2020 ACM Awards Entertainer Nominees Kick Off the Show With a Hits Medley
What better way to kick off the 2020 ACM Awards than a performance from one of the nominees for the show's highest honor, Entertainer of the Year? A performance from all five of the nominees, of course!
Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Luke Bryan put their talents together for a mega-watt performance to open the show on Wednesday night (Sept. 16.) At a rapid-fire pace, they cycled through a hits medley that showcased some of each artist's most popular songs.
Bryan kicked off the show from the Grand Ole Opry with a rocking full-band performance of "Rain Is a Good Thing," handing it off to Church, who delivered an acoustic rendition of "Drink in My Hand."
See the Best Pictures from the 2020 ACM Awards
Combs was next, performing an acoustic "When It Rains It Pours" from the Bluebird Cafe. He handed off to Rhett, who teamed with his band for a full version of "It Goes Like This" at the Ryman Auditorium.
Underwood wrapped up the seamlessly produced opening number, stunning viewers at home with an energetic rendition of her iconic hit "Before He Cheats" that showed once gain why she is one of country music's premier vocalists.
The five superstars will have to wait until the very end of the show to find out which of them is taking home the title of this year's ACM Entertainer of the Year. However, Bryan is the only one of the five who's only nominated for that award tonight.
Rhett started the show a 2020 ACMs winner already, having picked up the trophy for Video of the Year (for his "Remember You Young") earlier in the week in a pre-show event. He and Combs are also going head to head in two more categories: Album of the Year (for Center Point Road and What You See is What You Get, respectively) and Male Vocalist of the Year.
Meanwhile, Church is up in the category of Song of the Year for his "Some of It," which comes off his 2018 Desperate Man album and became the singer's eighth No. 1 hit.
One of the five artists will claim the ACMs Entertainer of the Year trophy, succeeding reigning ACMs Entertainer Keith Urban, who's also this year's show host.