A woman of the people, a girl after my own heart, however you wanna phrase it… Miranda Lambert just gets it.
And as we gear up for the CMA Awards this evening, which will air live from Nashville as Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning return as hosts, I wanted to take a look back at one of the best moments in the shows history.
Initially, you may be thinking of times like when Alan and George straight up skewered pop country on stage, the time Charlie Rich got so intoxicated that he lit John Denver’s envelope on fire, and more recently, when Sturgill Simpson trolled the entire show when he busked outside of the arena with his Grammy in his guitar case.
But actually, what I’m talking about happened only a few short years ago, when Miranda showed up to the 2020 CMA’s with her own, fully stocked cooler filled with her favorite drinks to sustain her and her table-mates throughout the evening.
Now keep in mind, this was during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the set up was quite different from the typical CMA show, as only the nominees, their staff, guests and the crew were allowed into the venue (no fans were allowed to watch in-person), and the traditional red carpet did not take place.
In addition, they spread out performances across multiple stages (more than what they usually use) to allow time to sanitize them in between, and while I’m not 100% certain what the bar situation was, I have a feeling it wasn’t like you could just walk around and order whatever you wanted.
Hence, why Miranda brought her own cooler… a power move.
She was actually caught on live TV during the show grabbing a flask out of said cooler and refilling her cup with an unspecified liquor (though I’d venture to guess it was Titos), which got some social media attention at the time, and she later shared on TikTok that she did, in fact, bring it herself, noting to fans:
“Always be prepared y’all.”
Amen to that, queen…
@mirandalambert Always be prepared y’all. #cmaawards ♬ original sound – Miranda Lambert
As someone who never rolls up to a tailgate, concert, or NASCAR race without one too, I love everything about this moment and can’t help but smile every time I think about it.
And let’s be honest, there’s really no other way to get through an awards show like that…
Miranda also performed her song “Settling Down” that evening, and while, like I said, it wasn’t the typical CMA Awards show with all the added COVID measures, I think this is still easily one of the best moments in the shows history, to be honest.
As always, we’ll be live tweeting the event once again, so be sure to tune in for some laughs, head scratches, and (hopefully) a few celebrations as we take in the spectacle that is the Country Music Awards, so be sure to follow along on X (@whiskeyriff) for all of the fun.
Lainey Wilson is leading the pack with 9 total nominations and Jelly Roll leads all the dudes with 5, while Luke Combs and HARDY have four each. Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning will host the show live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
You can check out the full list of nominees HERE.
Here’s a clip of Miranda’s 2020 performance of “Settling Down”:
“Settling Down”
