The list of guests for the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards show reads like a who's who of country music. It will be on April 19 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and lots of events are scheduled in conjunction with the show (including the ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic hosted by Darius Rucker, which is not open to the public). We've rounded up the public events here. More event information is available at acmawards50.com.
ACM Lifting Lives Benefit Gala
The Academy of Country Music's philanthropic arm, ACM Lifting Lives, will host its inaugural fundraising gala on April 17. Hosted by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, the gala will be at the Omni Dallas Hotel. Montel Williams and Nancy O'Dell will co-host, and there'll be performances by Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, the Band Perry, Little Big Town and Hunter Hayes. The event will include a cocktail reception, live auction, and dinner benefiting ACM Lifting Lives and Teammates for Kids, specifically the Child Life Zones at Children's Health of Dallas and Cook Children's of Fort Worth.
April 17 from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the Omni Dallas Hotel, 555 S. Lamar St., Dallas. $1,250 per seat, $10,000 for a table of 10.
ACM Party for a Cause Festival and 'ACM Presents: Superstar Duets'
The ACM Party for a Cause Festival is an outdoor music festival at Globe Life Park in Arlington on April 17 and 18. The earlier portion, which runs from noon to 6:30 p.m., takes place outside the ballpark on the north lawn and will feature performances on two stages. Live performances that will air as part of a two-hour CBS special on
May 15 called ACM Presents: Superstar Duets will make up the rest of the evening's proceedings. April 17's lineup will include collaborations by Alabama and the Eli Young Band; Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire; Darius Rucker and Sara Evans; Dierks Bentley and Kip Moore and Ashley Monroe; Dwight Yoakam and Sam Hunt; and Luke Bryan and Ronnie Milsap; along with a performance by Brantley Gilbert. On April 18, catch duets by Alan Jackson and Cole Swindell; Clint Black and Joe Nichols; Eric Church and Marty Stuart; Florida Georgia Line and David Lee Murphy; Hunter Hayes and Brett Eldredge; Keith Urban and John Anderson; Lady Antebellum and Brandy Clark; Miranda Lambert and Patty Loveless; and the Band Perry and Deana Carter; along with performances by Kenny Chesney and Jake Owen.
April 17 and 18. On both dates, early performances run from noon to 6:30 p.m., and Superstar Duets start at 7:30 p.m. at Globe Life Park, 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington. $85 general admission, $100 reserved seating.
ACM Charity Motorcycle Ride & Concert
Dierks Bentley will host the event, which will begin at 10 a.m. at two dealerships, Strokers Dallas in Dallas and Longhorn Harley-Davidson in Grand Prairie. There will be performances at each location. Riders will end their journeys at Maverick Harley-Davidson in Carrollton. The event will start with performances by Will Hoge at Strokers Dallas and Joey Hyde at Longhorn Harley-Davidson before the riders hit the road. The ride will end with a concert from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at Maverick Harley-Davidson featuring performances by Bentley, Kelsea Ballerini, Lee Brice, Clare Dunn, Brooke Eden, Joey Hyde, James Otto, Dee Jay Silver, Montgomery Gentry, Thompson Square and others. Proceeds from the event will benefit ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music; local child abuse advocacy groups; and military philanthropies.
April 18; find location info at ticketing.acmcountry.com. General admission registration costs $75 per person and includes the post-ride concert (concert-only tickets are also $75 per person).
Ram Truck Round-Up
Ram, the official truck of the Academy of Country Music Awards, is inviting Ram truck owners to help the brand break a Guinness World Record for the largest parade of pickups, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the ACM Awards. Owners can sign up for one of the 500 truck slots available for the parade.
April 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at AT&T Stadium, 1 AT&T Way, Arlington. A refundable $50 is required to reserve a spot (while supplies last). ramroundup.com.
ACM and Cabela's Great Outdoor Archery Event
Luke Bryan and Justin Moore will host an archery exhibition featuring 3-D and traditional targets. Country music artists Josh Abbott, Rhett Akins, Casey Donahew, Tyler Farr, Brantley Gilbert, Lucas Hoge, Dustin Lynch, Eric Paslay, Chase Rice, Jep and Willie Robertson, Jamie Lynn Spears and Austin Webb will join Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Zack Martin and fans to participate. There will be camouflage carpet arrivals before the exhibition tournament.
April 18 at 10 a.m. at the Rangers Youth Ballpark, just north of Globe Life Park at 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington. The free event will be open to the public, and bleacher seating will be available beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Country Checkers Challenge
Country music celebrities will play checkers to support the United Service Organizations and Disabled American Veterans. Team captains Kellie Pickler and Thomas Rhett, along with their teams of country music artists, will play on a giant checkerboard at the third annual ACM Party for a Cause Festival at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The entertainers participating in the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Country Checkers Challenge include Rhett Akins, Dan + Shay, Danielle Bradbery, Scotty McCreery and Cassadee Pope playing on Rhett's team. Lauren Alaina, Chase Bryant, Kristian Bush, Love and Theft and Jamie Lynn Spears will play on Pickler's team. SiriusXM "The Highway" Satellite Radio personality Storme Warren will serve as host for the event. Through a $35,000 donation from Cracker Barrel, ACM Lifting Lives will donate $25,000 to the winning team's charity and $10,000 to the losing team's charity. Pickler's team selected the USO and Rhett's team selected the DAV as the benefiting charities.
April 18 from noon to 2 p.m. at Globe Life Park, 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington. (Part of the ACM Party for a Cause Festival listed on the previous page; check out admission details there.)
50th Academy of Country Music Awards
The awards ceremony is dedicated to honoring and showcasing big names and up-and-coming talent in country music. Performers include George Strait, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts. There'll also be special duets by pop star Christina Aguilera (with surprise artists), as well as Nick Jonas with Dan + Shay.
The show will be broadcast live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington on April 19 at 7 p.m. Tickets to the ACM Awards sold out last spring in a record 18 minutes, but as staging changes became final for the telecast, seats to the previously sold-out awards were added. For the latest ticket info, go to ticketmaster.com.
