goodness.
7:17 – Song of the Year is supposed to be an award for a song that has impact and resonance beyond a given calendar year. Can anyone make that claim for Dan + Shay’s “Tequila”?
7:15 – Thomas Rhett looks like that loser trying to date your daughter who swears he’s flexing his shifts delivering for Dominoes to finish his GED at the community college.
7:13 – Bert and Ernie, who were 40-something involuntarily celibate Muppets who lived together and slept in the same room were still more cool than Dan + Shay.
7:11 – Are you kidding me? The extremely mild Dan + Shay wins Song of the Year for “Tequila.” Has there ever been a more mild Song of the Year?
7:10 – You mean Lady Antebellum is still a thing?
7:09 – Oh hell, Luke Bryan is dressed like a box of Valentines chocolates.
7:08 – This Reba McEntire monologue is pretty cornpone, but not bad.
7:07 – Reba take two swipes at the lack of women in country during her monologue, including saying the recent snow in Vegas froze the women out of the Entertainer of the Year nominations.
7:06 – “I’m Reba McEntire and I haven’t been tired in 53 years!”
7:05 – Save us Reba!
7:03 – After this performance, at least we can use the absurdly big chains on Jason Aldean’s wallet to try and pull country music out of the ditch.
7:02 – Tyler Hubbard looks like the 5th of July threw up on him.
7:01 – Florida Georgia Line’s “Can’t Hide Red” reminds me of an old saying my uncle always says that seems to apply to this moment, “Can’t Fix Stupid.”
7:01 – Oh shit, of course they have to start off with Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line. I guess get it out of the way.
7:00 – And here we go!
6:50 – Some more early winners:
- Chris Janson wins Video of the Year for “Drunk Girl.”
- Old Dominion wins for Group of the Year
Video of the Year for Chris Janson is much deserved. It really should have been a candidate for Song of the Year at both the CMAs and ACMs, but it’s good to see a solid effort recognized nonetheless.
Really felt that with the year Midland had, they would have been a better pick, and the only actual country music pick for Group of the Year. Does Old Dominion really hold that much sway over people? If they’re handing out their award before the telecast, that kind of answers the question. NOt a lot of strong groups in mainstream country at the moment.
6:48 – Late breaking performance news: It sounds like Amanda Shires will be performing with Luke Combs, likely in his band on fiddle.
6:45 – Some Awards Have Already Been Handed Out:
- New Male Vocalist of the Year – Luke Combs
- New Female Vocalist of the Year – Ashley McBryde
- New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year – Lanco
- Music Event of the Year – “Burning Man” – Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
- Songwriter of the Year – Shane McAnally
April 7, 2019 @ 7:06 pm
Was that Carrie’s attempt to get some traction on the radio?
April 7, 2019 @ 11:02 pm
what a piece of shit
April 7, 2019 @ 7:06 pm
I love how the chorus of Kane’s “song” has the sounds of a banjo, steel guitar (I think I heard one in the 2nd chorus), and fiddle, yet only 1 of the 3 instruments are actually on stage.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:07 pm
“Southbound” is inoffensive fun and it serves that purpose pretty well, but I’m with you Trigger. I love watching Carrie remind the music world as a whole what it sounds like for a power singer to go to work, and I wish she would’ve pulled something else out for the ACMs. Southbound should be one of the CMA Fest performances, not a major award show.
Here’s to hoping the group performance lets her do her thing.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:11 pm
Maybe that’s why she decided to perform a fun song for her solo set, so not to double up on the sentimental stuff.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:17 pm
True. I didn’t actually consider that, and now I’m praying that’s what it is and something else will be single #3 haha
April 7, 2019 @ 7:45 pm
Trigger, you might be right. Carrie can flat out sing!!
April 7, 2019 @ 8:21 pm
More likely it’s her new single for the summer. It’s crappy enough to get her in the top 5 for a change.
April 8, 2019 @ 10:52 am
Trigger, how accurate is Pandora at picking current singles? I was listening this morning and it shows Carrie’s “End Up With You” as a single.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:07 pm
That Carrie Underwood song and performance eek. It’s sad that’s what she feels needs to be done to stay relevant and attempt to get radio play. Yikes.
