Carrie Underwood says she can't cry pretty, but she sure can wail.
In her first public appearance since a Nov. 10 fall that left her with more than 40 stitches in her face, Underwood gave a powerhouse performance of her new single "Cry Pretty" that is sure to be remembered as an all-time ACM Awards standout.
On Jan. 1, Underwood warned her fans she was "not quite looking the same" after a bad fall. Since then, she's kept a very low profile, posting a few pictures that showed her with part of her face covered.
But she brought classic Carrie to the ACMs. There were no signs of an injury.
With waist-length platinum blonde hair, a sparking minidress and glittering mascara streaked down her cheeks, she delivered the epic power ballad with polish and precision.
If her belting didn't shake the rafters of the MGM Grand, the audience's reaction did.
When it was all over, she stood center stage while the crowd roared in approval during a standing ovation that lasted for more than a minute.
Immediately afterward, Underwood was back on stage to accept the award for vocal event of the year with Keith Urban.
"Thank you for having me," Underwood said. "I'm still kind of shaking right now."
Urban delivered the ultimate verdict: "You just knocked it out of the park."
A post shared by Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) on
"Had a great rehearsal for the @acmawards!" she wrote on Twitter on Saturday. "Can’t wait until tomorrow night!"