Luke Combs enjoyed an unforgettable evening on Wednesday (Sept. 16) at the 2020 Academy Of Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee.
Not only did the country superstar get nominated for three ACM Awards but he took two home during the 55th annual awards show but he also gave two extraordinary performances, one by himself singing a stripped down version of his latest single “Better Together” and joining fellow Entertainer Of The Year nominees to sing his hit “When It Rains It Pours” for an impressive kick off to the show.
“When It Rains It Pours” EOTY Performance
To kick off the show, The ACM Entertainer Of The Year nominees joined forces while abiding by the social distancing guidelines in Nashville, to perform each of their biggest hit, Combs performing “When It Rains It Pours” live from the Bluebird Cafe.
The other Entertainer Of The Year nominee’s performed each their greatest hits including Bryan’s “Rain Is A Good Thing,” Church’s “Drink In My Hand,” Combs’ “When It Rains It Pours,” Rhett’s “It Goes Like This” and Underwoods’ “Before He Cheats.”
The award show kept things socially distant with each of the aforementioned artists performing from a different iconic venues throughout Nashville. With Bryan, Underwood and Church performing from the Grand Ole Opry House, Combs from the Bluebird Cafe and Rhett from the Ryman Auditorium.
“Better Together” Performance
For Combs’ second performance of the star-studded evening, the superstar brought a piano-driven, stripped down rendition of his latest single “Better Together” which allowed him to put his vocals on full display while also paying tribute to his wife, Nicole Hocking Combs, as she inspired him to write the track.
“I know it’s been a crazy year for everybody and there have been bright spots, I’m sure, for all of us, and one of the biggest bright spots of my entire life was getting married this year,” he explained. “So I want to play you guys a song that I wrote for my wife before we were married.”
Combs’ partnered with Ford in support of Guitars 4 Vets, which is an organization that helps veterans cope with post traumatic stress disorder through the healing power of music. Through Ford’s Proud to Honor program, Ford is donating $25,000 wroth of guitars to the Guitars 4 Vets organization around the country to help expand the program and provide more veterans the opportunity to experience the healing power of music.
To make a donation to Guitars 4 Vets you can visit their website. Proud to Honor is the military initiative by Ford Motor Company to raise awareness, strengthen existing programs and create an even more meaningful connection with our service members. For more information, please visit fordproudtohonor.com.
Male Artist Of The Year Win
Combs’ took home the trophy for Male Artist Of The Year at the 55th ACM Awards.
“This is a lot to process right now. I just can’t believe this,” Combs said. “I just want to thank everybody in my life. My team, my beautiful wife and the fans, man, you guys have done everything for me and I love you so much and I can’t wait to keep working and keep making you proud. Thank you so much, Thank you Country Music, I love you guys and thank you.”
Also nominated in this category were Dierks Bentley, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban.
Album Of The Year Win
What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs
Combs’ second studio album, What You See Is What You Get, was crowned Album Of The Year, the album that boasts of hit songs like “Beer Never Broke My Heart”, “Even Though I’m Leaving”, “Does to Me (feat. Eric Church),” “Better Together” and “Lovin’ on You.”
“I’m at the Bluebird right now, a place that I always wanted to play before I moved to town,” Combs said upon accepting the award. “and I just want to thank my management team, my family, my wife Nicole, for being a lot of the inspiration on this. My producer Scott [Moffatt] for working with me on this. This album was hell to make but we did it, buddy, I know you’re out there watching somewhere. All the fans, thank you so much for loving this album. Thank you guys so much. Wow.”
Other projects that were up for the award were Thomas Rhett’s Center Point Road, Maren Morris’ GIRL, Jon Pardi’s Heartache Medication and Miranda Lambert’s Wildcard.
Combs was also nominated for Entertainer Of The Year. All of the country superstar’s wins mark his first-ever wins for both Male Artist Of The Year and Album of the Year.
Below is an interview with the “Better Together” singer that he did ahead of his 2020 ACM Awards performances.
The 2020 ACM Awards took place in Music City for the first time ever. The three-hour show took place at three iconic venues: Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe.
Hosted by Keith Urban, the star-studded event aired on Wednesday, September 16 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on CBS Television Network and streamed live and on-demand on CBS All Access.
