Jason Aldean Sings To His 'Tough Crowd' At 2023 ACM Awards

Jason Aldean performed his newest song for the first time ever at the 2023 ACM Awards on Thursday night (May 11th). "Tough Crowd" dropped on May 7th and is an anthem to his fans who have supported him throughout the years.

"We got some country-a—, beer-drinkin', hell-raisin' go-all-nighters / We got some dirt-turnin', diesel-burnin', hard-workin' 9-to-5ers / Talk about a tough crowd," Aldean sang as American flags dropped down on the screens behind him. "This is just a song to me that talks about our fans," Aldean said of the song in a statement. "About us getting onstage getting a bird's eye view of our fans that come in all shapes and sizes and colors. It's just really cool to look out and just see those people from all different walks of life come together for a show and have fun."

Country music's biggest stars were honored at the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday night. Two of the genre's most iconic superstars Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks teamed up to co-host the show live from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

HARDY and Lainey Wilson dominated this year's nominations with seven and six nods respectively. Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, and Cole Swindell each earned five nominations this year. For one of the night's most coveted awards, Entertainer of the Year, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, and Morgan Wallen were all in the running. Keep up with the 2023 ACM Awards winners here!

Other performers included Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Kane Brown, Ashley McBryde, Cody Johnson, Jo Dee Messina — returning to the ACM Awards stage for the first time in more than two decades — Dolly Parton, Cole Swindell, Keith Urban, Morgan Wallen, The War and Treaty, and first-time ACM Awards performers Jelly Roll, Bailey Zimmerman, and Ed Sheeran.