Blake Shelton and Kenny Loggins Bring ‘Footloose’ to the 2011 CMA Awards

Country’s funny man Blake Shelton kicked off the 2011 CMA Awards in Nashville, but fortunately, he didn’t take the stage to do stand-up. The reigning Male Vocalist of the Year rocked viewers and his peers with a remade version of the 1984 movie hit ‘Footloose,’ but not without a little help from the original recording artist, Kenny Loggins.

Of course, Shelton was doing fine on his own — the choreographed and very much in-sync dancers on platforms around him gave country music fans plenty to look at while the singer stood forefront with his guitar, belting out the words to the classic singalong tune. In addition to flips and jumps, the quick-footed backup performers were sporting all of the sequins you would hope to find at country’s biggest awards show.

But halfway through, when the famed Loggins took the stage, the lighting quickly changed from red to blue and the mood shot up. The two guitarists stood next to one another and gave it their best enthusiasm, while the dozens of ‘Footloose’ dancers shook their groove things to the beat.

The first performance of the night ended with a big bang and an even bigger applause from Nashville’s greatest, making the 2011 CMA Awards officially a go.