Award shows seem to be a place where artists debut new music, especially heart-wrenching songs.  They will also sometimes use the glitz and glamour of the night to surprise the audience with an emotional performance they weren't expecting.  Here are some of my favorites of all time

Tim McGraw's unexpected hit -At the 2007 ACM Awards, Tim McGraw surprised the audience with a song he had written with the Warren Brothers.  The poignant "If You're Reading This" was in such high demand after the show, radio stations chose to yank it off of Youtube and use the live performance as a single, many replacing "I Need You" which was out at the time.  To this day, the live performance remains on many stations including WKDQ.  The ACM performance was made more emotional as Tim was joined on stage by military families

Sugarland ends Brooks and Dunn's "Stay" at the Top - After surprisingly knocking off long-time winner of the CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Brooks and Dunn, Sugarland took the stage to perform their latest hit, a song that Jennifer Nettles could showcase her vocals and emotions.  "Stay would become one of their biggest hits to date.

Alan Jackson makes the "World Stop Turning" again - In what was already an emotional time for the entire country, just weeks after 9/11/01, the CMA Awards show was filled with patriotic sentiments.  None more so than Alan Jackson's performance.  A song that woke him up in the middle of the night begging to be written.

Kellie Pickler's life story - For those who watched Kellie Pickler on American Idol, it was no secret that her childhood wasn't the ideal situation.  Her mother's abandonment was one thing that Pickler refused to keep her from accomplishing her dream.  All of those emotions came flooding back, as Kellie performed her autobiographical, "I Wonder" at the 2007 CAM Awards.

Alan salutes the possum - At the 2001 CMA Awards, the legenday George Jones was invited to perform his first chart hit, and nominated song in years, "Choices."  Problem is, the producers wanted the Hall of Famer to do only 30 seconds of the song and toss to a commercial break.  Jones, decided to pass and skip the show in protest.  During the show as Alan Jackson was performing his hit. "Pop a Top," the band suddenly switched into "Choices."  Alan sang a verse then walked off the stage.

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