After a five-month delay, the 55^th ACM Awards premiered on CBS on September 16, 2020. The ACM Awards took place in Nashville for the first time ever, streamed from three different locations including the Bluebird Café, Ryman Auditorium, and the Grande Ole Opry House. Organizers of the event took measures to ensure that COVID precautions and guidelines were being followed; each of the locations hosted televised performances without a live audience, performers used their tour buses as dressing rooms, and only one artist was allowed inside a building at a time with the nominees waiting in the parking lot. While the city of Nashville has loosened restrictions, CEO Damon Whiteside discussed how they wanted to take precautions and keep everyone safe. 

“Even though the city has lifted the (restrictions) a little bit, we still decided, just for the peace of mind, for our crew and staff and artists, it wasn’t worth trying to have anybody in the audience,” said Whiteside. 

These new regulations are just another indicator of how COVID has altered some of our traditions and norms. Before the delay, the awards were supposed to be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at the Las Vegas Strip. Like other events that have taken place amidst the ongoing occurrences in 2020, there was a somber tone at the start of the show when host, Keith Urban, acknowledged everything going on in the world right now, from the tropical disasters, wildfires, racism, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In an unprecedented year that’s been filled with tragedy and unfortunate events across the world, it can be hard to focus on other things, such as award shows. In his opening dialogue, Keith Urban address the circumstances that surrounded the ACMS. 

“We want to send our love, thoughts, and our prayers out to everyone of you affected right now,” Urban said. “And of course, we are still in the midst of trying to fight two pandemics: COVID-19 and social injustice.

He went on to thank the essential workers, first responders, and those who are fighting for equality stating that they have inspired us to “come together and work together, to address these challenges.” 

In a year of unusual firsts, the ACM awards were no different. For the first time ever, the Entertainer of the Year award went to two artists: Carrie Underwood and Thomas Rhett. Both seemed confused, but happy, as they accepted their awards with Carrie Underwood stating “2020, man,” before expressing her gratitude in receiving the award and thanking her fans and supporters. 

Additionally, Taylor Swift returned to her country roots for the first time in seven years. She performed “betty” off her summer album, “Folklore.” Other memorable performances included Dan + Shay who performed their newest song “I Should Probably Go to Bed,” Keith Urban and P!NK’s “One Too Many,” Luke Bryan’s “One Margarita,” and Florida Georgia Line “I Love My Country.”