Photo: Getty Images
Jason Aldean brought the house down — and Carrie Underwood made a Vegas-worthy entrance — during the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on Monday night (March 7). The two country giants performed their award-winning duet, “If I Didn’t Love You.”Aldean kicked off the first verse and chorus alone, and Underwood descended onstage in a dazzling outfit to meet him.
Aldean and Underwood won the ACM Single of the Year award for the song, possibly echoing his first award-win from the academy. “I won my first award here back in 2006 and it was one of the highlights of my career,” Aldean said of the ACMs while he was on the red carpet with his wife, Brittany. “It’s also fun seeing new artists getting their first award.”
It’s not the first time Underwood has delivered a powerhouse performance on a Las Vegas stage. The country hitmaker is gearing up for her next round of her REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency shows at Resorts World Theatre, following packed shows in December. Underwood emerged from an onstage waterfall on opening night, gushing in a video shared on Instagram: “It was great! I feel like I blacked out for 90 minutes — what happened? It was good. First one down. Yay!” The residency kicks off gain on March 23.
Aldean told media outlets after the performance that he and Underwood aimed to shake up the performance, but he admitted he was “nervous” to watch her entrance this time: “I knew she was coming from the ceiling… I would’ve tapped out. She’s a trooper,” Aldean said. “I was nervous the whole time until she got on the ground.”
Photo: Getty Images
The ACM Award performance also comes as Aldean is gearing up to release the second part of his massive double album. He released the first installment, Macon, in November, including “If I Didn’t Love You,” and five live performances of some of his biggest hit songs, along with several other new ones. The second album, which includes another 15 songs, will have a few instant fan-favorites. Aldean has already released “Trouble With A Heartbreak,” “Rock And Roll Cowboy,” and “My Weakness.” It’s due next month, on April 22.
Fans will get to hear Aldean’s latest songs live when he hits the road on his tour this summer with special guests Gabby Barrett, John Morgan and Dee Jay Silver.
“I’m ready to get back out and feel the nights come alive,” Aldean previously said in a statement. “We are already thinking about the the setlist… there will be some songs off the new record like ‘Rock And Roll Cowboy,’ which felt like a great tour name because it's all about knowing you belong on the road."
Underwood is one of many artists included in the star-studded lineup at the iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One, set for May 7 in Austin, Texas. Fans can tune in and stream the 2022 iHeartCountry Festival on iHeartMedia's Country music radio stations in local markets across the country, as well as on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio app on May 7th at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT). Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.