April 8, 2019 @ 7:48 am
I agree Lima Ohio I was very disappointed in the Country Music Awards! Country Music is not country anymore! George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Luke Combs, Brooks and Dunn are all true country. The rest of those so called country singers are an insult to country music! They just trashed country music! I couldn’t believe Carrie Underwood would sing that garbage and have those trashy people on stage with her! The Snake song Eric Church what a joke!
April 8, 2019 @ 9:38 am
I’m so with you. So disappointed this year in CMA. True country music is gone.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:09 pm
Anyone like how Kane Brown was trying to say, “See, I’m country, I have a fiddle!” Didn’t work.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:11 pm
Yeah, especially since he’s got a banjo in the mix, but no banjo on the stage.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:10 pm
Carrie gave us the least country performance of the night. Way to represent women in country, Carrie, geeze. As I’ve said before, she is every bit part of the problem in Nashville, no matter how talented.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:24 pm
Very true!
April 8, 2019 @ 1:26 am
IMHO, Carrie will never be able to touch Martina’s voice or her class…
April 7, 2019 @ 7:11 pm
I’m still shocked over that Carrie Underwood performance. At this point in her career she should be better than that. There’s no need to be chasing trends and acting like an MTV reject. She’s an elder stateswoman with a responsibility to the genre. If Hank Sr. was kicked off the Opry for being a drunk, her membership should be revoked for being a fraud.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:11 pm
Can you blame Carrie for Soutbound and releasing it as a single? She released a strong song as debut and it wouldn’t make #1. Then she went with a catchy, albeit bland social justice song, and it couldn’t go #1. So now (her label is probably forcing her to go) she goes with a genric, radio friendly, dumb song that could be a bro country song, and watch it be her first #1 in years. Don’t blame her, blame the system.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:24 pm
The other songs didn’t go to number 1 because they sucked. She has to stop screaming through her songs.
April 8, 2019 @ 1:31 am
Totally agree, and that’s why she will never touch Martina McBride’s skills as a vocalist…Carrie tries to power through everything with no nuance or dynamic range…by the end of most her songs, her voice begins to grate on me because she thinks she has to belt out every line through her nose.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:41 pm
yes
April 7, 2019 @ 7:13 pm
That little look Reba gave after the first line was everything
April 7, 2019 @ 7:16 pm
Does Reba age?
April 7, 2019 @ 8:16 pm
no ive seen her recently and she does not !
April 7, 2019 @ 7:16 pm
Going to bed. Got better things to do than watch this crap, like oh, I don’t know, maybe snore. Other than George Strait, not a damn thing even remotely country
April 7, 2019 @ 7:16 pm
This Kane brown song is one of those songs I feel like I’ve already heard 100 times.
Also big props to Eric Church for actually being honest. He see straight through the two party bullshit. If the rest of the country would realize that division keeps them in office and getting paid we’d be a lot better off. Unfortunately America is too fucking stupid to understand.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:18 pm
All this talk about Reba’s most country album …
April 7, 2019 @ 7:18 pm
Don’t really care for Kacey’s music, but how does the album of the year winner not get a performance spot??
April 7, 2019 @ 7:23 pm
She didn’t even get her own walk up music. Just a generic track.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:26 pm
Seems like some kinda conspiracy going on
April 7, 2019 @ 11:40 pm
how is the artist of the decade not entertainer of the year ?
don’t get me wrong ….i’m happy about that ……aldean is just wrong .
maybe kacey was ill …..or on tour when they did rehearsals ?…who knows .
she got TONS of exposure with that record all year on so many shows i don’t think it mattered to her . but yeah ….great point ….
April 7, 2019 @ 7:19 pm
GOLDEN HOUR!
April 7, 2019 @ 7:19 pm
Hey Kasey, glad to see you win. Maybe next year you’ll get Chrissy Metz’ spot and can sing for a minute. :/
April 7, 2019 @ 7:23 pm
She could fit in at least 5 of Chrissy Metz’s spots.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:25 pm
Not cool.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:19 pm
Like I told my daughter when she was watching the alternative music awards,”there should be an award for anyone who can watch the entire show”
April 7, 2019 @ 7:20 pm
Wish the music wasn’t so loud, cant hear the songs being sung.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:21 pm
After more than two hours and 15 minutes, I have to wonder 1) why does radio not care about Ashley McBryde 2) Why is Kacey Musgraves not performing and Kelly Clarkson and others are getting two slots? 3) When will the love affair with Chris Stapleton be over? 4) Why didn’t Luke Combs win Male Vocalist of the Year?
