Your Guide to the 60th ACM Awards’ Performances Including 12-Minute ‘Songs of the Decades’ Show Opener
The 60th ACM Awards are happening this Thursday, May 8 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch. The show will kick off with an extraordinary 12-minute musical extravaganza showcasing ACM Award-winning Songs of the Year spanning six decades. This spectacular opening will feature performances by country music legends including Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland.
The medley is expected to include signature hits from four of these artists who previously clinched ACM Awards for Song of the Year – Dan + Shay’s chart-topping “Tequila,” The Judds’ iconic “Why Not Me,” Rimes’ breakthrough hit “Blue,” and Sugarland’s emotional ballad “Stay.”
The star-studded event will showcase unique collaborations featuring Jelly Roll & Shaboozey; Backstreet Boys & Rascal Flatts; and Brooks & Dunn performing alongside Cody Johnson. Fresh from their joint performance at the recent Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif., Jelly Roll and Shaboozey will reunite on stage. The Backstreet Boys, who also graced the three-day festival, are set to deliver another memorable performance.
McEntire’s upcoming role marks her 18th time hosting or co-hosting the ACM Awards, dating back to her first co-hosting duty in 1986 alongside John Schneider and the late Mac Davis. She’s rapidly approaching Bob Hope’s record for most frequent host of a major awards show, who hosted the Oscars 19 times between 1940 and 1978.
The previously announced performer lineup includes country music stalwarts Alan Jackson, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, and Miranda Lambert. Also performing are newly crowned New Female and Male Artist of the Year winners, Ella Langley and Zach Top.
The ACM Awards, established in 1966, holds the distinction of being the longest-running country music awards ceremony. The show made a groundbreaking transition in 2022, becoming the first major awards program to exclusively stream on Prime Video, setting the stage for future innovations leading up to the ACM Awards 2025.
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, operating under Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.