2019 Golden Mic Awards: Vote Now for Best Stadium Act

In 2018, The Boot introduced the Golden Mic Awards, and in 2019, the reader-voted digital awards series is returning for another year! Recognizing the best in live country and Americana music, The Boot's Golden Mic Awards feature nine categories of staff-selected nominees who rule the stage.

This week (April 22-26), The Boot will reveal 2019's Golden Mic Awards categories ... and then, it will be up to you, our readers, to crown the winners. After each Golden Mic Awards category is revealed, readers will be able to vote for their preferred winner in each category as often as once per hour through 11:59PM ET on May 22. We'll announce the winners on the site the next day, May 23.

As the internet has changed how country music gets distributed by labels and enjoyed by consumers, stadium tours have remained a key cog in modern hitmakers' rises to stardom. Popular names, from '90s legends to Music Row's newest trendsetters, can still make a fortune off live shows that bring a little twang to arena rock's old stomping grounds. Consider these 10 acts, ranging from the granddaddy of stadium-packing country anthems to one of the modern faces of tradition, and then vote for your favorite.

Jason Aldean’s many accolades, including the ACM’s Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award, came flooding in thanks to one of the most energetic and consistent live shows in country music. Whether he’s shredding on guitar or dropping countrified rhymes, Aldean exemplifies the term “showman” in modern country music.

From radio-friendly singles about getting sloshed on an airplane to tradition-honoring hat-tips to bluegrass, Dierks Bentley offers up a little something for everyone. His in-studio approach translates well to a live show that’s for the whole family.

One of Garth Brooks’ lingering gifts to country music came when he took the genre’s live presentation from smoky honky-tonks to football stadiums. An old rule of thumb applies to his show: The first at something’s typically one of the best for decades to come.

Luke Bryan’s catalog of catchy songs and his fun-loving demeanor make for endless smiles whenever he takes the big stage for a festival or package tour. Come for his newest hit, then stick around for over a decade of favorites.

Who needs Frankie Avalon or Jimmy Buffett when we’ve got Kenny Chesney as the leading man of a beach party with Hollywood production values and classic rock energy? Plus, like Brooks, Chesney helped teach others on this list how country music’s done on a big stage.

As a cross between a hard-nosed country singer-songwriter and a heartland rock throwback, Eric Church puts on a big-time show that’d otherwise be missing at a time when traditional country gets filed away as Americana and genuine rock stars are AWOL. He's 2018's Golden Mic Awards Best Stadium Act winner.

On the other end of the spectrum, Florida Georgia Line keep cranking out hits and putting on one of the most elaborate and lucrative stage shows in all of country music, regardless of how many internet trolls they “offend” by simply being themselves. Chris Stapleton, meanwhile, applies the work ethic that took him from an unsung songwriter, bluegrass picker and Southern rocker to a genuine country star and awards show regular every time he steps onstage.

Despite being one of the youngest stars on this list, Carrie Underwood's a seasoned veteran when it comes to filling stadiums with one of country music's most consistent stage shows. But few established names appear to have as much fun wowing audiences as Keith Urban, the reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year.

Who deserves to be crowned the 2019 Golden Mic Awards' Best Stadium Act? Cast your vote below.

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