April 7, 2019 @ 7:21 pm
Very sad for the supposed COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS!
Never head of half the performers!t. Too much about snakes, god and words that are repeated 10 times in a song.
When it gets back to COUNTRY music, I will listen and support rhem again!
To say that I was extremely disappointed is an understatement..
April 7, 2019 @ 7:22 pm
WTF was that with Kane Brown and Khalid? They actually made FGL look tolerable in comparison. On the other hand, there have been some terrific performances-Ashley McBryde, Eric Church, George, Reba, and two that I did not expect in Blake Shelton and Keith Urban
April 7, 2019 @ 7:22 pm
Kacey Musgraves. Ick! Should have gone to Dan and Shay.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:23 pm
I understand the reasoning if Southbound is her new single, however, she has better songs on the album. At least Southbound has some decent lead guitar.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:25 pm
Well, if there’s one bright side, unlike when George Strait won, we won’t have a two hour musical tribute of Jason Aldean’s songs for his Artist of the Decade Award, so it seems
April 7, 2019 @ 7:26 pm
any traction you’ve made with this site in ‘SavingCountryMusic’., you take two steps back in giving these monthly trophy shows any oind of credability. The power machine has got their formula down..,,They crank out ‘award show’ after award show to keep this crap in the public concience. These things have nothing to do with the ‘best of’ anything, its about buying tv time so the public can stay current on their nonsense….and get well JLL
April 7, 2019 @ 7:27 pm
So glad the Artist of the Decade still hasn’t figured out how to sing on pitch for an entire performance in 10 years…
April 7, 2019 @ 7:38 pm
lol
April 7, 2019 @ 7:49 pm
I don’t think he’s EVER song in tune, on pitch, and so on
April 7, 2019 @ 7:28 pm
Well, let me tune in for a minute to che….oh, this is the part where they give Aldean his “Artist of the Decade” bullshit?
Never mind.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:29 pm
Even Kelly Clarkson can out sing Jason Aldean !
April 7, 2019 @ 7:46 pm
Kelly can pretty much out-sing everyone.
April 8, 2019 @ 6:31 am
Yes she can, and yet I’d still rather hear Cody, Whitey, Sarah, Ashley and a few hundred others sing than her.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:29 pm
Aldean really sounds like crap.
April 7, 2019 @ 11:43 pm
when hasn’t he ?
April 7, 2019 @ 7:30 pm
You can be sure if Alan Jackson had been the one giving Aldean the intro he would have done exactly that
April 7, 2019 @ 7:31 pm
Miranda has more wins at the ACMs than any other artist, yet, Jason Aldean wins Artist of the Decade? I would have thought Miranda, Carrie, Keith, Kenny or Luke based on household name recognition.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:32 pm
Eff “country” and the ACMs, thank God for internet radio and a couple local classic country stations.
Aldean makes me want to puke,.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:33 pm
“Also important to note about Kacey Musgraves winning Album of the Year, “Rainbow” lost its bullet at radio this week, stalling at #33. It hit #17 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.”
Maybe it’s because there isn’t enough demand that the politically correct hoped and pushed for.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:33 pm
Miranda Lambert would have been a better choice for artist of the decade.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:13 pm
Couldn’t agree more. Miranda is the best of the mainstream artistically.
April 7, 2019 @ 9:02 pm
Miranda doesn’t have the numbers. Someone posted a breakdown of artists who could have been considered for Artist of the Decade. Sales of singles, albums, tours. Aldean #s, especially tours, was staggering. Carrie came close. Miranda was at bottom. That’s how they justified Aldean.
April 8, 2019 @ 8:13 am
Based on ACM awards, no one else is close. You have to include Revolution’s numbers too. Although technically released in 2009 (not quite 10 years old), they must be including 09 in the calculations.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:35 pm
Aldean just thanked ‘country music fans’… let that sink in
April 7, 2019 @ 7:35 pm
Reba has much stronger material on her new album – I was disheartened she chose Freedom. Still, it was Reba – not mad.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:36 pm
Is it just me, or did it seem like Aldean FORGOT the words to some of his own songs? Pretty sure he looked and sounded like he lost his place a couple times
April 7, 2019 @ 8:24 pm
Yes, the Artist of the Decade can’t sing on pitch, and can’t even remember the simple lyrics to his simplistic songs. This is the reason a website like this is allowed to exist.
