"How about it Texasssssss! Dallas!" fellow host Bryan said, standing next to Shelton. "They say everything is bigger in Texas and that's why we came here."
No immediate word on how many attended the Academy of Country Music Awards show, which moved to the 80,000-seat football stadium this year to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The Dallas Morning News previously reported that organizers projected that a record-setting 60,000 people would attend.
The awards show kicked off Sunday night paying tribute to veteran Merle Haggard, while George Strait sang "All My Ex's Live in Texas."
Shelton and Bryan introduced Strait as the "king of country music." He's one of seven recipients of the 50th Anniversary Milestone Award, along with Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney.
Keith Urban and Eric Church both played guitar while Church sang "Pledge Allegiance to the Hag" in tribute to Haggard. Then -- across at the second stage at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium -- the country stars performed "Raise 'Em Up" as the audience danced along, including McEntire.
The awards show, held in Las Vegas for over a decade, has transformed the Dallas Cowboys' six-year-old stadium to mark its anniversary.