2023 ACM Awards Play-by-Play

 Posted by at 8:07 pm on May 11, 2023
May 112023
 

  • The 2023 ACM Awards, hosted by Garth Brooks & Dolly Parton, started with Bobby Bones doing a voice over announcing the night’s hosts and performers.
  • Keith Urban was the first performance of the night with “Texas Time” in honor of the show taking place in Texas
  • Keith Urban then introduced Garth Brooks who came out with a hearty “Hello Texas!”  Garth then talked about some of the greats of Country Music, trying to figure out who the GOAT is.  He then surmised that it very well could be Dolly Parton, who came out on stage with a living goat in a cart!  She then said someone needed to come out and take the goat baaaaaaaack.
  • Garth teased that we were going to get a preview of Dolly’s new rock album at the end of the show.
  • Dolly then joked that she had heard that she was Garth’s Hall Pass.  She then said that she heard she was also Trisha’s Hall Pass.  Dolly then asked if GOAT meant “Garth Organizing a Threesome.”  Yes, she went there!
  • The next performance started with Jo Dee Messina performing “Heads Carolina, Tails California” before Cole Swindell came out to perform his hit “She Had Me At Heads Carolina”
  • An unidentified female voice introduced Dallas Cowboys royalty…Dak Prescott and Emmitt Smith, both who came out in cowboy hats.  They were out to introduce the ACM Award for Song of the Year:
  • Next up is a performance by Kane Brown, who performed his new single “Bury Me In Georgia”
  • Carly Pearce came out next with Trisha Yearwood to perform a medley of Trisha Yearwood songs including “Wrong Side of Memphis” and “She’s in Love With the Boy”
  • Dustin Lynch and MacKenzie Porter came out next to present the ACM Award for Duo of the Year
  • Dolly Parton came back out to introduce Hardy, who performed his rockin’ new single “Truck Bed”
  • Mitchell Tenpenny and Chris Young came out next to present the ACM Award for Group of the Year
  • 40 minutes in and we get our first short commercial break
  • As former winners, Gabby Barrett and Breland came out next to tease the ACM Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, which led to an intro video of Bailey Zimmerman who then came out to perform “Rock and a Hard Place”
  • Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton finally come back out on stage with a couple jokes before honoring Willie Nelson for his recent 90th birthday.  Willie then popped up on video via Facetime, who made a joke about receiving plants for his birthday.
  • Cody Johnson then came out to perform “Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys.”  In the last verse, he changed the lyric to say “Mama’s don’t let your cowboys grow up to be babies.”
  • Miranda Lambert came out next to perform “Carousal”
  • Tanya Tucker was then introduced by the announcer who plugged her new single “When the Rodeo Is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go)” before presenting the ACM Award for Single of the Year:
  • Hailey Whitters was the next Breakthrough candidate to perform.  She played her catchy tune “Everything She Ain’t”
  • Next up was Mickey Guyton and Tyler Hubbard, who were out to present the ACM Award for Music Event of the Year
  • Luke Combs came out next to perform “Love You Anyway”
  • Combs then introduced pop star Ed Sheeran!  He performed “Life Goes On,” and Combs joined him for the 2nd verse.
  • Garth came out to talk to the duo briefly before kicking it backstage to Bobby Bones and Miranda Lambert, who pitched her MuttNation charity.
  • Another Entertainer of the Year nominee profile video aired for Morgan Wallen, who is unable to perform due to doctor-ordered vocal rest.
  • We had our second commercial of the night before Carly Pearce and TJ Osborne came out.  TJ was wearing a St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital T-shirt that says “This Shirt Saves Lives.”  You can donate to St. Jude by texting ACM to 626262.  They then introduced The War and Treaty who came out with a rousing performance of “Blank Page”
  • Garth and Dolly came out to honor those we lost in the past year, including Loretta Lynn and Naomi Judd.  Dolly then did an a cappalla performance of a song that we believe is “Precious Memories”
  • Garth then left the stage to allow Dolly Parton to present the ACM Award for Female Artist of the Year:
  • Jason Aldean came out next to perform “Tough Crowd”
  • Dolly then introduced Ashley McBryde along with Caylee Hammack, Pillbox Patti, Brandy Clark and John Osborne for a performance of “Bonfire at Tina’s”
  • Next up is Bobby Bones interviewing Luke Combs backstage
  • The next Entertainer of the Year nominee video profile was for Chris Stapleton
  • We got our 3rd commercial of the night
  • Garth Brooks came back out as the announcer introduced him as an “Amazon exclusive streaming artist.”  He then saluted all of the radio award winners as the camera quickly panned the section where they were sitting.
  • He then presented the ACM Award for Male Artist of the Year:
  • Brandy Clark and Jon Pardi came out next to talk about the ACM Lifting Lives charity, then introduced Jelly Roll who performed “Save Me.”  Lainey Wilson then came out to join him!
  • Lainey Wilson then shed a layer of clothing as she walked to the main stage to perform her song “Grease”
  • Bobby Bones then introduced the next Entertainer of the Year nominee video for Carrie Underwood
  • We get our 4th commercial (for the movie Air)
  • Keith Urban came out next to present the ACM Award for Album of the Year:
  • Dolly Parton introduced Jordan Davis who came out to perform “Next Thing You Know”
  • Trisha Yearwood came out to present the ACM Award for Entertainer of the Year:
  • Garth Brooks introducing Dolly Parton who came out to debut her new rock single “World on Fire”
  • Garth came back to join Dolly to say goodnight to the crowd.  Tyler Hubbard‘s “Dancing in the Country” played during the closing credits.
  • Other winners announced before the show aired:
    • Visual Media of the Year:  “Wait in the Truck” by Hardy & Lainey Wilson
    • Songwriter of the Year:  Ashley Gorley
    • New Female Artist of the Year:  Hailey Whitters
    • New Male Artist of the Year:  Zach Bryan
    • Artist-Songwriter of the Year:  Hardy