April 8, 2019 @ 1:38 am
Aldean is a joke, pure and simple, he always has been…one of the original low on talent douche bag bros of modern country.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:36 pm
Holy mother of God. I just watched Jason Aldean sing extremely flat. My ears are bleeding.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:37 pm
It was terrible.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:38 pm
The upside to a melody performance? We only have to sit through half of Dirt Road Anthem instead of the entire pile of s***.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:38 pm
My big takeaway from tonight … I’m going to go back and give Ashley McBride another shot. I don’t know why that album didn’t resonate with me last year.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:57 pm
The opry version of that song live is about as perfect as you can get. On the cd “the jacket” is my favorite
April 7, 2019 @ 7:41 pm
Tae was supposed to have a blue dress also but they ran out of fabric.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:45 pm
lol, she did seem color coordinated deficient.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:29 pm
Yeah, I don’t think that’s what he was saying. I think be was making a very poor attempt at humor regarding Chrissy Metz, based on his similar content above. Those sorts of comments don’t help our cause, in my humble opinion.
April 8, 2019 @ 9:40 am
Okay well if that was a crack on her weight, that was not cool. I did notice that Tae was purple, when everyone else was blue.
April 7, 2019 @ 11:49 pm
i think maddie and tae undermine their value and image by playing all of these ‘bit parts ‘ …..back-up singers and extras in carrie’s video . they should be vying for the next duo of the year award ….they have a unique sound and great material . and they are so damned talented. they need to get back to playing the game THEIR way .
April 8, 2019 @ 2:17 pm
They are. They’re doing what THEY want.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:43 pm
Metz and her song, um commercial for a movie. Sucks. Hate product placement in shows. Screech fest.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:44 pm
Did they give out Female Vocalist?
April 7, 2019 @ 8:09 pm
Kacey won
April 7, 2019 @ 7:45 pm
That performance did nothing for me.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:47 pm
Holy shit. Some actual country music.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:50 pm
That group performance was odd. Individually, everyone was pretty solid, but it was a bit of a mess together. Chrissy isn’t a good enough singer to hold that together. I don’t understand the purpose of having Carrie come in to sing one line and then carry the heavy lifting at the end? Actually probably would’ve been pretty moving to have her come in where she did and sing all the main parts from then on out, and let the other girls fill out the sound, rather than have her fill in where they needed the emotional and the power help.
Regardless, I’m glad those girls got the chance up there. Lauren can sing as well as most, Maddie and Tae are talented and have showed enough potential to be excited about their future, and the music industry needs to get on the Mickey train, and ASAP.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:50 pm
Nice Dallas skyline background. Too bad none of these faux- country pretenders know anything about Texas.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:51 pm
That was such a weird arrangement of “Run”
April 7, 2019 @ 7:51 pm
George and Miranda were awesome. But did George play a single chord on the guitar through that whole performance?
April 7, 2019 @ 7:53 pm
George and Miranda were brilliant! Hit me that song will be 18 years old this October. I was a senior HS. Great songs always take you back!!
April 7, 2019 @ 7:53 pm
The audience reaction shots during the performances are the stupidest things ever.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:55 pm
Something sounds off about Strait tonight. Sounds completely different and a lot weaker from when I heard him at the Houston Rodeo a few weeks back. Maybe he’s sick?
April 7, 2019 @ 8:02 pm
I was thinking sinus issues.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:56 pm
Haven’t paid much attention to Dierks the past few years. That song wasn’t half bad.
April 7, 2019 @ 7:58 pm
keith fucking urban. goddamnit
April 7, 2019 @ 7:58 pm
Brandi and Dierks were great! Brandi can do anything!
April 7, 2019 @ 7:58 pm
In the words of W.B. Walker, “Well Hell”
April 7, 2019 @ 7:59 pm
Thanks to Dierks and Brandi, I actually got to hear a mandolin solo at the ACM Awards!
April 7, 2019 @ 7:59 pm
I hope this award means he can go away sooner rather than later. He had some great music early on, however, his music lately is awful!!
