The 59th Annual ACM Awards took place on Thursday, May 16 at The Star venue in Frisco, Texas. The show was hosted by Reba McEntire for the 17th time, who confirmed at the end of the show that she’d be back to host the 60th annual broadcast next year.
The night was filled with star-studded performances, including an emotional Toby Keith tribute from Jason Aldean, as well as some impressive presenters.
RELATED: Jason Aldean Pays Tribute to Toby Keith With Emotional ACM Performance
Before Randy Travis got a standing ovation while presenting Song of the Year, and before Jelly Roll debuted his brand-new song, the show opened with eventual ACM Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson with a surprise performance of “God Blessed Texas.”
In hindsight, her opening the show this way made so much sense, seeing as the ACM Awards were held “deep in the heart of Texas”!
Wilson was one of the first celebrities to walk the red carpet and she looked incredible in her red matching jacket and signature bellbottoms. She topped off her look with a stunning red cowboy hat.
She brought that fiery vibe to the stage when she performed the Little Texas hit, “God Blessed Texas.”
The country band, who got their start in 1988 and saw a rise in popularity in the 90s, released “God Blessed Texas” on July 17, 1993. It was the second single off their album Big Time.
The song climbed all the way to number four on the Hot Country Songs chart and has become a staple for many Texas-based companies to use in commercials. Additionally, the song is played at many Texas sports games including Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers.
Wilson had the entire arena on their feet when she started singing this 90s country hit!
Following her awesome rendition of “God Blessed Texas,” Wilson took off her cowboy hat and moved to the main staged, where she gave a debut performance of her song “Hang Tight Honey.”
Watch her performance below!