Early on Monday morning (April 27), Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced the best news we’ve heard in weeks: the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards has a new date. The show will go on on Sept. 16 in Nashville. Keith Urban will still be the host. But the Academy has not yet decided whether an audience will be present for the show.
“Country music has been our voice and our companion through so many difficult times and now it is our comfort as we confront and defeat the coronavirus,” said Nashville Mayor John Cooper. “I’m excited to join country music fans worldwide to celebrate with the Academy of Country Music and artists that uplift and inspire us all in these extraordinary times.”
Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music, said that the ACM was disappointed that they had to postpone the show, but the safety of the fans came first.
“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. 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,” Whiteside said in a press release. “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.”
The show — originally set for April 5 in Las Vegas — was part of a string of events postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