April 7, 2019 @ 8:03 pm
If by latest, you mean the last ~15 years.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:45 pm
Lol- I was referring more so to his output over the last few years. I enjoyed a good bit of his early material. Over the next several years he’d have a song here and there I’d enjoy. However, his current stuff us awful. He put down the guitar and is a pop singer now. Any artistry in his music is gone. Sad
April 7, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
King George. Country music needs you, buddy.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:00 pm
Shoutout to the Broken Spoke background for Strait’s outro performance!!
April 7, 2019 @ 8:01 pm
Luke Bryan’s face after the Dierks performance, haha. Confused, waiting on the beat to drop so he could shake it
April 7, 2019 @ 8:03 pm
Love ya George! Great song, too bad they cut away halfway through.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:04 pm
Well, at least Strait’s current single was the last thing we saw and heard.
Overall, not a bad night. Mainstream Country is starting to show a noticeable sound change, which makes me happy!!
April 7, 2019 @ 8:05 pm
At least Aldean didn’t get a network special when he won Artist of the Decade like King George did. I’m sure George would’ve rather had nothing to do with the presentation.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:09 pm
The awards are still bullshit and have been for awhile now but in terms of performances, that was the best country awards show in years. Low bar of course but it seems like there’s a genuine push to bring back some actual country. If they make the same level of improvement next year, we might be onto something.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:11 pm
Is there a story behind Kacey Musgraves non performance and her bitchier than normal attitude tonight? When she won female vocalist did she say “my liberal point of view”?
April 7, 2019 @ 9:07 pm
1. She said “my lyrical point of view.”
2. “Bitchy”? Give me a break with this shit. She won the Grammy Album of the Year, yet she is still not accepted by the country music infrastructure (some of that may be her own choice, but still). She’s a woman amidst vocal cries for country music to be more open to women, but she is still not accepted by the country music infrastructure. You can feel that she’s not really welcome at the ACMs––you wouldn’t have know she was there until she won two of the biggest three awards––and the ACMs were simply forced to give her those two awards because the Grammys/the music industry agreed that she put out the best album of the last year, full stop. To top it all off, the GoT dude introducing her award decides to frame his introduction of Female Artist of the Year in misogynistic imagery.
To be who Kacey is, and to be put through all that? I commend her for the amount of civility she mustered.
3. I am interested to know the story, if there is one, behind here non-performance.
April 7, 2019 @ 11:56 pm
yes , yes ……and yes , phil .
she wrote and recorded a terrific record …honest , envelope-pushing and even though it isn’t a country album , its closer to country’s roots than 9 out of 10 mainstream acts if only in terms of integrity and it’s decidedly non-trend chasing .
April 8, 2019 @ 7:41 am
Very well said. I love the GoT guy but the fact that they wouldn’t let an actual country singer handle that award was atrocious. George, Alan Jackson, Tanya Tucker were all there.
April 8, 2019 @ 11:29 am
I didn’t get the bitchy point of view at all. She was just as gracious and accepting during her speech as any of the other winners. If anything this just shows the double standard that women are put to in country music. How is she supposed to react while giving an acceptance speech – smiling ear to ear and bowing down to the academy? Also, whatever perceived attitude might have been due to her not receiving a performance slot. That’s got to feel degrading to be snubbed like that when you’re at the top of your game during this album cycle. I say good for her for putting up a good front and mustering her way through it despite all the industry politics.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:13 pm
Y’all can shoot me now. Never wanna see Keith Urban win an award again
April 7, 2019 @ 8:13 pm
all i can say is I found this live blog and glad I did your comments are SOOOOOOO ON THE MONEY!
April 7, 2019 @ 8:21 pm
Glad you found it gmg. We’re here 365 days a year!
April 7, 2019 @ 8:14 pm
Thanks Trig, best way to watch an awards show ever, and I enjoyed reading all the comments.
“Remember, we’re all in this together.”
April 7, 2019 @ 8:14 pm
I could be wrong, but as these were only partial songs, I think he just started on the wrong verse instead of a later one?
April 7, 2019 @ 8:36 pm
Performance of the night, “The Snake” by Eric Church and Ashley McBryde. Great job as usual of EC highlighting deserving women performers. (P.S. Miranda should’ve won artist of the decade. She can actually sing on tune).
April 7, 2019 @ 8:45 pm
Understandable,all the Keith Urban hate. But you guys DO realize his win kept Aldean and Bryan out of the winners circle, right? At least Urban can carry a tune, can REALLY play guitar, and isn’t a douchebag.
