Last night was a "Night to Rock" for country musicians, and Nashville's stars embraced the opportunity.

"Country's Night to Rock," a show highlighting the biggest names at the annual CMA (Country Music Association) Music Festival in Nashvilla, Tenn., aired last night on ABC. It was hosted by Taylor Swift, Julianne Hough and Kellie Pickler, and featured performances by Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and many other giants of country.

Swift opened the show with a rendition of her hit single "Picture to Burn." Rascal Flatts and stable of Nashville's stars followed.

Some of the night's highlights were the acts that dared to be a little different. Relative newcomer to the Nashville scene Lady Antebellum sparked life into the arena with a fiery reading of "Love Don't Live Here." Miranda Lambert brought her tough-girl sneer and swagger to the stage with "Gunpowder and Lead," and Carrie Underwood her voice, one of the strongest in country music, on "Last Name."

The show wasn't without a few lows. Despite the show's title, "rocking" was largely absent. Most of the songs performed at Nashville's LP Field last night were safe, midtempo country. It made for a pleasing, if somewhat bland, two hours of country music.

Bucky Covington and Sugarland, performing consecutively near the beginning of the show, represented the weak point of the night. Both acts phoned in their songs, sapping the energy from the audience with apathetic stage technique.

Swift provided reliably less-than-insightful between-song commentary throughout the night, such as her "I've always been a big fan of songwriting!" introduction for Sugarland.

Kellie Pickler acted as her even more abrasive sidekick, repeatedly mentioning Urban's good looks or Josh Turner's deep voice. Pickler's performance of "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" also did little but showcase the song's ultra-repetitive chorus.

Country music has never taken itself too seriously, and last night had a few comedic moments as well. Faith Hill's "Mississippi Girl," which contains the lyric "ridin' my kids around piggyback," brought hilariously unpleasant images to mind, while Keith Urban strapped on a comically tiny guitar for his song.

Last night's showcase of the CMA Music Festival gave country's biggest acts a chance to shine on a national stage while staying true to the Nashville formula. It didn't break any new ground, but the sheer volume of high-quality performances is sure to please country music fans.