Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood Will Honor Las Vegas Shooting Victims During the CMA Awards
"There's pressure if you don't handle it right," said Paisley recently.
The 51st annual CMA Awards will be the first major country music event to take place since the devastating shooting at a festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 left nearly 60 people dead and hundreds more injured. As the big night approaches, many are wondering how the Country Music Association and hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will address the massacre.
“There’s pressure if you don’t handle it right,” Paisley told Rolling Stone at a recent event in Nashville. “If you deal with it wrong, there’s an enormous amount of pressure.”
While the pressure is high, Paisley is convinced that they will do right by the victims and the artists involved.
“We’re not going to ignore it, but we’re not going to also dwell on that,” he added. “We have to make sure we honor those we’ve lost, but we also [have to] celebrate this music, which lives on, and do a good job having the heart we need to have on that night. And also the theme of the show this year is very much about unity and coming together as a format.”
Though there will be some somber moments as they recognize the tragedy, Paisley assures fans that the show will remain light and fun.
“With us, we have this thing, we have this shtick now, which we can build on,” he shared of his hosting duties with Underwood. “When you do something like this, we take on personas a little bit beyond who we really are, as a duo. So I get to play the idiot, which obviously …”
“You’re very familiar with,” Paisley’s wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, added quickly.
“No, it’s a total stretch for me,” Paisley he responded with a laugh. “And [Underwood] gets to sort of be the voice of reason up there. This is a challenging year in some ways, but at the same time I’m really honored we have the keys.”
In addition to taking up the helm for the show, Paisley and Underwood will share the spotlight with the many artists slated to perform during the evening’s festivities. Taking the stage throughout the show will be Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Garth Brooks, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Alan Jackson, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Thomas Rhett, as well as collaborations featuring Kelsea Ballerini and Reba, Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts, Maren Morris and Niall Horan, and Paisley and Kane Brown. In addition, pop superstar P!nk will perform and Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban and Darius Rucker will kick-off the show with a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration.
The 51st Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Paisley and Underwood, will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, November 8, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
