Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards looked a lot
different than expected.
For one thing, the ceremony was originally supposed to be held in April in Las Vegas,
but it ended up happening in September, in a socially-distanced split among three venues
in Nashville.
The stars made the most of the changes, and the presenters and performers put on a great
show for audiences at home.
One of the night's most-anticipated performances came from Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton,
who sang their song "Happy Anywhere" together.
As Shelton explained before the performance, he and Stefani weren't in Nashville.
Instead, they were in front of a green screen with a backdrop made to look like the iconic
Bluebird Cafe.
The pair also wore fairly casual outfits, and Stefani's choice of clothes earned both
positive and negative comments from fans.
The fishnet tights were similar to fashion choices we’ve seen from Gwen over the years,
but the Grammy winner's attire had a distinct twang.
The singer opted for a white denim jacket with gold fringe on the sleeves, complete
with matching white denim cutoffs and knee-high gold boots.
Stefani completed the look with gold bangle bracelets, and of course, her signature red
lip.
Stefani looked right at home on stage with Blake Shelton, who was wearing a casual button-front
shirt and jeans while strumming his guitar.
But some fans who commented on Stefani's ACM Awards Instagram post didn't love her country
get-up.
One commenter pleaded, "Please go back to No Doubt and follow your
original roots."
Another follower wrote:
"You gotta go back to old Gwen.
This country Gwen is just a no for me."
But YouTuber Kandee Johnson shared some positive words, gushing, "You are the cutest human!!!!!!"
on Stefani's Instagram post, and Jenee Fleenor, the fiddle player in Shelton's band, made
a joke about Stefani's outfit, writing, "I'm so glad we're fringe!"
One fan tweeted that Stefani's ACM Awards look was "iconic," and another wrote, "Wow!!!
Those boots!!!!
That outfit!!!"
Even though not everyone loved her ACM Awards outfit, Gwen Stefani received plenty of support
on Instagram regarding her relationship with Blake Shelton.
As one fan put it:
"Blake and Gwen are sooooo cute.
Two very different vibes and style comin together."
Another said, "You are so gorgeous.
Love you and Blake together."
And another follower tweeted after the couple’s “Happy Anywhere” performance:
"Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are such an odd couple but I really hope they stay together
forever."
Speaking of that duet, Stefani swapped the gold boots from her initial ACM Awards look
for a pair of cowboy boots during her performance with Shelton - a move that didn't go unnoticed
by fans.
Her embroidered white boots truly completed the country look.
One fan tweeted:
"Love @gwenstefani's whole vibe! [...] awesome look!
Sounded great.
Cute green screen thing."
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's performance was all the more poignant given some recent
rumors about their relationship.
Just hours before the show, a source told Us Weekly that the couple felt, quote,"stretched
to their limit" after spending the majority of quarantine together at their ranch in Oklahoma.
The source claimed, quote, "They feel suffocated and stressed," noting they also purchased
a home in Los Angeles in 2019 and the move between the ranch and Encino had been wearing
them out.
"Blake and I have been quarantining together this entire time, so…"
"Wow, I’m sorry Gwen."
Quarantine seems to have been a challenge for a relationship that was already under
pressure.
The couple was supposed to get married in summer 2020, but pushed things back a couple
months due to the ongoing pandemic, according to Us Weekly.
There are no more updates on the when and the how of their wedding, but a source said
they definitely plan to have multiple celebrations.
One in Los Angeles, and of course, one in Oklahoma for Shelton.
The same venue that's been supposedly "suffocating" them also serves as an ideal wedding location,
the source said:
"Oklahoma gives the couple more privacy and the possibilities are endless for a wedding
reception people will talk about for years."
Given their sweet performance of "Happy Anywhere" at the ACMs, the relationship issues don't
appear to be all that deep - the wedding will surely go on.
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