CMT Music Awards 2016: 10 Best and Worst Moments
BEST: Carrie Underwood Takes Us to Church
Carrie Underwood’s new single is called “Church Bells,” but her snarling CMT Music Awards performance felt more like a call to an exorcism than a Sunday service. Dressed in a lacy black gown with a windswept hairdo and a spooky banjo player by her side, it was clear the singer was going somewhere dark from the beginning. Then her lacy black gown ripped away to reveal an even lacier black jumpsuit while a devilish guitar riff rang through the air. It was like a new-school Charlie Daniels “Devil Went Down to Georgia” moment, complete with a morally ambiguous storyline about a gold digger, an abusive husband and poisoned-whiskey revenge. As she roared into the epic tune’s turnaround, a huge church choir appeared to spur her voice even higher, testifying in a giant call-and-response moment and making the whole fire-and-brimstone stage seem even more ominous. As the last notes hammered on, Underwood seemed honestly overwhelmed by the performance, turning around to shake her head at the choir and mouthing an awestruck, “Wow.”
WORST: Hosts Erin Andrews and J.J. Watt Get Stuck in Horny Teenager Mode
Fact: there are numerous sexually attractive men and women performing or closely connected to country music. We know this for certain because CMT Awards co-hosts Erin Andrews and J.J. Watt spent most of the show pointing it out to anyone watching: Watt repeatedly played up the tired “I’m single and want to get laid” shtick, while Andrews sheepishly fawned over Luke Bryan‘s “chiseled” features and Tim McGraw’s posterior. What’s troubling is that these are both smart and complex figures working near the top of their game in sports and, while some of the blame falls on the script writers, Watt and Andrews should be keenly aware that it’s not fair (or particularly funny) to reduce the many accomplishments of country performers to a collection of desirable body parts.
BEST: Luke Bryan Plays Guitar Hero
All too often with awards shows, creativity comes in the form of production, whether that be pyrotechnics, scantily-clad dancers, pulsating lights or splashy video content. But with Luke Bryan’s “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” performance, the creative palette was made of nothing but musicianship. The country superstar started the song alone, armed only with his acoustic guitar and a swampy backdrop. By the second verse, he walked slowly to join his band on a different stage, with their tight accompaniment transforming the performance from an intimate songwriter’s night to a stadium show — via Southern-rock sonics alone. The song’s climax was an all-out game of Guitar Hero, with all five pickers in Bryan’s band sharing the spotlight and delivering Keith Urban-like licks.
BEST: The Oak Ridge Boys Lead Night’s Biggest Singalong
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