It’s that time again, country music fans — the 2016 Country Music Association Awards are here! On Wednesday, Nov. 2, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley will be back to host the ceremony at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, which is perfect, because I’m convinced that they’re the only duo that should be hosting the show pretty much ever again. This year, you can expect the usual awards and performances, but with an even more impressive twist, because it’s the 50th anniversary of the show. Yes, the CMA Awards have been around for half a century, so I’m sure that you won’t want to miss this if you’re a country music fan. But what if you don’t have cable or a television? Here’s how to stream the 2016 CMA Awards.
If you’re into the whole red carpet scene (like I am), you can watch the red carpet live stream beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on AT&T's website. After all of the country music stars (including Dolly Parton, which, swoon) have arrived, you’ll be able to stream the live show at 8 p.m. ET on ABC's website. The only caveat? You’ll need a cable login to do so. But tuning in will definitely be worth it to see all of the awards and groundbreaking performances that are planned.
As usual, the Entertainer Of The Year award is the biggest prize of the night, and Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan (who won in 2014 and 2015), Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban are all up for it. Besides some big performances by the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Luke Bryan, and Tim McGraw, the show will bestow a few special honors. Dolly Parton will receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, and Kenny Chesney will receive the Pinnacle Award, which has only been given out twice before — to Garth Brooks in 2005 and Taylor Swift in 2013.
In honor of the CMA Awards’ 50th anniversary, the Country Music Association created what they’re calling “the biggest music video in country music history.” It’s called “Forever Country,” and the single and music video boast 30 CMA-winning acts like Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Trisha Yearwood, Lady Antebellum, Willie Nelson, and Darius Rucker. The song is basically a mash-up of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver; “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson; and “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton, and even if you don’t like country music, you’ll find a way to like this track.
Seems like the 2016 CMA Awards will have plenty of tricks up its sleeve to celebrate a 50 years' worth of country music, so if I were you, I’d find a way to tune in and see history being made. At the very least, you can laugh (and groan) along to Underwood and Paisley’s always-interesting repartee and dad jokes.
