Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert are among the first performers confirmed for the ACM Awards, taking place in Las Vegas on April 5. In conjunction with the announcement, the Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions issued a statement about “monitoring the situation” amid concerns about COVID-19, or coronavirus, even though the pandemic was not mentioned by name.
The reigning ACM Entertainer of the year, Urban will host the show for the first time this year. Meanwhile, Lambert will perform “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” with nominated artists Lindsay Ell, Caylee Hammack, Elle King, Ashley McBryde and Tenille Townes. Lambert’s recorded version of the song is up for Music Event of the Year. (Maren Morris also appears on Lambert’s album version, while Ell does not.)
The statement from the Academy of Country Music reads as follows:
The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions remain committed to serving fans and our Country Music community by producing THE 55TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™ live from Las Vegas on April 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. We are closely monitoring the situation along with the MGM team, who are in continuous contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Southern Nevada Health District, and other agencies and experts for guidance. We will take every precaution to ensure the safety of our artists, staff, crew, guests and attendees.
The 55th ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on-demand across digital platforms on the CBS All Access subscription service.