The Academy of Country Music Awards kicked off with a 12-minute medley spotlighting 'song of the year' tracks performed by artists who made them famous.

The moment everyone was waiting for arrived right at the top of the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

What Song of the Year contender from this year might one day appear in another 12-minute medley?

A revisitation of the past might have been a theme Thursday night, evidenced right at the top of the ceremony: a 14-minute medley of six decades of country classics, performed by giants of the genre.

A revisitation of the past might have been a theme Thursday night, evidenced right at the top of the ceremony: a 14-minute medley of six decades of country classics, performed by giants of the genre.

The moment everyone was waiting for arrived right at the top of the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

The moment everyone was waiting for arrived right at the top of the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.