Who said that prime time entertainment can’t be wholesome, entertaining, and patriotic at the same time?
In case you missed it, last night’s Country Music Awards show was one for the ages and a perfect blend of everything that makes America great.
From the brilliant hosting of Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley to the wonderful ceremony honoring our veterans, let’s relive the best moments from the 50th anniversary show:
1) Don’t make us cry again
The CMAs started with a bang and didn’t let up for the rest of the evening. For the opening act, Reba McEntire, Clint Black, Alan Jackson and other stars performed their hits in succession, but one of the most emotional moments came when Randy Travis, who suffered a stroke in 2013, sang the last “amen” in his hit song, “Forever and Ever, Amen“.
The intro at the #CMAawards50 had us in tears… @randytravis we salute you! #CMAawards50 pic.twitter.com/pic24MH5sx
— Country Living (@CountryLiving) November 3, 2016
.@randytravis, y'all… #CMAawards50
— Reese Witherspoon (@ReeseW) November 3, 2016
One of the newest members of the @countrymusichof, @randytravis! So honored to have him as a guest! #CMAawards50 pic.twitter.com/TkzTNvVmyg
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) November 3, 2016
2) Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley are unstoppable
After eight years of hosting the CMAs, you’d expect these two country stars to eventually run out of material. And while some of the election jokes may have fell a little flat given what’s at stake, we can all agree that Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley know how to put on a good show.
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So @BradPaisley is so happy @carrieunderwood won Female Vocalist that he hugged @LukeBryanOnline pic.twitter.com/n9Yeqe19P2
— David Wild (@Wildaboutmusic) November 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/CountryMusic/status/793980213977878528
3) Peyton Manning steals the show
Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley spotted the retired Denver Broncos quarterback early on in the night and exchanged “Nationwide Insurance” jingles at one another. When the hosts asked Peyton if they were one of his favorite singers, his response won the evening:
Funniest moment from the #CMAawards50 The Peyton Manning appearance pic.twitter.com/jV38fgnWBM
— Hawkeye (@HawkeyeOnAir) November 3, 2016
But Peyton wasn’t done, he also had the privilege of presenting the CMA Pinnacle Award, which went to his favorite country singer, Kenny Chesney:
https://twitter.com/CountryMusic/status/794005897982910465
4) All of the amazing mash-ups
Say what you want about Beyoncé and the Dixie Chicks, but their rendition of “Daddy Lessons” had the crowd going wild. For at least one night, politics took a backseat for this performance.
Watch Beyoncé's performance of 'Daddy Lessons' @The Country Music Awards with the The Dixie Chicks (Full) pic.twitter.com/Bga48gmq6B
— Beyoncé Titan (@BeyonceTitan) November 3, 2016
On a more poignant moment, Alan Jackson and George Strait sang a duet that combined “Remember When” with “Troubadour” – something we never knew we needed until they performed.
George Strait and Alan Jackson though, had me all emotional. I love Troubadour ??? #CMAawards50 pic.twitter.com/IMxxgG0qHp
— Michelle Rodriguez (@michrod) November 3, 2016
And finally, the Chris Stapleton and Dwight Yoakam cover of Ray Charles and Willie Nelson’s track “Seven Spanish Angels” was amazing. But why did they follow it up with Luke Bryan?
#CMAawards50 Well the switch from Chris Stapleton/Dwight Yoakam to Luke Bryan is jarring. From "oh yes!" to… pic.twitter.com/J0lowtOrrI
— Budini (@Budini) November 3, 2016
5) Tim McGraw and Faith Hill teach us about family values
It’s easy to get bogged down with the kind of messages stars like Lena Dunham and Miley Cyrus like to send, which is why it was refreshing to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill put on a clinic on how to stay, well “humble and kind”.
No better man to sing a song about being "Humble and Kind." Watch @TheTimMcGraw's #CMAawards50 performance on the ABC App and On Demand! pic.twitter.com/aTf8zBNkdH
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) November 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/TheTimMcGraw/status/794025346676965376
https://twitter.com/TheTimMcGraw/status/793991033055019008
When the work you put in is realized let yourself feel the pride, but always stay humble and kind. –@TheTimMcGraw #CMAawards50
— Country Words (@Country_Words) November 3, 2016
6) Dolly Parton’s Lifetime Achievement Award
"Dolly IS country music pure & simple." – @LilyTomlin
Congrats to @DollyParton on the @willienelson Lifetime Achievement Award #CMAawards50 pic.twitter.com/xNuQXxAOst
— CMT (@CMT) November 3, 2016
Dolly Parton’s co-star in “9 to 5”, Lily Tomlin, presented her with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, calling Parton “one of the greatest artists in the history of country music” (we agree!).
Before the award was given out, Jennifer Nettles and Pentatonix, McEntire, Musgraves and Underwood sang a medley of her songs that ended with “I Will Always Love You”.
https://twitter.com/CountryMusic/status/794013057718558720
During her speech, Parton joked, “I would cry but I didn’t want to mess up my eyelashes!”
The line of the night from Dolly Parton #CMAawards50 pic.twitter.com/4dJoHZLMth
— Hawkeye (@HawkeyeOnAir) November 3, 2016
7) Proud to be an American
Throughout the evening, the CMA’s took the time to honor our veterans, highlighting Greenlight A Vet as a way to show support for America’s vets.
We are overwhelmed by the support we are seeing for veterans tonight! Thank you so much! https://t.co/zqBoCcaMrZ
— Greenlight A Vet (@greenlightavet) November 3, 2016
We have our green light on. #GreenLightAVet #CMAawards2016 #SemperFi pic.twitter.com/rCqn3Yk2i3
— Brian Patrick Walsh (@SgtWalshB) November 3, 2016
"I'm proud to be an American!" #CMAawards50 @CountryMusic pic.twitter.com/wRu8nTwwZv
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 3, 2016
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