Morgan Wallen won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Monday night for “Dangerous: The Double Album,” a year after he was removed from the ACMs ballot after he was caught on camera using a racial slur.
Wallen made no direct reference to the incident or his absence from recent awards shows while accepting the trophy at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but may have dropped a hint about it.
“To my son, this award will signify that his daddy was a fighter,” Wallen said, finishing his speech by enthusiastically thanking the fans in attendance.
Miranda Lambert took home the night’s top prize, entertainer of the year, for the first time after losing out in five previous years, but was not in Las Vegas to accept it.
“I cannot believe I’m not there to celebrate,” Lambert said in a video message from London, “it’s the first time I’ve missed the ACMs in 17 years. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
Carly Pearce won best female artists and Chris Stapleton won best male artist over Wallen, who took no other awards Monday night after being nominated for three.
Wallen was among the few winners who did not perform on the show.
Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood won single of the year for their duet “If I Didn’t Love You,” while Lainey Wilson won song of the year for “Things a Man Oughta Know.” The artists later performed the songs live in a show that was heavy on performances.
The show, streamed live on Amazon Prime Video, tried to evoke a party atmosphere while paying tribute to tragedies both global and local.
As Old Dominion took the stage to claim its fifth straight ACM Award for best group, lead singer Matthew Ramsey said he was glad host Dolly Parton had opened the show by dedicating the night to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.
“I was feeling a little bit strange because we’re in this beautiful bubble,” Ramsey said. “Every person here have fought for their dreams, but there are people out there fighting for their lives.”
As the show drew to a close, Kelly Clarkson performed “I Will Always Love You,” first written and recorded by Parton, in tribute to the host.
“I love you Dolly Parton!” Clarkson screamed as Parton stepped out to present the entertainer of the year award.
Drawn by the ACM’s reputation for having a fun, inviting and inclusive atmosphere, Amazon sought to go beyond the live sporting events it has previously aired to connect that with a large audience of country fans who listen to Amazon Music.
The show attempted to have a sporting look, with three stages, overhead spider cameras, non-stop action and heavy on graphics.
It was touted as commercial-free, but there were breaks to promote Amazon’s original movies and television series.
