The Best and Worst of the 2015 Country Music Awards Shows
Contents
It was a night of highs and lows for the biggest stars in country music. From Carrie Underwood’s touching tribute to the late Joan Rivers, to Miranda Lambert’s show-stopping performance, see the best and worst moments from the 2015 Country Music Awards.
Introduction
It’s that time of year again when the country music award shows come around. This year there were three big ones: the CMA Awards, the ACM Awards, and the Country Music Awards. So which one was the best? And which one was the worst? Let’s take a look.
The CMA Awards were hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley for the eighth year in a row. The show opened with a fun duet between the two hosts, and then quickly got into the awards. The highlight of the night was probably when Miranda Lambert won female vocalist of the year, beating out Carrie Underwood (who has won it five times in a row). Another highlight was Florida Georgia Line’s performance of “Sun Daze,” which featured an appearance by Luke Bryan.
The ACM Awards were hosted by Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton. The show started with a duet between Reba and Blake, and then got into the awards. One of the highlights of the show was when Garth Brooks won entertainer of the year, beating out Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan (who have both won it in recent years). Another highlight was Keith Urban’s performance of “Raise ‘Em Up,” which featured an appearance by Eric Church.
The Country Music Awards were hosted by Dierks Bentley and Jennifer Nettles. The show started with a fun performance by Dierks Bentley, and then got into the awards. Some of the highlights of the night included Florida Georgia Line’s performance of “Dirt,” Carrie Underwood’s performance of “Something in the Water,” and Miranda Lambert’s win for album of the year.
So which show was the best? It’s hard to say. They all had their own highlights. But if we had to choose, we would probably say that the CMA Awards were the best overall, with performances by Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line, and Keith Urban being particular standouts.
The Best
The hosts
The hosts of the 2015 Country Music Awards were Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood. Families across America gathered together to watch the live broadcast on ABC, and the show did not disappoint. The hosts were engaging and entertaining, and the awards were handed out to some deserving country music stars.
However, there were some aspects of the show that were not so great. The opening monologue was a little flat, and there were some awkward moments between the hosts. But overall, Bryan and Underwood did a good job hosting the show.
The performances
The best part of any CMAs is always the performances, and this year’s show did not disappoint. Some of country music’s biggest stars took the stage to sing their latest hits, and they did not disappoint. Keith Urban kicked things off with a performance of his new single, “Raise ‘Em Up,” followed by Florida Georgia Line with “Anything Goes.” Carrie Underwood brought the house down with her performance of “Smoke Break,” and Miranda Lambert closed the show with a stirring performance of “Bathroom Sink.” Other highlights included Dierks Bentley’s emotional tribute to the late Merle Haggard and Luke Bryan’s duet with John Legend on “All of Me.”
The awards
The best of the 2015 country music awards shows was the CMA Awards. The show was hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, and featured performances by some of the biggest names in country music, including Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton, and many others. The show was packed with great moments, from touching speeches to amazing musical performances. It was also one of the most-watched awards shows of the year, with an average of 12.5 million viewers tuning in.
The worst of the 2015 country music awards shows was the ACM Awards. The show was hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, and featured performances by some of the biggest names in country music, including Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton, and many others. However, the show was criticized for its poor production values and lack of excitement. It was also one of the lowest-rated awards shows of the year, with an average of only 5.7 million viewers tuning in.
The Worst
The 2015 Country Music Awards were held last night in Nashville, and for the most part, they were pretty good. But there were a few moments that were just awful. Here are the worst moments from the show.
The hosts
Unfortunately, the hosts were two of the worst parts of the show. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are usually pretty funny together, but their jokes fell flat this year. Some of the material they used was outdated, and they seemed to be trying too hard to be funny. In addition, they spent too much time talking about themselves and not enough time focusing on the award nominees and winners.
The performances
The 2015 CMAs will go down as one of the worst shows in recent memory, and a lot of that had to do with the performances. Outside of Chris Stapleton’s three wins, there really wasn’t much to get excited about when it came to the music. A number of the live performances were marred by technical difficulties, while others just fell flat on their face.
One of the first victims of the night was Sam Hunt, who kicked off the show with a medley of his hits “Take Your Time” and “House Party.” However, his set was plagued by sound issues, with his microphone cutting out on several occasions. The same thing happened to Keith Urban later in the show when he performed his new single “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.”
Not all of the performances were hampered by sound problems, but they were still lackluster at best. Carrie Underwood’s duet with Brad Paisley on “Remind Me” was forgettable, while Florida Georgia Line’s team-up with Zedd on “Beautiful Now” fell flat. And then there was Dierks Bentley’s cringe-worthy attempt at covering Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” which was easily one of the worst moments of the entire night.
The awards
This year’s awards were a bit of a mixed bag, with some great moments and some not-so-great moments. Here’s a look at the best and worst of the 2015 Country Music Awards shows.
The best:
1. The opening performance by Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley was a great way to start the show. The three singers sounded great together and really got the crowd pumped up for the rest of the night.
2. Keith Urban’s performance of “Raise ‘Em Up” was one of the highlights of the night. His vocals were on point and he had the whole audience singing along.
3. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s duet of “Livin’ On Love” was one of the most emotional performances of the night. The two singers have been through a lot in recent months, and it was clear that they poured their hearts into this song.
4. Luke Bryan’s performance of “Kick The Dust Up” was pure fun. He got the crowd moving and had everyone singing along. This is what country music is all about!
5. Florida Georgia Line and Jason Derulo’s duet of “This Is How We Roll” was one of the most unexpected but enjoyable moments of the night. These two totally different genres came together and created something special.
The worst:
1. hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood made several jokes about gun violence, which didn’t sit well with many viewers given recent events in Paris and San Bernardino. Some people thought it was insensitive, while others thought it was just bad taste. Either way, it wasn’t one of their finest moments as hosts.
2 . OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder seemed out of place at a country music awards show, and their performance of “Counting Stars” fell flat with many viewers. It just didn’t fit in with the rest of the show.
3 . Sam Hunt’s performance of “Take Your Time” was pretty forgettable compared to some of the other performances on tonight’s show. He just doesn’t have that star power that some other country singers do yet.”
Conclusion
All in all, the 2015 Country Music Awards were a pretty good show. The hosts were funny, the music was great, and there were some really touching moments. However, there were also some low points, like when George Strait lost Best Male Vocalist to Blake Shelton. George Strait is a true country legend, and it was a shame to see him lose out to Shelton, who is more of a pop star masquerading as a country artist. Nevertheless, the show was entertaining and overall enjoyable.
