CMT 2014 Music Awards - CMT Performance of the Year Nominees

One of the best parts of CMT is the ability to see some of the hottest artists performing live. Even better? Watching our favorite country bands pairing up with bands from other genres, making magic. The CMT Performance of the Year highlights some of the best of the year and make it hard to pick a winner. This year, Dierks Bentley and OneRepublic, Jake Owen, Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, The Band Perry and Fall Out Boy and Willie Nelson and Neil Young are all in the running for CMT's Performance of the Year Award. On June 4th, the winners will emerge on top at the CMT Music Awards. In order to pick the true fan favorites, country music fans are asked to vote between now and June 2, 2014 at 12:01 pm ET on CMT. One vote per day is allowed in each category.

The Nominees for CMT Performance of the Year are ...

"Counting Stars" (From CMT Crossroads) - Dierks Bentley and OneRepublic

After the performance, OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder told CMT Radio Live that he would love to write songs with Dierks in the future.

"Days of Gold" (From CMT Hot 20 Countdown) - Jake Owen

"Rhiannon" (From CMT Crossroads) - Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks

The pairing came from a dream that Stevie had. She told The Hollywood Reporter, "The dream was very short and the dream was actually very fun. But I just want to clarify that so that when my other half hears this" (Lindsey Buckingham), "he doesn't get all pissed off, because it wasn't that kind of a dream. We were just having our usual little disagreement (in the dream), because that's what we do. And I laughingly said to him, 'Well, fine. I'll just go join Lady Antebellum.' And then the dream ended, and I sat up, and there it was." When she was asked to do a Crossroads episode three days later, it was literally a dream come true.

"Oh No/All Night Long" (From 2013 CMT Artists of the Year) - Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie

"My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" (From CMT Crossroads) - The Band Perry and Fall Out Boy

Though both bands had to work their way around unfamiliar instrumentation and different song structure than what they were used to, the jelled in a big way and put on a stellar performance.

"Long May You Run" (From CMT Crossroads) - Willie Nelson and Neil Young

One of the performances from Willie's 80th birthday bash, "Long May You Run" started off with a laugh as Young explained that he had written the song for his car, but that it would "work for Willie too."

Tags

CMT Music Awards, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Lady Antebellum, Stevie Nicks