Photo: Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images
Everybody wants a piece of country music right now. Look no further than last night’s Academy of Country Music Awards, where Noah Kahan, Post Malone, and Avril Lavigne all performed. Even Dua Lipa made a surprise showing. Despite all the outsiders in attendance, the country stars who showed up for the ACMs wanted to pat themselves on the back for the non-country clout, with the ACMs barely moving their focus from outside Nashville (even though, as the ceremony hammered home, we were in Texas). The city’s best, like Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton, shined, and there was barely any recognition for genre outsiders like Zach Bryan or Tyler Childers. The show didn’t even mention Beyoncé once even after she released the biggest country album of the year. Ahead, the highs, lows, and whoas of this year’s ceremony.
For the third year running, the show kicked off with a song about where it was happening. In this case, it was a rote cover of “God Blessed Texas” by Lainey Wilson. For the ACMs’ second straight year in the state, it felt overdone. It was also a shame because Wilson’s new single “Hang Tight Honey,” which followed, is one hellacious scorcher, and would’ve been more than fine by itself.
The biggest jump-scare of Reba McEntire’s opening monologue was when she declared, unprompted, that “Everyone is welcome here.” McEntire continued, “From Mother Maybelle to Cowboy Carter, country music is so big in 2024 that there’s room for everybody. We all love country and we all are country.” McEntire’s example? Post Malone performing at the night’s show! In the span of a minute, it was all the evidence you needed to see the industry still hasn’t learned its lessons about racism. No, Beyoncé wasn’t at the night’s ceremony, but none of the Black country musicians who joined her on Cowboy Carter hit the stage either — not even Brittney Spencer, an awards show mainstay, or Shaboozey, who has a top-five hit at the moment. In fact, just two Black artists were nominated for awards, and only one performed. That was Kane Brown celebrating the 40th anniversary of Ray Charles’s ACM debut … which happened in 1984, more than two decades after Charles first made a country record.
Most ACM performances don’t have much more than an artist and their band. Not Kelsea Ballerini’s. She began her duet with Noah Kahan laying on a couch, singing a heartfelt take on her song “Mountain With a View.” Then the camera panned to Kahan, on the other side of the stage outfitted with some tall grass, as he launched into his breakout hit “Stick Season.” It’d be simple on a Grammys stage, but compared to many of the night’s bare-bones performances, this was theater. Ballerini even had a costume change, donning an apt flannel as she stepped over to Kahan’s side.
When Cowboys owner-manager Jerry Jones said the team was “all in” for 2024, did he just mean the free exposure from hosting the ACMs at his facilities again?
The winners of the revived New Duo/Group of the Year award made their moment in the spotlight count, running through a stellar performance of single “I Tried a Ring On.”
If you squinted just a little at Cody Johnson on stage, wearing a white hat and talk-singing a sentimental ballad about the passage of time, you could’ve been transported back in time yourself, with Johnson channeling his hero, Alan Jackson, on new single “Dirt Cheap.” Yeah, the ‘90s are sticking around in country music.
Can’t decide what route to go for your awards show outfit? Take a note from Miranda Lambert and do it all. She maxed out on fringe, denim, suede, and glitter for her TV debut of “Wranglers.” When you’re the winningest artist at the ACMs, it’s your stage to own.
Thanks to proven musical comedian Ashley McBryde and comedic-actor-who-also-sings Noah Reid for giving us hope in awards-show presenters. Presenting Single of the Year, the duo parodied all of the nominees … and it was pretty funny! A highlight, to the tune of Jordan Davis’s “Next Thing You Know”: “We’re sitting here at the ACMs, and the nominees are all guys again.”
Maybe it’s time to buy a lottery ticket after this. For once, it wasn’t a chore to listen to Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton sing together on TV. “Purple Irises” isn’t a good song, but at least it’s upbeat and gives them both a chance to shine — there’s even a touch of No Doubt in Stefani’s verse. (Is it impressive or depressing that Stefani went from reminding us she could still rock with it at Coachella right back to her country pivot in less than a month?)
Toby Keith’s catalog isn’t exactly the most conducive to emotional TV tributes — you can’t play an In Memoriam segment behind “Beer for My Horses” or “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” So props to Jason Aldean for making do with a heartfelt, stripped-back take on “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” And if Aldean’s gonna perform, at least he’s not doing that song.
For a second, it was hard to tell what silhouetted angel was killing the beginning of Chris Stapleton’s “Think I’m in Love With You.” Turns out it was Dua Lipa, fresh off the release of her own album Radical Optimism and ready to show country music what she’s got. Her voice fit the bluesy, sultry song well, and Stapleton, a true pro at big-time duets, knew how to cede the stage. Speaking of which: That man can’t keep getting away with having the best performance of the night at these things!
“I’m gon’ keep this short and sweet, ‘cause Jelly’s gonna get up here and preach,” Lainey Wilson said, accepting the pair’s win for Musical Event of the Year for “Save Me.” And did Jelly Roll ever. “I’m gonna try not to get emotional,” he said, before quickly raising his voice as he testified. “I never thought I’d be standing here,” he declared. “I thought I would die or go to jail, and I’m standing here as an ACM Award winner!”
Morgan Wallen wasn’t there to help Post Malone debut “I Had Some Help” (oh no!), but luckily, Post Malone had a crack band behind him — all fittingly clad in Cowboys jerseys. The highlight, though, was the fiddle solo during “Long Lost Highway,” the classic-leaning ballad Post premiered beforehand.
As uncomfortable as Avril Lavigne may have looked in the ACMs audience, she was right at home on stage. Lavigne came out on fire for her verse of Nate Smith’s “Bulletproof,” which already had a touch of pop-punk to it.
Parker McCollum’s breakout “Burn It Down” already lacks personality. Doing it acoustic and a step slower on the ACMs stage didn’t help.
As if it wasn’t already. Tonight, Wilson accomplished the difficult feat of following up an Entertainer of the Year win at the CMAs with another one at the ACMs. The win caps off an impressively rapid rise for a star who had her first hit just three years ago — and one that feels doubly improbable for a woman in country.
Oh yeah, Reba’s still got it. Reba McEntire didn’t do much as host this year, but she did turn in a powerful closing performance of her new single “I Can’t.” The stage lit up, she shimmered, and the choir surrounding her poured out their souls. That’s country church.
