The ceremony was noted for its parody of political subject matter in awards shows , specifically in the opening monologue by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood , who told jokes referencing both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump . Paisley also performed a parody song about Trump 's tweeting habits to the tune of Underwood 's hit " Before He Cheats . " Underwood 's performance during the in memoriam segment , in which she broke down crying , received acclaim , with many citing it as one of the best and most moving and emotional performances of the night and some declaring it one of the best CMA performances of all time . People.com referred to the performance as " heartbreaking , " before describing how Underwood took to the stage to honor country music legends ( such as Don Williams , Glen Campbell , Troy Gentry , and Jo Walker-Meador ) and the 58 victims of the Las Vegas shooting . In addition , ET called Underwood 's performance " beautiful " and " gorgeous , " mentioning a statement made by Paisley at the opening of the show about coming together in the face of tragedy . The performance did receive some criticism due to the cameras focusing more on Underwood , making some of the names on the screen either obscured or completely unreadable , which was seen by many as disrespectful
58 victims of the Las Vegas shooting
2017 Las Vegas shooting
51st Annual Country Music Association Awards