Taylor Swift and Country stars sing to empty seats at awards show

Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and more perform without a crowd at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Photo: AP

Country group Old Dominion took an early lead at the Academy of Country Music Awards, winning song of the year and group of the year, as they acknowledged how the empty seats in front of them reminded them of people who they had lost.

The awards show on Sept 16 aired from empty venues in Nashville, Tennessee, with no fans and no applause, even when winners got up live to accept their awards.