The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards show, which aired live from Nashville, Tennessee, attracted a star-studded audience on Sunday night.

Instead of the traditional Las Vegas location, the ACM Awards were held in several smaller venues across Nashville, including the iconic Grand Ole Opry House, for the second year.

More than two dozen artists took part in the three-hour event, which aired on CBS and Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET, including co-hosts Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton, and also genre stars Kenny Chesney and Maren Morris, who won two trophies (0000 GMT).

Luke Bryan won the Entertainer of the Year, and Chris Stapelton's album "Starting Over" won the Album of the Year. Morris won Female Artist of the Year and Song of the Year went for "The Bones," while Thomas Rhett got the title Male Artist of the Year. The nominees gathered in the largely vacant front rows of the Opry, all sporting masks. The crowd chanted and shouted from higher levels.

Bryan was supposed to appear at the award show, but unfortunately, he had to pull out after testing positive for COVID-19. Miranda Lambert, the most nominated female performer in Academy history with 35 ACM awards, started the show with a duet performance of "Drunk (and I Don't Wanna Go Home)" with Elle King.

Carrie Underwood and Cece Winans stood out among the artists, performing a mash-up of gospel songs like "Amazing Grace" and "Great is Thy Faithfulness." Guyton, the first Black woman to host the ACMs and a candidate for the new Female Artist of the Year, presented her single "Hold On" with a gospel choir accompaniment.

Urban, the 2019 Entertainer of the Year, returned this year after attending the 2020 ACM competition, and wowed the crowd with his latest single "Tumbleweed."

Among the other winners were:

· Duo of the Year - Dan + Shay

· Group of the Year - Old Dominion

· New Female Artist of the Year - Gabby Barrett

· New Male Artist of the Year - Jimmie Allen

· Single of The Year - "I Hope You're Happy Now" by Carly Pearce and Lee Brice