Kenny Chesney Tributes Those We Lost at 56th Annual ACM Awards
"Knowing You" was the perfect song for this moment.
Kenny Chesney stunned the 56th annual ACM Awards with a powerful performance of his new single, “Knowing You,” digging into a reflective hit all about loss — and tributing the stars who left us last year.
Decked out in his classic awards-show look — crisp black hat and grey slacks, with a deep blue polo for some color — Chesney captivated viewers from the the edge of the Grand Ole Opry House stage. While “Knowing You” might not be the kind of song where the stadium-packing star did a lot of running around, his vocal still spoke for itself, finding a silver lining of gratitude amid heartbreak.
The superstar sang with just the right amount of bittersweet energy, and then producers brought the sentiment of the song’s hook to life. As Chesney sang “Damn, it was good knowin’ you,” the segment finished off with an in-memorium video, honoring those we’ve lost in the past year. Included in the video were departed stars like Mac Davis, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver, Doug Spernaw, Jason “Rowdy” Cope, and Charley Pride.
The superstar included “Knowing You” on his recent album, Here And Now, which first came out in 2020 and will soon be updated with four new tracks for a Deluxe Edition in May. Kenny Chesney also filmed a dramatic official music video for the track, capturing a bleak sense of loss by playing a down-on-his-luck deckhand on a New England fishing boat. The song follows “Happy Does” and “Here and Now,” which both rose into country radio’s Top 5 last year (“Here and Now” was a Number One on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart).
The 2021 ACM Awards was hosted by Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton, broadcast live on Sunday, April 18 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
See all of our ACM coverage right here.
