Tornado warnings were issued for Nashville but that didn’t stop the whirlwind of excitement at the CMT Awards last night. Country’s hottest stars were out to honor each other while putting on a heck of show. I was backstage and got to watch the night unfold, from the shampooing of the red carpet, to the artist shuffling into their dressing rooms.
Videos by American Songwriter
Our intern, Molly, hits the red carpet.
Tornado warnings were issued for Nashville but that didn’t stop the whirlwind of excitement at the CMT Awards last night. Country’s hottest stars were out to honor each other while putting on a heck of show. I was backstage and got to watch the night unfold, from the shampooing of the red carpet, to the artist shuffling into their dressing rooms.
Fashion: The look on this year’s red carpet was country chic. The style trend for the guys was vests and bedazzled jeans. The more graffiti, grommets and glitter the better. The ladies shined in short dresses and three-inch metallic pumps.
Sightings: The VIP reception included Zac Brown Band, Holly Williams, Heidi Newfield, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, and Jack Owen. And no party would be complete without American Songwriter’s May/June cover artist Dierks Bentley and his dog, Jake.
Performances Highlights: The Blowfish-less Darius Rucker rocked the stage with his new song “Alright.” The B-52s made a surprise appearance and performed “Love Shack” with duo of the year, Sugarland. Keith Urban ended his performance in the stands, and the audience waved their cell phones in the air while Trace Atkins sang “You’re Gonna Miss This.” After Taylor Swift won Video of the Year for her hit “Love Story”, Def Leppard joined Swift on stage to close the night’s festivities with a sweet rendition of “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”
Awards:
Male Video of the Year- Brad Paisley “Waitin’ on a Woman”
Group Video of the Year- Rascal Flatts “Every Day”
Duo of the Year-Sugarland “All I Want to Do”
Collaborative Video of the Year “Start a Band” Brad Paisley and Keith Urban
Wide Open Country Video of the Year –Kid Rock “All Summer Long”
CMT Performance of the Year- Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley-“Country Boy”
USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year- Zac Brown Band “Chicken Fried”
Video of the Year- Taylor Swift “Love Story”
Female Video of the Year- Taylor Swift “Love Story”
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