April 7, 2019 @ 8:55 pm
I would rather have Luke Bryan or Jason Aldean win than Keith Urban. They also both probably deserve it more from an objective perspective.
April 7, 2019 @ 9:14 pm
Meh. To me it’s a wash. At least Urban has some talent. Aldean already got an indeserved tribute. Bryan (a grown damn man) did a song called “Knockin’ Boots.”
All things being equal, I am okay with Urban’s win here. The category was stacked with crap. To me, Urban’s crap is better than some of the alternatives.
April 8, 2019 @ 12:47 am
No shit. Keith Urban’s music has been disgusting lately but at least he’s fucking talented unlike Jason Aldean.
April 8, 2019 @ 5:42 am
Excuse me if someone else already made this point but you must never forget who is Keith Urban’s wife. Country music organizations have sucked up to Hollywood for as long as I can remember. Once I saw Ellen say on an award show that she liked all kinds of music except Country music. Guess whose ass she was kissing a few years later. You guessed it, Mr. Keith Urban.
April 7, 2019 @ 9:10 pm
Great job tonight, Trig. Good stuff!!
Enjoyed hate-watching the pageant with y’all!
April 7, 2019 @ 9:17 pm
The sound production is not good. Somethings wrong.
April 8, 2019 @ 9:58 am
That’s every country awards show.
April 7, 2019 @ 9:51 pm
Biggest tragedy of the night? Probably Hunter Hayes’ new shaved head…. like seriously.. why?
April 8, 2019 @ 6:14 am
He looked like “FutureSex/LoveSounds” era Timberlake.
April 7, 2019 @ 10:49 pm
Obviously puzzled by Musgraves not performing. But you have Clint Black on the program and you don’t let him perform???
The best parts IMO the last two years have been the Flashback performances. Going forward, I would love to see ALL Flashback performances next year. Pair up new and current artists with veterans, even if they are mashups of both artists’ songs (And NO rap artists, please). This honors and bridges the gap between old and new, as well as sets the ACMs apart from other award shows.
April 7, 2019 @ 11:02 pm
No one else mentioned how Great Miranda was tonight? i will!! 🙂 Loved her performances 🙂 Always Love the King George Strait. I got to see King George and Miranda in concert live singing ‘Run’ Fabulous 😉 Long Live Texas Country Singers !!! Reba was terrific, I enjoyed her performance of ‘Freedom’
April 8, 2019 @ 12:02 am
i’ll second that diamond girl . miranda killed ….energy, vocal performances , the duet with george …all terrific ….and looked as good doing it as she ever has . the woman is a star .
yes ….she’s released some crappy songs ( the red wagon thing, the name changed back thing with the annies etc… ) but she’s also released a lot of GREAT stuff .
April 8, 2019 @ 7:38 am
Oh they’re talking about her alright. The PR stunt she pulled backfired and completely overshadowed her performance.
April 8, 2019 @ 10:53 am
No PR stunt.that was baddassery by Texan Miranda Lambert. She is better than ever!!!
April 8, 2019 @ 11:02 am
It was a PR stunt and it backfired because nobody is talking about her performance it’s all about her personal life while dragging up her sordid dating history.
She’s the only artist who performed who didn’t get a big sales bump. Even Chrissy Metz is outselling her.
April 8, 2019 @ 2:23 pm
No. It was pr. And come on. After her behavior this past year where she told the LA Times “I’ve screwed up my life “ and continued to act out (Evan, fighting in restaurant, smashing a No Doubt framed poster at a venue in July, marrying some guy she just met). This isn’t badass. It’s troubling and she gets away with it. No reason to do that ad lib. 4 year old divorce. 2 other relationships. New hubby. Not PR? Not one site us talking about her performance. It’s all about the shade. And it got her in the news.
April 8, 2019 @ 12:13 pm
Happiness is much more important and Miranda’s fans love her and enjoy her music. She and pistol Annie’s have new tour dates. She has plenty of money, dont think she is worried about any ole sales bump. Miranda is all about her true fans and that is terrific 😉
April 8, 2019 @ 1:02 pm
Even Miranda’s fans are tired of the narrative and tired of seeing her get dragged whenever she acts out.
You can try and sugarcoat it as much as you like but don’t come asking then why nobody is talking about her performance.
