To say that this year’s CMA Awards was uneven is a big understatement. The most exciting thing to happen in the first 45 minutes of the show was the snippet of seeing Carly Pearce getting her hair done. Listen, pregnant Gabby Barrett has been given a pass by Stars and Guitars on her previous award show performances this year because it’s not easy giving a good vocal performance while growing a human inside you. But her duet with Charlie Puth on her hit single ‘I Hope’ was so off that I was afraid she was about to give birth right there on the stage. And can someone tell her she might not want to look like someone in a marching band while pregnant please?
Someone who is always on point vocally though is Ashley McBryde, and this performance of ‘One Night Standards’ was no exception. Every time she steps on that stage, the energy she gives off is that she’s so thankful to be there, and we’re thankful to have her. We were not thankful however for co-host Reba. While she is a living legend, this hosting gig was not one for the record books. So many forced puns made me want to turn the tv off before the show even hit a groove. Fans would’ve been more than happy if McBryde had pulled double duty as host and performer like she did with the CMT Awards.
When you look up high energy performances in the dictionary, there should just be a picture of Luke Combs. Singing ‘Cold As You’, Combs proved exactly why he was one of the most nominated artists this year. Transitioning from high energy to tug at your heartstrings, Charley Pride gave a speech that was equal parts humble and extraordinary. Receiving the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, he gave credit to everyone but himself for the barriers that his career broke down. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house after that moment, even from the stoic Entertainer of the Year Eric Church. And the tears continued to flow for Ingrid Andress, who broke down at the end of her chill-inducing performance of her breakout hit ‘More Hearts Than Mine’. Even if you had the show on in the background, which you could’ve gotten away with during much of this broadcast, that was a moment you couldn’t look away from. Two performances that perfectly encapsulated the challenges of 2020 were the collaboration between Thomas Rhett, Reba and Chris Tomlin on ‘Be A Light’ and Keith Urban’s ‘God Whispered Your Name’, which was led by an inspiring dedication to the front line workers of healthcare industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Each one of these moments definitely brought out all the feelings.
All in all, not the strongest showing for the CMA Awards, maybe in part due to an uneventful year hindered by a global pandemic. Here’s hoping that 2021 will bring the fun back to these shows. What was your best and worst moment? Let us know in the comments and we’ll see ya’ll next time.
