At this year's Academy of Country Music Awards, Stapleton pays tribute to victims of the 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas by singing 'Watch You Burn'.
- Mar 8, 2022
AceShowbiz - Several country music stars took the stage of Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium during the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards. Among those who entertained the crowds were Chris Stapleton, Ashley McBryde and Carly Pearce.
Before Stapleton fired the audience up, Jason Aldean addressed the 2017 mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. After concluding his brief speech, he handed the mic off to Stapleton.
The 43-year-old later belted out the powerful lyrics of "Watch You Burn". "Only a coward would pick up a gun/ And shoot up a crowd tryna have fun/ Now the Vegas lights, they won't lose their glow/ And the band will play and go on with the show," he sang, before a 16-person choir and his wife Morgane Stapleton joined him onstage.
Nominated for 4 awards for the night, Stapleton won Male Artist of the Year. He edged out the likes of Jimmie Allen, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett as well as Morgan Wallen. His other nominations included Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year for "You Should Probably Leave", and Video of the Year for "I Bet You Think About Me", his collaboration with Taylor Swift.
Also heating up the show were Ashley McBryde and Carly Pearce, who performed their award-nominated single "Never Wanted to Be That Girl". Speaking about the track, McBryde said, "Carly and I feel that this song having a TV moment is really important."
"We love this song so much because it doesn't matter which of those positions [within the song's lyrical narrative] you're in, it's not your fault," the singer added. "Sometimes you stumble into things like that, and though everyone gets hurt, it's not necessarily your fault [alone]."
"When Ashley and I got in the room and started writing 'Never Wanted To Be That Girl,' it felt like two honest women recalling an unfortunate, shared experience. At its best, country music allows for people to spill their hearts to each other and for songs to emerge," Pearce chimed in. "I wrote this song, and the album, '29: Written In Stone' out of sheer survival. Country music saved me, so it's special whenever I can share the [commercial and personal] success this album has had for me."
