Did they really just raise a glass red solo cup to Toby Keith… and then throw it over to Shaboozey?
The 2024 CMA Awards didn’t even get 30 minutes into their show before they accidentally created a cringeworthy moment. After handing out the “Single of the Year” award to Chris Stapleton and live performance from Megan Moroney, hosts Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning raised up some red solo cups in a tribute to the late, great Toby Keith.
Cameras panned out to the crowd to show a sea of country music artists also holding up the plastic cup that became synonymous with the Big Dog Daddy. It was honestly a beautiful moment… until it wasn’t. They should have thrown it over to a Toby Keith cover, or maybe even gone to commercial and came back with another performance.
Instead, Lainey Wilson said this in order to introduce the next performance:
“‘Red Solo Cup,’ ‘I Love This Bar,’ I mean Toby had some great bar songs. And speaking of loving a bar, Shaboozey’s ‘A Bar Song’ was a big ol’ hit.”
cheers to you Toby Keith
#CMAawards pic.twitter.com/jLymF6EZmP— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) November 21, 2024
Really?
Directly afterwards (following a low-hanging joke from Luke Bryan), Lainey asked the crowd to give it up for Shaboozey, and he proceeded to play his viral hit “A Bar Song.”
Nothing against Shaboozey, but throwing a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tribute in there for one of the all-time country music greats just so it can act as a transition for a performance from a borderline-country-artist seemed a little disrespectful.
We certainly thought so here at Whiskey Riff, and it seems like the internet agreed with us:
Did they really just use a tribute to Toby Keith to introduce Shaboozey? Holy shit…#CMAawards
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) November 21, 2024
I sure hope @CountryMusic Awards has more of a Tribute tonight for Toby Keith.
Cause that little red solo cup raise was shit!!! #TobyKeith
— Jimmie Allen (@JimmieAllen) November 21, 2024
That’s all we get for Toby Keith?! #CMAawards
— Big Frank (@BigFrankRadio) November 21, 2024
Toby Keith has to be rolling in his grave that a tribute to him is being followed up by Shaboozey 🗑️
— Cam (@coverton_) November 21, 2024
If that is the extent of the tribute to Toby Keith, then @CountryMusic really missed the mark. #CMAawards
— JerryAtricPATRIOT (@jerr28090) November 21, 2024
Saying “Anyway, Here’s Shaboozey!” after honoring Toby Keith almost seems sacrilegious
— Byars (@byarsdesign) November 21, 2024
Country music lost its identity. Not sure Hank done it that way.
— Ryan Conroy (@RyanConnectIt) November 21, 2024
The transition from recognizing Toby Keith’s death —> Shaboozey performance felt very random lol. I was expecting a Toby tribute of some sort.
— CountryMusicColby (@MusicColby) November 21, 2024
Nice shout-out to Toby Keith, but I’d have loved to see someone perform one of his songs or a group of artists do a tribute. Alright…Shaboozey’s doing well. H’es not actually performing A Bar Song Tipsy…Oh, wait, he started with one of his other songs then went INTO The Bar…
— Wes Derby (@wesderby) November 21, 2024
Was really hoping for more of a Toby Keith tribute than a 15 second solo cup toast… #CMAawards
— Andrew Mies (@andrew_mies) November 21, 2024
umm if that was the Toby Keith tribute….he deserved so much more 🥺 #CMAawards
— charly 🌼 (@charlyy_brownn) November 21, 2024
I know Toby Keith didn’t win a lot of CMAs but he definitely deserved a musical tribute. #CMAAwards
— Tyler (@tyler0710) November 21, 2024
The tribute to Toby Keith was raising a red solo cup?
That can’t be it…. They gotta do something big for him tonight right?
— Dakota Moyer (@DakotaMoyer02) November 21, 2024
This is an insult to Toby Keith.
— Jay (@olemissrebel25) November 21, 2024
Toby deserved better than that…
CMA Awards Nominees:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
• Luke Combs
• Jelly Roll
• Chris Stapleton
• Morgan Wallen
• Lainey Wilson
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s)
• “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey
Producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry
Mix Engineer: Raul Lopez
• “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke
• “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen)
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
• “Watermelon Moonshine” – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
• “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton
Mix Engineer: Vance Powell
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist, Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s)
• “Deeper Well” – Kacey Musgraves
Producers: Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian
Mix Engineers: Shawn Everett, Konrad Snyder
• “Fathers & Sons” – Luke Combs
Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
Mix Engineer: Chip Matthews
• “Higher” – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton
Mix Engineer: Vance Powell
• “Leather” – Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke
• “Whitsitt Chapel” – Jelly Roll
Producers: Andrew Baylis, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Jesse Frasure, David Garcia, Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft, Austin Nivarel, David Ray Stevens
Mix Engineers: Jeff Braun, Jim Cooley
SONG OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Songwriter(s)
• “Burn It Down”
Songwriters: Hillary Lindsey, Parker McCollum, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose
• “Dirt Cheap”
Songwriter: Josh Phillips
• “I Had Some Help”
Songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters
• “The Painter”
Songwriters: Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins
• “White Horse”
Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Dan Wilson
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Megan Moroney
• Shaboozey
• Nate Smith
• Mitchell Tenpenny
• Zach Top
• Bailey Zimmerman
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
• Kelsea Ballerini
• Ashley McBryde
• Megan Moroney
• Kacey Musgraves
• Lainey Wilson
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
• Luke Combs
• Jelly Roll
• Cody Johnson
• Chris Stapleton
• Morgan Wallen
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
• Lady A
• Little Big Town
• Old Dominion
• The Red Clay Strays
• Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
• Brooks & Dunn
• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Maddie & Tae
• The War and Treaty
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artists and Producer(s)
• “Cowboys Cry Too” – Kelsea Ballerini (with Noah Kahan)
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym
• “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen)
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
• “I Remember Everything” – Zach Bryan (ft. Kacey Musgraves)
Producer: Zach Bryan
• “Man Made a Bar” – Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church)
Producer: Joey Moi
• “You Look Like You Love Me” – Ella Langley (feat. Riley Green)
Producer: Will Bundy
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
• Tom Bukovac – Guitar
• Jenee Fleenor – Fiddle
• Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
• Rob McNelley – Guitar
• Charlie Worsham – Guitar
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s) and Director(s)
• “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson
Director: Dustin Haney
• “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen)
Director: Chris Villa
• “I’m Not Pretty” – Megan Moroney
Directors: Jeff Johnson, Megan Moroney
• “The Painter” – Cody Johnson
Director: Dustin Haney
• “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” – Lainey Wilson
Director: Patrick Tracy
