George Strait doesn't know it yet, but he'll join Brad Paisley during his live performance of "Crushin' It" at the Academy of Country Music Awards at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Sunday night.
"I'm going to rope George into this, whether he wants to or not," Paisley said.
Just don't tell King George. It's supposed to be a surprise.
When Sunday's broadcast of the ACM Awards hits your television, the show will be polished to a high-gloss shine. All eyes will be on two stages planted in one end zone of the home of the Dallas Cowboys, where television screens and rings of colorful lights provide a splashy backdrop for some of the world's most famous country singers.
Friday afternoon came with the occasional mulligan as artists rehearsed and re-rehearsed their sets for the big day.
That word "big" keeps coming up, with stars like Paisley who haven't performed inside AT&T Stadium before and with show producers who seem like they're still a little amazed to have temporarily moved the ACMs from their Las Vegas home.
"This has never been done before," Jack Sussman, executive vice president of CBS Specials, Music and Live Events, said of the ACM Awards' 50th anniversary show. The show's producers have never attempted to fire off 23 performances in 3-and-a-half hours -- and not in a large, enclosed football arena in Texas.
The Dallas Morning News
got a behind-the-scenes look -- and nearly a front row seat -- during dress rehearsals. If you watch the live show Sunday 7 to 10:30 p.m. on CBS, keep an eye out for these moments:
Eric Church and Keith Urban will pledge allegiance to Merle Haggard in the show opener.
ACM Awards Executive Producer R.A. Clark confirmed the two country singers will perform a "mash up" that honors an icon. It'll be Haggard, winner of more than a dozen ACM Awards, starting with Most Promising Male Vocalist in the academy's first-year event, in 1965.
Miranda Lambert will sing a fiery medley.
She'll kick off her performance with "Mama's Broken Heart," then segue into "Little Red Wagon." If Lambert has extra vocal tricks planned, we didn't get to see them in dress rehearsal. Although, even a practice run with the sassy country singer felt like it could raise Jerry Jones' roof.
Lambert will also receive a milestone award for "most awarded solo female artist." She's the only female up for Entertainer of the Year and is also in the running for Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year, and others. Throughout Sunday night's show, milestone awards will be handed out to several artists, including Strait, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire and Taylor Swift.
Blast from the past: Martina McBride will sing "Independence Day."
McBride will offer up a '90s hit during a performance at the ACM Awards. The song comes as a surprise since McBride released new album Everlasting last year. But it does show off her wide vocal range and remains one of her most popular songs.
McBride is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she's won at the ACMs three times before.
Look to the audience for part of the spectacle.
LED wristbands that can blink on command have been placed on select seats inside AT&T Stadium. Whether you're watching at home on TV or looking on from inside the arena, you'll likely see tens of thousands of country music fans helping light up the cavernous venue.
North Texas-raised Nick Jonas will join country's Dan + Shay for a pop show.
This is definitely not the Jonas Brothers; it's Jonas and his buds. The three singers looked and sounded like they've performed together before -- though they haven't -- during an upbeat dress rehearsal. The performance is slated to begin with Jonas' radio hit "Jealous," where all three singers hit the required falsetto notes with ease. Then Jonas, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney will land center stage during the second song, another Jonas single that sounds good on this group, "Chains."
In other musical notes ...
Paisley will win a Guinness World Record -- though you might not see it on live TV. The "Mud on the Tires" singer had no idea he had an award coming his way, but ACMs CEO Bob Romeo and a Guinness World Record adjudicator surprised him with the award of "most consecutive Male Vocalist wins at the ACM Awards" on Friday. He notched five in a row (2006 to 2010) and is up for the award again this year. Haggard leads the ACMs with the record for most Male Vocalist wins, at six.
