The 51st Annual Country Music Association Awards are officially in the books, and this year's show certainly did not disappoint. The annual awards ceremony mixed humor with sorrow, messages of unity with timely jokes and major collaborations with incredible solo performances.

In 2017, the CMA Awards had big shoes to fill: The show's 50th anniversary blowout in 2016 left a lot to live up to. However, strong performances from some of country music's brightest stars and poignant recognitions in honor of those who died throughout the past year made Wednesday night's (Nov. 8) ceremony worth a watch.

Flip through the through the gallery below for a peek at the night's biggest moments (at least according to The Boot). Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood's straightforward monologue at the beginning of the show, Maren Morris and Niall Horan's rollicking performance of their duet "Seeing Blind" and more are included.

Stars Walk the 2017 CMA Awards Red Carpet

Unforgettable CMA Awards Controversies

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