The 58th Annual CMA Awards brought the star power, plenty of fun and too many musical moments to count.
Hosts Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson and Peyton Manning took the stage at the Wednesday, November 20, ceremony after a kickoff performance from Chris Stapleton and Post Malone.
“Just smile, have fun and do not listen to a word Luke Bryan said. Really,” Manning, 48, told Wilson, 32, after Bryan, 48, recommended, “When you’re in a rut, shake that butt!”
While the emcees set the tone, they were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the most memorable moments throughout the evening.
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Stapleton, 46, not only performed for his peers, but he was honored with three awards in-show.
Carrie Underwood surprised fans with a performance of her and Cody Johnson’s “I’m Gonna Love You.” Wilson and Miranda Lambert, meanwhile, were two of many artists who paid tribute to legend George Strait during the show.
Scroll down to see the top five moments from the CMA Awards:
Chris Stapleton’s Big Night
Stapleton performed three times during the awards show, including a duet of “What Am I Gonna Do” with his wife, Morgane. He took home the first award of the night for Single of the Year for “White Horse.”
When he won for Song of the Year, he reminded fans that not all heroes wear capes — some wear cowboy hats. Stapleton started his speech by apologizing to his wife, whom he forgot to bring with him during the first win.
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“I owe my wife an apology. That last award belonged to her too and she didn’t come up. It all happened so quick,” he said, noting she was now backstage. “I love you, honey. All of my music I really owe a lot to her, so I want to say thank you to her for always supporting me.”
He also won Male Vocalist of the Year.
Carrie Underwood Makes Surprise Appearance
Johnson, who was nominated for five CMA Awards on Wednesday, took the stage solo to perform his duet “I’m Gonna Love You.” After the first verse a woman’s voice came from the side of the stage before Underwood, 41, stepped out to join him.
“Yeah, that’s Carrie Underwood,” Johnson, 37, said after the pair finished their song to a room full of applause.
George Strait Star-Studded Tribute
Strait, 72, was honored with this year’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Prior to receiving the award, Wilson took the stage to play his hit, “Amarillo by Morning.” She gushed about Strait, saying, “He has always been authentically Texas and authentically country. We love you.”
Jamey Johnson then performed “Give It Away” before Lambert, 41, and Parker McCollum did a duet for “Troubadour.” Strait joined Stapleton for the final song, “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame.”
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Stapleton then presented Strait with the trophy, calling the musician a “true country music royalty. The king of country.”
“First of all, I want to thank my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I want to thank all these great artists who’ve performed some of my songs,” Strait said. “It’s amazing to hear ya’ll do them. I’m so glad I got them before you.” He concluded by thanking his wife and children as well as his fans.
Cody Johnson Takes Home Album of the Year
Johnson had steep competition for Album of the Year, competing against Kacey Musgraves, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Stapleton, who won three awards during the event. Johnson surprised fans — and himself — when he won for Leather.
“I did not expect that. I truly expected for Chris Stapleton or Jelly Roll to be announced,” Johnson said while accepting the trophy. “I’ll be honest with you, I looked at my wife, Brandi, and said, ‘Jelly Roll’s got that.’” He then let out a big “woo” in celebration.
Jelly Roll and Keith Urban Bring the Fire
Jelly Roll, 39, enlisted Urban, 57, for his second performance of the night for “Liar.” Jelly Roll previously sang with Brooks & Dunn on their hit song “Believe.” While Urban didn’t sing on “Liar” he played a killer guitar solo and medley as literal flames filled the back of the stage.
Jelly Roll and Urban embraced their dark sides during the red-hot performance, which also included a church choir on backup vocals. The musicians shared a big hug after finishing the song.
