The Country Music Association Awards wouldn’t be complete without, well, some “country dang music,” as entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson phrased it Wednesday night (Nov. 19) while hosting the 2025 ceremony at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
That’s why numerous artists took the stage for a cornucopia of live performances during this year’s program, bringing energy and passion for their craft in between the presentations of awards. Chris Stapleton, as he often does at award shows, performed multiple times throughout the night, jamming out with his band for a bluesy showcase of F1 soundtrack hit “Bad As I Used to Be” in addition to duetting with Miranda Lambert on “A Song to Sing” and accompanying Wilson for a medley of country hits.
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Other standout performances included Shaboozey and Stephen Wilson Jr.’s moving rendition of “Took a Walk” — their collaboration for this year’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk — as well as Kelsea Ballerini singing “I Sit in Parks” on a swing set in the rain and Brandi Carlile honoring Vince Gill with Patty Loveless. Plus, Zach Top, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Tucker Wetmore and several other stars all showed up and showed out for the occasion, performing some of country music’s biggest smashes of the year for an audience of their peers.
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