Despite their initial insistence the show would go on as planned, organizers are pulling the plug on the April ceremony after President Donald Trump declared the outbreak a national emergency.
- Mar 16, 2020
AceShowbiz – The 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards have become the latest casualty of the global coronavirus crisis.
Singer Keith Urban had been due to host the prizegiving at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 5 April, and just days ago, ACM officials insisted the show would go on, despite the postponement of various big-name tours and festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach in California.
They insisted they were “closely monitoring the situation” for developments, and now, after U.S. President Donald Trump declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency on Friday (March 13), organisers have decided to pull the plug on the event and push it back to September, although a specific date has yet to be decided.
“The ACM Awards is a tentpole event for our Country Music industry, and the Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions went to great lengths to find a safe solution for the show to go on so that we can honor our artist community,” Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music, shared in a statement.
“This decision involved many partners, stakeholders and the industry who we have been in constant conversations with over the past several days as the situation has developed. We look forward to identifying a future date that we can celebrate with our Country community safely.”
Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett were among the top nominees for the ACMs, with five nods each, while the bash was set to feature performances from Urban, Miranda Lambert, Lindsay Ell, Elle King and Ashley McBryde, among others.
It’s the latest prizegiving to be affected by the coronavirus chaos – the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and Canada’s Juno Awards were recently scrapped, while the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was put on hold.
Source: Music - aceshowbiz.com
