Las Vegas goes country in April with superstars, ACM Awards

Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Toby Keith, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum. are among the country stars who will gather in early April in Las Vegas for an awards show and what’s called “The Week Vegas Goes Country.”

That’s the phrase coined by the Academy of Country Music, which hosts its annual awards ceremony at 8 p.m. April 6 inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Bryan and Shelton will host the show again this year. The ceremony is, of course, the crowning event. But others in the days both before and after will also showcase superstar musicians. Here’s a day-by-day rundown:

• April 4 and April 5: Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban host “ACM Party for a Cause.” The two-day outdoor festival, a fundraiser benefiting various charities, will be staged at the Linq, a new entertainment and retail district along the Strip.
• April 4-April 6: The Fremont Street Experience will host three nights of free country concerts. Singing duo LoCash Cowboys will headline at 9:10 p.m. Friday and Saturday on the First Street stage.
• April 5: Darius Rucker will host the ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic at TPC Las Vegas. Singers Frankie Ballard, Scotty McCreery and Cole Swindell will be among those teeing off for charity.
• April 6: As the awards presentation unfolds at the MGM Grand, thousands more fans will be entertained during the ACM Fan Jam at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. ACM New Artist of the Year nominees Brett Eldredge, Justin Moore and Kip Moore will be among the performers.
• April 7: A two-hour TV special, “ACM Presents: An All-Star Salute to the Troops,” will be taped at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Performers include Merle Haggard, George Strait and Carrie Underwood.

Tickets for the various ACM-sponsored events are available from Ticketmaster.

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