Over time, mainstream Nashville nation has absorbed the sound and aesthetics of 70s and 80s rock, significantly these kinds which have disappeared from the pop mainstream. We ought to be ready for a similar factor to occur to ’90s rock. Judging by final night time’s CMT Awards, it could already be occurring. Final night time’s present included performances from a few of nation’s largest names, together with Shania Twain, Keith City, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, and Kane and Caitlin Brown. However the present additionally featured Nashville royalty in addition to ’90s rock stars performing their hits.

Alanis Morissette, who is just not nation by any stretch of the creativeness, was one in all final night time’s performers. She led a crew of younger nation stars — Ingrid Andress, Lainie Wilson, Madeline Edwards, and Morgan Wade — by a model of her personal iconic howler “You Oughta Know.” The “get down on you in the theater” line is outwardly nonetheless controversial sufficient to get excited a few CMT efficiency, as is the “I bet she’d make a really excellent mother” bit. Right here is the efficiency:

Gwen Stefani, who’s married to large nation star Blake Shelton however who herself has by no means been away nation, sang No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” with Carly Pierce.

Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish is a ’90s rock man himself, and he is additionally been an enormous nation star for a few years. Final night time, she joined Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes to sing “She Talks to Angels.”

A number of rockers and nation stars – Slash, Cody Johnson, Paul Rodgers, Billy Gibbons, Chuck Leavell, Warren Haynes, Leanne Rimes, Winona Judd – joined forces to pay tribute to Southern rock overlord Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Winona duets with nice recent-vintage nation star Ashley McBryde on an enormous, showy cowl of the Foreigners’ 1985 power-ballad smash “I Want to Know What Love Is.”