The Top Performances from the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards

Notching its second annual installment, the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards arrived in a big way last night (September 26) as the best and brightest of the country genre took over Nashville's historic Grand Ole Opry.

With the biggest stars, hottest rising acts and dearly beloved country converts all under one roof, it was an evening of celebration as the community and fans alike honored some of the biggest accomplishments thus far, as well as a slate of jaw-dropping performances.

One of only a couple of purely fan-voted award shows in the country arena, this year's People's Choice Country Awards were hosted by the golden icon herself, Shania Twain, who kept her fits fresh – 6 outfit changes in total – and the audience fired up throughout the two hour ceremony.

While lifetime honors went to both Kane Brown and Miranda Lambert, who received the Country Champion and Country Icon awards, respectively, other big winners included Morgan Wallen, Shaboozey, Luke Combs and mgk, who all took home multiple trophies across the evening.

By far the most sizzling part of the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards, though, were the dozen or so performances from some of the genre's most revered stalwarts, established hitmakers and more. Starting with Kane Brown's mystifying 'Fiddle in the Band,' all the way down to mgk's explosive take on John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads,' it was a night that showed country music at its best.

While there was so much jam packed into this year's two hour broadcast that we'll be reliving for weeks to come, here are Holler's Top Performances from the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards.

Dating back to their very first award show appearance at the 56th Annual ACM Awards in April of 2021, the duo of Tanya and Michael Trotter Jr. have been burning the house down every time they find their way onto a stage.

While not necessarily inherently country, the pair's musical stylings live somewhere in the grey area between Gospel, Americana, blues and country music, which also makes them one of the most interesting and captivating acts in the modern musical arena... and that's before we even mention their vocal abilities.

It's impossible to truly sum up the spiritual experience one has when The War and Treaty arrive on the scene, but at the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards, the audiences both at home and in the audience were once again spellbound by their incomparable talent.

Performing their new song, 'Can I Get An Amen,' there was simply no competition for any other performances in the evening to come close to the Trotter's as they were backed by a chilling choir that only served to induce even more goosebumps.

Needless to say, the Grand Ole Opry House was left in a pile of smoking ashes after the 2x nominees were finished.

If there's one thing we've learned, it's that Kelsea Ballerini will always pull out the stops when it comes to award show performances. In the last year of two, she's made quite a few statements with her slates on the main stages, and the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards was no different.

After marking the end of her beloved Rolling Up the Welcome Mat era during a collab with Noah Kahan at the 2024 ACM Awards in May, this performance was the first page in her new musical chapter as she readies her highly-anticipated Patterns record for the end of October.

With a few songs already out in the world – the Noah Kahan-graced 'Cowboys Cry Too,' moody yet introspective 'Sorry Mom' and newly-released 'Two Things' – the jury was out for what tune she'd be taking to the awards stage. Yet, when she emerged surrounded by a sea of sunflowers, there was no question that the performance got some major inspiration from her new 'Two Things' music video.

A striking and compelling vocal delivery, you couldn't help but be entranced by the country-pop starlet as she strutted from one side of the stage to the other to effortlessly deliver the nuanced ballad.

If this performance is anything to go by, Ballerini has truly arrived in her best form yet.

As we mentioned earlier, the one and only Miranda Lambert was this year's recipient of the Country Icon Award, which last year was awarded to the late, great Toby Keith.

While the trophy commemorated her decades-long career that's seen her build an authentic, female-forward brand of country that has helped shape the country genre from the ground up, it was only fitting that the Texas native performed her breakthrough, 2005 hit, 'Kerosene,' to show just how far she's come in her craft.

With the crowd screaming along to the beloved "he-ain't-shit" rocker, Lambert coupled the fiery performance of her debut single with her newest offering, 'Dammit Randy.' Theorized to be about her former Sony Music Nashville label head, Randy Goodman, the award-winning entertainer took hold of her trusty acoustic, as well as the entire crowd's attention as she crooned the freeing ditty.

Over her long and winding career, Lambert has provided a steady soundtrack to the lives of country fans all around the world. While accepting the Country Icon trophy, she acknowledged that it's been lots of “years, beers, tears and Tito’s" that's led her here, and we can only hope there's plenty more in store for the spitfire star.

In similar fashion to Miranda Lambert, who took the stage earlier in the night, Brad Paisley came into the People's Choice Country Awards to show off some of his nostalgic hits, as well as make the world premiere of his brand new song, 'Truck Still Works.'

With the opening notes of his 2003 blockbuster tune, 'Mud On The Tires,' the crowd happily screamed along to the beloved song as Paisley was decked out in a pair of guitars – both an acoustic and an electric. Halfway through, the skilled picker ditched the acoustic and swapped out for something a little more lively as he seamlessly broke into his just-released 'Truck Still Works.'

At times indecipherable from 'Mud On The Tires' and borrowing many of the lines and melodic runs from the 2003 offering, the 2024 ditty seems to serve as a continuation of 'Mud On The Tires' and easily became one of the highlights of the star-studded evening.

A refined and more mature take on the same concept, 'Truck Still Works' marks the first taste of new music from Paisley since his four-song EP, Son Of The Mountains, which this same time in 2023.

Leading up to his show-closing performance, mgk had already had one hell of a night as he took home the trophies for Cover Song of 2024 ('Sun to Me' by Zach Bryan) and Crossover Song of 2024 ('Lonely Road' feat. Jelly Roll).

Marking his first-ever country award show, it seemed to be quite a warm welcome into the country community that was only underpinned by a stunning showing to cap off the evening.

Taking the stage alone, he kicked off into a solo version of John Denver's behemoth anthem, 'Take Me Home, Country Roads,' which earned a merry singalong from the Opry House. Breaking out into his own interpolation of the classic, which also serves as his debut country single, 'Lonely Road,' the stage exploded as he was joined by a full band and commanded the room in its entirety.

Love or hate the song (or the performer), there was no denying the charisma exuded by the Texas-born, Ohio-raised artist who's made a name for himself in the rap, rock and pop punk genres over the last several years.

Though he wasn't joined by duet partner Jelly Roll this time around, there was no love lost as mgk worked the stage and left everyone in good spirits after another memorable People's Choice Country Awards.

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