Review: 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards
The A-Side Record: The 2025 ACMs
Written by Amanda Tempel
For the first time in years, the ACM Awards felt like coming home.
I didn’t think the ACMs would make it. The long-running award show (the longest in country music) has been on Prime Video for the last few years without much fanfare. Sure, they were always heavily promoted, but I never felt that they made a big enough impression for fans to rave about it the next day and talk about the big moments. Previous years lacked a steady and significant amount of star power - pans to the audience would reveal just a handful of the same faces over and over. Plus, there were some awkward and maybe too-forced moments. And just because you are a successful country star, doesn’t mean you’ll be a good host. I believe the intention was always good, but sometimes performances, banter, presentations, etc. didn’t connect. Add in a huge venue, a complete re-brand of the show, and it’s a massive undertaking.
And then you also have fans who haven’t completely latched on to streaming, but that’s shifted significantly in the last two years. A large portion of country fans/keyboard warriors will forever be chiming in the comments that the show needs to be on “regular tv” - those are also the same people who claim the show would’ve been much better if “real singers” like Ricky Van Shelton or Statler Brothers would’ve been on it. (Not shading RVS or the Statler Brothers here. I host a classic country show throughout the week. Those tend to be the artists the superfans/keyboard warriors cling to a lot. Can you imagine if RVS would come out of retirement for just one more appearance though? That’s a wild-eyed dream, for sure.)
And if these so-called fans would’ve take the time to figure out the simplicity of how Prime Video works, they still probably would be commenting, “Didn’t hear one country song the whole night.”
But in fact, the show was a great representation of country music.
Nostalgia and country music go hand in hand. And with an award show, you are honoring the best of the current year, so you want to be respectful to the artists of today, because an award show appearance for an up-and-coming act can be extremely fruitful.
This is where balance comes in.
Among all the award shows in country music in the ‘90s, the ACMS always incorporated that nostalgic factor better than the CMAs or TNN Music Awards. They would pair a former winner from decades ago to present with a current chart-topper, or they’d have an act sing an abbreviated version of one of their big hits. Just a nice little dose of remembering the traditions of country.
Throughout the new millennium, especially post-2010, award shows heavily focused on today’s superstars, and even more so, forming genre-crossing collaborations in attempts to draw a wider audience.
When the Country Music Association celebrated their 50th anniversary, they were praised for the inclusion of all-time greats like Charley Pride, Ricky Skaggs, and Barbara Mandrell. They’ve continued to sprinkle in those legends ever since.
Similar to what the CMA’s did for their milestone anniversary show, the ACMs also kicked off their 60th anniversary show with a medley.
One of the best moments of the show was the opening number when LeAnn Rimes performed “Blue.” It was a lot for me. For a moment, I’m 8 years old again and instantly transformed to 1997 when LeAnn won the ACM’s Single and Song of the Year for “Blue.”
And even more than that, it’s giving LeAnn this space she deserves. She dealt with so much in the industry, and it’s beautiful to see the contentment she’s found in her life, because that transcends into her music. It’s always nice to cheer for someone who finds that alignment. In a way, it was a “give her the flowers moment” because so many people commented on the beauty of that performance. But truthfully, this isn’t a comeback or reemergence, because she’s created so many passion projects whether it be music or podcasts, especially in the last few years, but it’s lovely to see the wave of people reconnecting with her after that performance.
On that topic, women in country music have it way harder than men. During the last 20 years, it seems that only one woman can be a superstar at a time. Only one can win the awards, get the number ones, and get the headlining tours, almost in a cyclical fashion.
When Reba, Miranda Lambert, and Lainey Wilson teamed up for the world premiere of “Trailblazer” - it’s proof that you don’t have to pit everyone against each other, and that you can revel in each other’s wins. And Brandy Clark co-wrote the song, so that’s always a bonus.
Other ACM highlights for me:
Zach Top’s first award show performance and it’s with a stone-cold ballad, “Use Me.”
Kelsea Ballerini going all out for the production of “Baggage.” With most award shows, we typically see Kelsea doing ballads, so it was nice to see her commanding the stage with an up-tempo song.
Every performance was really good. A great mix of established hitmakers and rising stars. And if you’re expecting negative remarks about the closing mashup from Rascal Flatts and the Backstreet Boys, it’s not happening here. If you were a pre-teen like me in the early 2000s, then you most likely had Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts songs on your mixed CDs, burned right from the family desktop in the computer room. On a night that had more traditional country than most in recent years, I couldn’t complain about their fun way to wrap up the show.
I love that Alan Jackson now has an award named after him. And without taking away anything from the monumental weight of that performance or moment, I think it it’s fantastic that the same artist who created a bit of controversary at the 1994 ACM Awards now has an award bearing his name.
It will always be one of my all-time favorite moments when Alan was asked to play with a track, instead of his band, live onstage. Alan wanted his band to play, however, production wouldn’t oblige. When you watch the performance from ‘94, you’ll notice that Alan’s drummer, prominently in the background, isn’t using sticks while playing the drums. Classic country music protest moment. But also, Alan did things his way his entire career, and this award just cemented his legend status.
And finally, the show’s MVP is Reba. She sets the bar very high when it comes to hosting. She brought a relaxed element to such a big night. That part when she teared up talking about Naomi Judd - it was a true in-the-moment reaction, and it wasn’t hurried to get to the next presentation. Or when she led the crowd in “Me and Bobby McGee,” a tribute to Kris Kristofferson. Having the show on Prime Video affords the ACMs those unrushed moments.
Country music is continuing to raise the bar when it comes to live events. The Grand Ole Opry showcased a very well-received 100th anniversary special earlier, and the ACMS followed in those footsteps by delivering a show that fans of all generations could appreciate.
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