ACM Honors 2024 Sneak Peek: Church's Flight of Fancy, Yearwood's Love Letter and Wilson's Double Win

Mar. 15, 2025

Post Malone and Lainey Wilson at the ACM Honors in Nashville on Aug. 21, 2024.Photo:John Shearer/Getty

John Shearer/Getty

Sure, everyone knows who’s going to get the awards, but that doesn’t mean there’s ever any shortage of surprises atthe annual ACM Honors show. Perhaps this year’s whopper wasEric Church’s wildly imaginative interpretation of theAlan Jacksonclassic “Neon Rainbow.”

Granted, Church gave the audience at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium fair warning.

“I want to take some liberties with this song,” the country rebel announced in his intro to the tribute to Jackson, who received an ACM Poet’s Award for his songwriting.

Eric Church performs at the ACM Honors in Nashville on Aug. 21, 2024.Brett Carlsen/Getty

Brett Carlsen/Getty

For Jackson’s reaction to Church’s creativity, you can tune in to the show’s broadcast Tuesday night on the Merit Street network. Recorded last month, it’s the 17th edition of the always-entertaining event, which gives theAcademy of Country Musicthe opportunity to celebrate the career achievements of artists, as well as honor behind-the-scenes musicians, songwriters and industry honchos who’ve contributed to the genre.

Here’s more sneak peeks of what you can look forward to:

VIP MCs

Both roll out songs fromtheir latest albums: Pearce sings the ethereal title track, “hummingbird,” and Davis delivers his energy-packed single, “I Ain’t Sayin’.” The two also open the show with traditional renditions of more Alan Jackson hits, “Chattahoochee” and “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.”

Carly Pearce and Jordan Davis at the ACM Honors on Aug. 21, 2024 in Nashville.Jason Kempin/Getty

Jason Kempin/Getty

Wilson’s Big Night

Country’s latest crossover king,Post Malone, is a surprise presenter forLainey Wilson, and he’s obviously a smitten fan, introducing her as “the one and only, absolutely stunning Lainey … uh, I’m not gonna cuss …Wilson.”

Wilson accepts two honors: an ACM Milestone Award for overall career accomplishments and a rare, coveted Triple Crown Award, presented to artists who have won ACM entertainer of the year, new artist and artist categories. Only nine other country acts have received Triple Crowns.

“I’ve started to realize that maybe I don’t have so many people to prove wrong anymore,” Wilson says about her slow-burning career that’s turned into a firestorm over the past three years. “Maybe it’s about proving these people right who have given me opportunities and chances … Wow, have those 13 years paid off in this town.”

Post Malone and Lainey Wilson at the ACM Honors in Nashville on Aug. 21, 2024.John Shearer/Getty

Did She Say That?

Trisha Yearwood at the ACM Honors in Nashville on Aug. 21, 2024.Jason Kempin/Getty

Sweet Caroline

Luke Bryanis unabashedly effusive in his appreciation for his wife of 18 years,Caroline, as he accepts the ACM Lifting Lives Award for his philanthropic work.

Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan at the ACM Honors on Aug. 21, 2024 in Nashville.Terry Wyatt/Getty

Terry Wyatt/Getty

Musical Magic

Brown proves a show stealer with his brief acceptance speech, in which he simply recounts a supermarket parking lot encounter with a stranger, who recognized him and told him, “Back in the day, you were really good.”

Brown laughs and quips: “Hey, man, if you’re here tonight, you were right!”

Vince Gill and Ashley McBryde perform at the ACM Honors on Aug. 21, 2024 in Nashville.Jason Kempin/Getty

Urban Amazes

“Jessie just has a way with words and a way with getting feeling into a song, getting visuals into a song,” Urban says in his song introduction. “And this is a prime example of that. I heard, ‘When I get blue, I get dark blue,’ and I went, I know this guy.”

Keith Urban performs at the ACM Honors on Aug. 21, 2024 in Nashville.Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Tibrina Hobson/Getty

source: people.com