April 8, 2019 @ 1:30 pm
Same old#@!&, no one proclaimed you keeper of comments, I can praise Miranda all day, and her thousands of fans will as well. Go find another hobby of discord. If you dont know happiness and good music that is your own damn fault.
April 8, 2019 @ 2:43 pm
her thousands of fans were so happy with her performance why did you have to ask why nobody is talking about her performance? Strange.
April 8, 2019 @ 3:32 pm
Same old, that is not strange for me to want to talk about her performance. ODD that you are so hung up on a mention, we can talk about anything related to the show
April 8, 2019 @ 12:51 am
Literally had to listen to Cry Pretty, Low, Ghosts on the Stereo, and Spinning Bottles on a loop to recover from the tragic mess that is Soundbound. 😂🤣 Carrie and the ladies were okay, but not needed. Carrie definitely redeemed herself for me, lol. But do you see how that was a potential moment. Why oh why couldn’t Carrie have that with her solo performance tonight? 😭 What a missed opportunity!!!
April 8, 2019 @ 4:09 am
I turned it on and immediately saw Dan plus Shay win something. So I turned it. Then later I turned it back and saw Kane Brown doing some kind of R&B rap thing (didn’t somebody say he actually had a good voice? Well, I’m not hearing it). So I turned it. Once more into the breach dear friends, and it was Reba singing some God-awful sappy love song to Freedom (the expression on her face? ‘Ah know this song is crap y’all, but y’all are s’posed ta like it, so y’all just go ahead and like it now, ya hear?).
So three strikes and I was out.
(I wouldn’t try to watch the award shows at all if it wasn’t for having some context for the blog and comments here! Thanks, Trigger!)
April 8, 2019 @ 4:43 am
I hate new country, it’s crap. I just saw a clip of the big whatever music that was performance and I’m glad I didn’t watch it. This stuff (and I mean s*** is NOT country music!) Get back to your roots people! This is just people with a southern accent singing pop. Blech!
April 8, 2019 @ 6:23 am
I was going to watch a little, but I could only find a broadcast of DoucheFest on the TV. My cable company must not carry the channel.
April 8, 2019 @ 7:46 am
What the heck! Where did some of these COUNTRY artists come from? Heard lots of rock but very little country. Loved George Strait, Reba. Of course Brooks and Dunn, Luke, Blake but was sure disappointed that there wa not more country. This was suppose to be the ACM not a rock fest!
April 8, 2019 @ 10:00 am
glad I missed it, will have to look up the George bits.
April 8, 2019 @ 10:51 am
why didn’t I know about this play by play last night? just now reading it. 9:01pm comment . . .mustache. I bust out laughing, looking around to see if anyone noticed.
April 8, 2019 @ 1:51 pm
Thomas Rhett may be a prince of a guy but he’s a zero of an artist. Even his one or two OK tracks would be so much better by someone who can actually sing.
April 8, 2019 @ 5:13 pm
Missed seeing the Tolstoy ballet, Circus Circus, and the Radio City Rockettes on AMC. Oh well, maybe next year.
April 8, 2019 @ 5:25 pm
Got a perfect word for Dan and Shay.
Anodyne
April 8, 2019 @ 5:44 pm
Well, except for Kacey, the list of winners was pretty sad.
Totally, agree about Daughters. That was opposite of a female empowerment anthem. Reba singing Fancy again would have been so much better.
April 9, 2019 @ 10:55 am
That Sturgill Simpson quote reminds me of something Bll Burr said, and to paraphrase, “I find award shows hilarious it is the one place where grown adults complain about not getting trophy.”
April 9, 2019 @ 1:22 pm
Keith Urban deserves every bit of it! So happy he did win again and it should not be shocking at all! What is shocking is Dan+Shay even being considered for nominations. How are they even country?!
Love Luke Combs!
April 14, 2019 @ 5:02 pm
I feel for artists like Carrie, her last two songs have failed to make it to number one, if they had been released back in the era of Blown Away I don’t doubt they would have made it to number one but so much has changed within country music since then, radio just aren’t getting the same responses to those types of songs. Still Southbound has not been confirmed as a single and perhaps because summer is starting and so is her tour she only performed that songs as a marketing strategy. I would like to see something like Low released as a single but it would fail to chart. Seriously I really can’t understand how or why this poppy hip hop bro country crap is so popular.