The CMAs is a good reminder for Zoom Award shows to stick to

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Watching the opening remarks of Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker at the Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday night, it was hard not to be absolutely reminded of a different performance: this summer, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga at the MTV VMAs. About why? Since Grande and Gaga were wearing freaking masks, unlike McEntire and Rucker. Look, this isn't supposed to be delivered from some high horse, and maybe everybody at the CMAs had the cleanest health bills you've ever seen, but it's downright anxiety-inducing to see any group of people meet in a room without face coverings in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The unease, frankly, is a radically new sensation. It felt strange to watch pop stars perform and receive awards in an empty hall, in a room without screaming Gen Zers, back in August, when the VMAs took place. It made sense, but it was, well, slightly sad, too. A reminder of how everybody was forced apart during the coronavirus quarantine. (Do you remember the concerts? That was nice.) Yet, it felt safe. And even though rock 'n' roll is not really intended to feel safe, it was important in this situation. It might be possible to have one day of concerts again, and it would be great if Grande, a long-time promoter of holding your butt indoors, were safe enough to have one.

Maybe it's the short-sightedness that made watching the CMAs so awkward. In country music, and music in general, McEntire is a legend and watching her crack jokes about social distancing and sweatpants felt like watching Nero fiddle. Currently, the US is breaking records for hospitalizations with coronavirus, and the number of new cases registered every day is inching toward 150,000. After positive Covid-19 tests, some performers, including Lee Brice and a member of Rascal Flatts, had to cancel, and while the CMA manufacturers were, according to a statement, "extremely diligent with our testing process in advance of anyone entering our footprint," it still appears to be the best,

Learn all of our coverage of coronaviruses here.

Even, now we know how to do it. The 130 cameras that went to film nominees for this year's Emmy Awards around the world made a lot of hay. Honestly, however? Not too bad was the awards show. In an evening gown, Jennifer Anniston put out a burn, the Schitt's Creek cast had the time of their lives, and Zendaya made history while also transforming herself into an epic GIF response. Not bad, all in all. On a red carpet, no one had to welcome each other, but no one had to find out whether Dior made PPE, either.

Look, in the bizarre political battle currently being fought in America over face masks, it is easy for this to get overlooked. But it's bigger than that in a way. Masks and social isolation are not fun, but they may be the only resources ordinary people have to protect their health before everyone is vaccinated and the spread of Covid-19 has stopped. What people do on the world stage matters, and part of it is the normalization of masks and social distancing. (TBH, hearing people cheer in Saturday Night Live's crowd still freaks me out, even though they just fill the space at 25 percent capacity.) It was nice to see McEntire and Rucker on stage Wednesday, and it was definitely appreciated by fans, but it was nice to see McEntire and Rucker on stage on Wednesday.