The 51st annual Country Music Association Awards opened Wednesday night with a tribute to the victims of hurricanes and mass shootings, especially the massacre of 58 people at a country music festival in Las Vegas last month. Eric Church sang "Amazing Grace," and a panoply of country artists joined Hootie and the Blowfish for a rendition of their song "Hold My Hand." "The way we see it, the best way to honor our fans is to play our music, loud and proud," said Brad Paisley, hosting the show for the 10th year with Carrie Underwood. "This year's show is dedicated to all those we lost and all those still healing. We love you and we will never forget you."
The CMA had earlier told journalists they couldn't ask about politics or the Las Vegas shooting, then rescinded the restrictions, and Underwood joked that "this year's show is a politics-free zone," before she and Paisley poked fun at President Trump's twitter habit, modifying Underwood's song "Before He Cheats" to suggest that Trump should "think before he tweets." Keith Urban also debuted a song he wrote in response to the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal, "Female," earning a standing ovation.
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