The Academy of Country Music Awards were supposed to air on Sunday night (April 5), but instead of the big annual celebration, Gayle King kicked off ACM Presents: Our Country with an uplifting monologue as the nation practices self-isolation to try to help slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a strange and unsettling weird time,” the CBS This Morning host admitted from her home in New York City. “It feels surreal, right? There’s a lot of uncertainty about how long this will last, but one thing we do know is the healing power of music. And nobody — I mean nobody — is better at nursing that power than country music artists.”
The journalist, in a V-necked creamy white sweater with ruffled detail, also informed viewers that just like them, the country musicians were at their homes around the country for the performance. “Everything that you’re going to see tonight was shot with social distancing in mind,” she explained. “You’re going to see the best of the best tonight.”
The at-home musical event will include artists such as Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum and Keith Urban, who was originally slated to host the awards ceremony. The awards show has been rescheduled to Sept. 16. Like many other musical events and tours, the ACM Awards were postponed due to the global pandemic. Since then, numerous artists have been live-streaming performances at home to connect with their fans.
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