Justin Moore’s Big Vegas Night
Justin Moore won his first major award a couple months ago. He won the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Artist award in Las Vegas. Justin talked about his experience with Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton: “I don’t know if the ACM’s were desperate or what, but we won our first major award this year, which meant a ton to me and the folks who work with me. I don’t get too worked up about anything, but that day I was an absolute wreck. I really wanted this award bad. We’ve had a lot of success in the last six years, but the award thing had eluded us for whatever reason. I though this thing isn’t going to happen for us. So when we got nominated, and I knew it was fan-voted, I thought we had a shot at this thing, because our fans have never had this opportunity and would show up at the polls. So when they read my name, I felt a big weight was lifted off my back. It was gratifying not only for me, but for my parents who got second jobs for me to move here, and for the 20 people who work with me. I got pretty emotional. It wasn’t make or break, but it was special for me and my family.”
How’d you celebrate? “It’s funny, I prepared my wife on the way out. I said, ‘If I won, you’re going to have a lot of babysitting. But we were in bed by midnight. I was so emotionally wrecked. I don’t know if it’s because I’m 30 now, but I was such a voice of reason that night.”
Did you do anything else in Vegas? “We saw some shows, which is the first time we’ve seen shows. We took three couple friends with us to see Zumanity and “O,” the water show at Bellagio. That was unbelievable. It blows your mind. It looks fake, it’s so crazy. In Zumanity, this guy was hanging upside down from one foot, and it had to be 30 feet in the air. If your foot gives out, it’s over. They’re amazing athletes. We also went to some great restaurants and I played some golf while I was out there.”