For the first time in the show's history, the 2020 ACM Awards will broadcast from Nashville, TN instead of Las Vegas. Keith Urban will host the show on September 16 on CBS and the awards will span over three iconic locations: the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe.
Nashville's Mayor John Cooper said the following during his press conference:
“While we were disappointed to postpone our April show in Las Vegas, we couldn’t be more thrilled to host the rescheduled 55th ACM Awards in the home of Country Music for the first time in the Academy’s history,” said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “First and foremost, we want to ensure the safety of our artists and industry, and to ease the burdens of traveling large teams; therefore, we decided to bring the ACM Awards to them this September in Nashville. Now, more than ever, is the time to bring our community together to honor the best in our genre, and there is no more special place to do that than three of the most revered venues in Country Music - The Grand Ole Opry House, The Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe. A huge thank you to these historic venues and to the state of Tennessee and city of Nashville for all of the support in making this a reality!”
In the show's official press release, the following was said:
The health and safety of the artists, fans, industry, staff and partners is of the utmost importance. All guidelines set forth by national, state and local health officials will continue to be closely followed and implemented during the production along with additional safety measures to be instated by dick clark productions and the Academy of Country Music...As previously announced, the 55TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS was originally scheduled to air on Sunday, April 5 and was postponed due to COVID-19.ACM Lifting Lives®the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music, created theACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund to assist individuals working in the Country Music industry who are suffering a financial crisis as a result of the pandemic. Since April 1, the Fund has contributed $1.4 million thanks to the generous support of the Academy’s corporate sponsors FirstNet, Built with AT&T,Amazon Music and other individuals.For more information about the Fund or to donate, visit ACMLiftingLives.org.
Photo: Getty