MUMBAI: Celebrating its golden jubilee award function, the Academy of Country Music set the Guinness World record as 'the highest attendance at an award show broadcast'. According to the Guinness Book of World Records Official Adjudicator Michael Empric, Guinness had set the record at 25,000, which was surpassed by the ACM. The 50th ACM Awards, which was held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, boasted an attendance of 70,252 audience members. Empric also added during the pre-event conference that ACM had been trying to set records for a while.
Country superstar and multiple Grammy Award winner Miranda Lambert took home three awards on the night– Song of the Year for 'Automatic', Album of the Year for 'Platinum' and Female Vocalist of the Year, while her multiple Grammy Award winning husband- Blake Shelton hosted the event. Shelton's co-host Luke Bryan took home the Entertainer of the Year award. Bryan is also featured in Florida Georgia Line's 'This Is How We Roll' which won the Vocal Event of the Year award, while Florida Georgia Line won the Vocal Duo of the Year award.
The Vocal Group of the Year was given to Little Big Town, who recently started their countrywide 'Pain Killer Tour'. Country superstar Jason Aldean was given the Male Vocalist of the Year award, while up-and-coming country singer songwriter, Cole Swindell, won the New Artist of the Year award. The Video of the Year award went to Dierks Bentley's 'Drunk on a Plane', and Lee Brice's 'I Don't Dance' was awarded with the Single Record of the Year trophy. Country music giants George Strait, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney were all recipients of the Milestone Awards.
Performers included Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Chesney, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett and Cole Swindell. Other artists who also performed were, Christina Aguilera who joined Rascal Flatts onstage to perform 'Shotgun'. Nick Jonas added his pop vocals to the stadium when he sang with country music duo Dan + Shay. Alan Jackson sang 'Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)', and Brad Paisley had everyone dancing with a live version of 'Crushin' It'.