ACM Recap: Dan + Shay, Keith Urban and Kacey Musgraves Win Big

The ACMs took place last night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Host, Reba McEntire suggested they change the name of the show to “Dan + Shay’s Excellent Adventure.” The Grammy award winning duo walked away with three ACM awards last night including Vocal Duo of the Year, Single and Song of the Year for their double platinum hit song “Tequila”.

“I think somebody got the cards mixed up tonight”, Dan Smyers said when he and Shay Mooney walked up to the stage for the third time. “This is such an incredible category to be a part of…we are all winners tonight.”

Other big winners included Keith Urban, who won Entertainer of the Year. This is Urban’s tenth ACM award but first for Entertainer of the Year. Urban had a big 2018, playing over 60 venues on his Graffiti U World Tour. Urban stripped this award from three-time defending Entertainer of the Year, Jason Aldean. However, Aldean will happily head back to Nashville, receiving the ACM award for Artist of the Decade, an award he was given to by last decade’s recipient, the king, George Strait.

 

“That’s the reason I wear the cowboy hat, right here so thank you very much”, Aldean said pointing at Strait. “I look out and I see a lot of artists who’ve had a hell of a decade…I feel very fortunate to have this.”

Aldean was well deserving of the award. The thirteen-time ACM award winner has 19 number one hits, 8.7 million albums sold, 4.3 billion digital streams and 10 million headlining tickets sold.

The Male and Female Artists of the Year were Thomas Rhett and Kacey Musgraves. Rhett had a busy 2018 touring with Kenny Chesney on his Trip Around the Sun tour and headlining his own Life Changes Tour. Musgraves, who also received the Album of the Year award for Golden Hour, is loving 2019 as she can place these two ACM awards right next to her three Grammys.

“I have to say this awards goes out to any women or girl or anybody really, that is maybe being told that her perspective or her style is too different to work”, Musgraves said after winning Female Artist of the Year. “Just stay at it; it’ll work out.”

Many awards were announced before the show. These included Old Dominion for Group of the Year, Luke Combs for New Male Artist, Ashley McBryde for New Female Artist, LANCO for New Group/Duo, Chris Jason’s “Drunk Girl” for Video of the Year and Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osbourne’s “Burning Man” for Musical Event of the Year.

To see pictures and highlights, follow the Academy of Country Music on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! If you missed it, you can watch the whole thing here on CBS.com.

 

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