Eli Young Band Deliver Heartfelt ‘Even if It Breaks Your Heart’ Performance at the 2012 CMA Awards

Eli Young Band took the stage at the 2012 CMA Awards to perform 'Even if It Breaks Your Heart.' Only, EYB didn't perform on the main stage at the front of the auditorium. Instead, the band performed on a second -- but not secondary, as this was not a lesser stage to which EYB were relegated -- platform that was positioned in the middle of the crowd. It certainly connected the Band to their fans.

It was a rock solid performance of 'Even if iIt Breaks Your Heart,' which was nominated in the Song of the Year category (but lost to Miranda Lambert for 'Over You'), and you could see the fans in the crowd singing along with intense looks on their faces. Clearly, EYB have struck a chord with country music fans and they have bonded with this emotionally weighty song.

While awards shows are often self-congratulatory, pat-ourselves-on-the-back events, this particular performance showed that it really is about the fans and that country music fans are some of the most passionate out there.

EYB are having a great year and they certainly capped it off with a killer performance at the 2012 CMAs. Nice work, guys.