PHOTOSReba, Carrie, & More! Here Are The 8 Most Memorable Moments From The 2018 ACM Awards
Country music’s biggest stars gathered in Las Vegas on Sunday night for the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards. From Carrie Underwood to Miranda Lambert, the show was packed with performances by some of the most talented people in the business! Click through to see the best moments of the night.
The show began by honoring the victims of the mass shooting at the Route 91 country music festival in Las Vegas in October. Jason Aldean (who was performing at the festival when the shooting began), Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, and Thomas Rhett all stood on the darkened stage and talked about the healing power of music. "For those of us that have experienced tragedy and unexpected loss, music helps us remember what really matters in life," Bryan said. "We celebrate music tonight,” Jason added.
Host Reba McEntire helped add a little humor to the night with her opening monologue. The singer, who first hosted the show in 1986, poked fun at previous years’ hosting duo Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley. “I guess they finally figured out it only takes one woman to do the job of two men,” she joked.
Miranda Lambert made history when she became the winner of the most ACM Awards ever on Sunday, after adding three more wins to her previous 29. While accepting the award for Song of the Year for “Tin Man,” she even thanked fans for “sharing my broken heart with me.” The singer wrote the song after her split from Blake Shelton but recently split from boyfriend Anderson East as well.
The show decided to throw it back to 1993, with a new segment called “ACM Flashbacks.” Alan Jackson, joined by guest Jon Pardi, blew the crowd away with his rendition of “Chattahoochee,” while Toby Keith performed his ’93 hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” with Blake.
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Also on board for the 1993 throwback was host Reba, who performed her song “Does He Love You?” with her former daughter-in-law Kelly Clarkson, making for one of the most memorable moments of the night! (Reba was married to Kelly’s husband’s father Narvel Blackstock from 1989 to 2015.)
Kelly and Reba’s duet wasn’t the only thing that caught fans’ attention. Viewers also couldn’t believe that for the performance, Reba re-wore the infamous red dress she wore to the 1993 ACM Awards, which was considered risqué at the time. “THE red dress – 25 years later!” Reba wrote on Instagram. Prior to Sunday’s show, the dress had been on display in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
Chris Stapleton had a memorable Sunday, but not solely because of the ACM Awards. The “Tennessee Whiskey” singer was not present to accept his award for Album of the Year, but only because his wife had given birth to twins that same day! It also happened to be the country star’s 40th birthday. Reba accepted the award on Chris’ behalf, explaining, “We just found out those little rascals came a little bit early.”
Carrie Underwood made a triumphant return to the spotlight on Sunday night’s show, performing live in front of an audience for the first time since injuring her wrist and face late last year. The singer reportedly had to get 40-50 stitches in her face and warned fans she “might look a bit different” the next time they saw her. Despite the buzz surrounding her return, Carrie looked as stunning as ever, and blew the crowd away with her performance of her new single, “Cry Pretty,” for which she received a standing ovation!
What was your favorite moment of the night? Sound off in the comments below!
