ACM's 'Our Country': 8 uplifting moments from the TV special that offered viewers hope, togetherness

“Our Country” was a very different kind of TV special from what the Academy of Country Music had originally planned for April 5 – but it was one that their audience needed.

As the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of slowing down, the virus is putting a halt to most, if not all, events.

Just three weeks ago, the organization decided to postpone the planned ACM Awards until September. Instead, nearly two dozen country stars sang to a national TV audience from their homes, with songs that offered comfort and catharsis. These were a few of our favorite moments from the night.

Keith Urban offers hope

Urban was supposed to host the ACM Awards from Las Vegas tonight – and he’s still planning to on Sept. 16. Instead, he was the perfect person to kick things off and set the tone for an unprecedented country music special.

From his home studio (which he tellingly referred to as his “living room”), Urban told the audience there was a lot he was missing these days.

“I miss being around people. I miss being able to play live music … and be together as people.”

That got him thinking about “Wasted Time,” from his 2016 album “Ripcord.” It’s about looking back fondly on the wild, aimless days of your youth.

“I feel in some ways it’s taken a different kind of meaning right now,” Urban said. In no time, he took us all back to those relatively carefree days of early 2020, with a powerful voice and steadfast guitar strum. And he tweaked a lyric in the final chorus.

“It’s comin’ back, it’s comin’ back,” he sang. “I got a feeling that we’ll soon be livin' all that wasted time.”

After the song, he added: “Remember that we get through this like we get through everything: together.”

Wine with Carrie Underwood

Underwood invited viewers to grab a cold glass of wine and get comfortable on the couch for a performance of her all-too-fitting single, "Drinking Alone."

Underwood — a 12-time ACM Award winner — belted a piano-backed rendition of the 2018 song from the comfort of her couch, singing, "Oh, we should be drinkin' alone/ We should be drinkin' alone together."

"Right now we have to find things to do to be alone, together," she said, smiling and sipping from a glass of wine. "I have an idea."

She tipped her glass to the show's commodore and reminded viewers that music can heal.

"We’re not really alone," Underwood said. "We are alone together, and that’s exactly how we’re gonna get through this mess."

Shania Twain's surprise duet

What's a country music special without a surprise duet? Well, Twain wasn't horsin' around with special guests for her segment.

The Canadian country powerhouse performed snippets of “Honey, I’m Home” and anthemic 1990s classic “Man! I Feel Like a Woman." But it wasn't the tunes that stole the show — that job belonged to a blond horse that joined Twain for her outdoor performance.

Twain's zero-chill steed nudged around her face and licked her guitar during the performance. Meanwhile, a too-cool-for-school dog watched from Twain's feet, completely undaunted by the collaboration.

But it wasn't just a dog-and-pony show. Twain offered a bit of hope, telling viewers that "we’re gonna do what we always do and pull together to get through it."

Eric Church's reminder to 'be brave'

Church's rabid fan base – the Church Choir – got a taste of new music from the country music mainstay Sunday night.

Church offered a look at "Never Break Heart," a new song that might be part of a 28-song project he detailed earlier this year. He prefaced the performance with a sincere reminder to approach self-isolation with courage.

"The hardest thing about this for me — as a dad, as a husband, as a business leader, as a citizen — has been the unknown," Church said. "We fear the unknown. After some thought and a lot of prayers, here's what I know: I have hope and you should have hope, because since the beginning of time people have gathered."

He continued, "And we will gather again. The important thing to remember is to not fear, to be brave and to endure."

Church performed an acoustic version of the song in a studio, singing: "Go on and be a brave heart. Go on, keep your faith in your heart. It’s OK to cry. But don’t never break your heart."

Kane Brown and John Legend's TV debut

Self-isolation couldn't stop Brown and Legend from serenading for a few minutes Sunday night.

The chart-topping country star and acclaimed R&B singer teamed for a long-distance TV debut of "Last Time I Say Sorry," a stirring ballad they released last week.

This Nashville-to-Los Angeles collaboration kicked off with Brown dialing Legend via FaceTime.

"Man, I don’t know what to do," Legend said. "I’m trying to find ways to stay creative and find ways to stay in touch with people, but it’s definitely a weird time."

Before kicking off the song, Brown added, "It’s weird we’re doing it this way, but I feel like we got this."

Brown and Legend — who met last year on "The Voice" – co-wrote the song with Matt McGinn and Andrew Goldstein. It took about an hour and a half to map out, Brown told CBS earlier this week.

A tender lesson about the word "sorry," the chorus sings: "I won't say I'm sorry over and over/ Can't just say I'm sorry, I've gotta show you/ I won't do it again, I'll prove my love is true/ I hope the last time I said sorry/ Is the last time I'll say sorry to you."

Miranda Lambert offers healing

Lambert’s “Bluebird” is a song about making the best out of what you’re dealt. The country star knew there was no better song to sing in these times — and no better place to sing it than on her porch.

“I've done a lot of healing, a lot of thinking right here,” she said.

“And I actually got married right here. My husband was supposed to film this, but he's fishing at the pond. And I figure for a New York City boy, he better learn how to fish, so I let him do that. I got my iPad and my guitar, and I just want to remind everybody that we're here in it together. Thank goodness for technology, that we can still connect. …

“I want to remind everybody to lean into your music. Lean into your guitars and pianos and your voices, and let that heal you, because music is medicine.”

Her soothing, acoustic “Bluebird” was just that.

“If the whole wide world stops singing, and all the stars go dark/ I'll keep a light on in my soul/ Keep a bluebird in my heart.”

Blake & Gwen have 'Nobody But' each other

Self-isolation looks pretty cozy in Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's part of the world. The couple were seen in front of a campfire on Shelton's property in Oklahoma, his home state.

"We happen to be in Oklahoma, hiding away from everybody, Doing what we're supposed to do," Shelton said. "And we're also doing what I think everybody else must be doing, which is drinking all day."

Stefani laughed.

"Not me! What are you talking about?" she asked, moving a glass out of the camera's view.

"Oh, no, just me," Shelton said.

He explained that couple were supposed to sing their duet "Nobody But You" at the ACM Awardsy. We've seen them in that setting before: just two months ago, they performed the song at the Grammys.

But this was worlds better, and filled with warmth — between the hunting jackets, booze and chemistry that's easy to spot offstage.

'Be a Light' with Thomas Rhett

Rhett reminded viewers to "Be a Light" with a household acoustic performance of his latest single.

"In a world full of hate, be a light/ When you do somebody wrong, make it right/ Oh, don't hide in the dark, you were born to shine/ In a world full of hate, be a light," Rhett sings in the tune's timely chorus.

He released "Be a Light" earlier this week, on his 30th birthday, as an all-star collaboration featuring Urban. Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott and Christian star Chris Tomlin.

Rhett call it a fitting song for everyone navigating uncharted waters.

"We are all in this together," Rhett said. "We’re all doing our part."

More: 'Be a Light': Thomas Rhett enlists Reba, Keith Urban and more for uplifting new song

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ACM's 'Our Country': 8 uplifting moments from the TV special