A rare two-headliner moment at the ACMs became one of 2013’s most replayed country award-show openings — and it was built on spontaneity, not rivalry.

LAS VEGAS — At the start of the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 7, 2013, Blake Shelton stepped onto the MGM Grand Garden Arena stage and began Boys ’Round Here as a solo showcase. But within seconds, the performance shifted from single-artist opening number to multi-star celebration — the kind of loose, good-natured ensemble moment the ACMs occasionally deliver, but rarely this smoothly.

Shelton, who was co-hosting the broadcast that year, didn’t stay alone on the mic for long. Luke Bryan — his co-host on the broadcast and a fellow era-defining chart-topper — walked in to share the vocal and the spotlight. Their rapport, already familiar to viewers from countless award-show comedy bits, translated instantly into musical ease.

layered additions — one by one, the energy grew

The collaboration grew in real time:

• Sheryl Crow stepped out, adding a pop-rock brightness to the verse phrasing
• Pistol Annies — Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley — added stacked harmonies
• Brad Paisley delivered a guitar solo that started in the crowd before moving up to the band line

No cameo felt ornamental — every guest added a clear layer to the arrangement.

audience response: steady enthusiasm rather than peaks and dips

At many award shows, audience reaction spikes around big reveals and softens in the breaks. This time, cheers stayed consistent — applause rose with each new arrival onstage and held through to the close.

Fan comments and replay traffic in the years since suggest this is why the moment lasted: it captured country’s collaborative spirit rather than competitive posturing.

how the night is remembered now

Boys ’Round Here was not only Shelton’s breakout single of the season — it became the spark for an ACM opener that felt like it could have only happened live.

And because Shelton and Bryan rarely perform together in full-band settings, the 2013 opener now functions as one of those “right time, right place” snapshots award shows occasionally produce — informal, unforced, and memorable for what it showed about community on a high-pressure broadcast stage.