As always, there were great performances at the ACM Awards at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas earlier tonight. All of the artists, both new and legendary, brought their A game. But here was the best of the best.
1. Chris Stapleton
Stapleton performed “Watch You Burn,” a song about the gunman who killed 60 country music fans at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas. As usual, Stapleton didn’t need to say anything, the music did the talking and it was an incredibly powerful moment.
2. Kelly Clarkson
We will always love @kellyclarkson ❤️ Watch the #ACMawards on @PrimeVideo! pic.twitter.com/Tp9cpPN55I
— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) March 8, 2022Thanks to her TV show, we know that Kelly Clarkson can pretty much cover anyone. But she really went for it tonight, performing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Dolly, who hosted the show, said that the performance brought her to tears, and that Whitney Houston would be proud.
3. Gabby Barrett
We Hope everyone is dancing along to the Country Music's Party of the Year! See more beautiful performances like @GabbyBarrett_'s coming up on the #ACMawards on @PrimeVideo now 💫 pic.twitter.com/dfEWD3akBX
— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) March 8, 2022Gabby Barrett covered Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance,” a song that she performed on ‘American Idol’ back in 2018.
4. Breland
Praise the Lord for that performance! @breland and @ThomasRhett knocked it out of the park. Tune in to @PrimeVideo for more from the #ACMawards 🙌 pic.twitter.com/MRUk2VrkGz
— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) March 8, 2022Who doesn’t love a little church! Breland’s “Praise the Lord” got the crowd to its feet, and that was before superstar Thomas Rhett joined him.
5. Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
Whew, that song stings no matter how many times you hear it. But this stripped down version stung even more. It was a different version than the one we’re used to, but still excellent.
6. Brothers Osborne
They had two great performances, actually: first their song “Skeletons,” which saw the Brothers and their band sticking with their glow in the dark motif, and their show-closing cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” with Brittney Spencer (Ms. Sinatra tweeted about it, saying, “Loved what @brothersosborne and @BrittNicx did with Boots on the @ACMawards tonight! I’m always flattered when young people find me. I’m glad the song still has a life of its own.”