Brad Paisley fully endorses the format of the CMT Artists of the Year celebration. Paisley was one of five country music stars honored Tuesday night during a taping of the second annual event, joining Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift. He loved the idea of already knowing he was taking a trophy home when he showed up. “It's great,” Paisley said in an interview before the event, which will air Dec. 13. “It's neat. It's not like an awards show where you have to wonder if you're going to win. And if you don't, they were mean. They psyched you out. And it's one where they feed everybody and give you alcohol. We need more of those shows.” It was a night full of cross-pollinated moments, with host Rob Lowe, Lionel Richie, William Shatner, Joe Walsh, Gavin DeGraw, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, The Avett Brothers and The All-American Rejects on hand to celebrate country's biggest entertainers. But it was Hank Williams Jr. who turned in the night's most buzzed about moment, leaving the stage quickly mid-song after singing his part during a duet with Aldean. Williams' spokesman Kirt Webster said after the taping that Williams left because he didn't feel like he was giving an adequate performance while joining Aldean on his song, “Tattoos on This Town.”
