The 2017 CMA Awards celebrated legends, remembered lives we’ve lost and tugged at our heartstrings.
On Wednesday night, Country Music’s Biggest Night took over Nashville. Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley hosted the evening for the 10th year in a row. Stars including Alan Jackson, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill performed. Other genre artists like Niall Horan and Pink also took the stage. It was an epic night in Music City.
We narrowed down the three hours of music into eight standout moments, but it wasn’t easy. Here are eight of our favorite moments from the 2017 CMA Awards.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s Loving Duet
One of our favorite country couples took the stage at the CMA Awards to perform their new song, “The Rest of Our Life.” The song, which is the title track to their forthcoming album, was written by Ed Sheeran. They performed the beautiful track in a way that filled the room with love.
Alan Jackson’s Return
Jackson performed not once, but twice, during Wednesday’s award show. This was especially fitting since the legendary country singer was recently inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Jackson performed “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” before returning a few minutes later to close out the show with “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.”
Miranda Lambert’s Classic Country Sound
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Lambert brought back a classic country sound to the CMA Awards on Wednesday. She sang “To Learn Her,” which truly let her vocals shine. She paired the powerful performance with old Hollywood glamour. This will be a moment Lambert fans will remember for years to come.
Keith Urban Debuting ‘Female’
Keith Urban made his opinion loud and proud at the 2017 CMA Awards. He performed “Female,” which was released earlier in the day. According to Billboard, the song was partially inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal. During the award show, he let the lyrics speak for themselves by projecting some of them on the screen behind him.
Hootie’s Star-Studded Opening
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After a beautiful performance of “Amazing Grace” from Eric Church, a familiar song started the 2017 CMA Awards. The song was Hootie and the Blowfish’s classic, “Hold My Hand.” Darius Rucker sang his throwback track alongside Urban, Lady Antebellum, Reba McEntire, Kelsea Ballerini and so many more. It set the tone of unity for the night.
The Glen Campbell Tribute
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Little Big Town and Jimmy Webb came together on Wednesday night to pay tribute to the late Glen Campbell. The band performed a beautiful rendition of “Wichita Lineman” while Webb played the piano. A photo of Campbell was shown in the background before the camera panned to an emotional Ashley Campbell.
Remembering Troy Gentry
Another beautiful tribute during this year’s award show was when Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts came together to perform “My Town.” While they sang, photos of the late Troy Gentry were shown on the screen. Eddie Montgomery surprised the crowd by joining them to finish off the song. Read more about the moment here.
Carrie Underwood’s Moving Tribute
Underwood had a big night. She pulled double duty as a hilarious host and as one of the night’s performers. Her performance was the most emotional of all, though. The powerhouse vocalist sang “Softly and Tenderly” while images of the country lives lost were seen on the big screen. The emotional moment ended with still photos of the victims of the Las Vegas shooting, as Underwood tried to choke back tears. There wasn’t a dry eye at Bridgestone Arena after this performance.
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Did we mention your favorite moment during the 2017 CMA Awards? Let us know which moment you loved below.
