ACMs in Vegas: More music, less chat
Las Vegas has hosted many awards shows. The city is also famous for large-scale events. But it has never put on an awards show of the measure of Monday night’s 57th Academy of Country Music Awards at Allegiant Stadium.
Show producer Rac Clark is bringing a made-for-TV awards telecast that isn’t quite on TV. The studio audience is expected to be about 60,000 fans in a football stadium. There are no breaks in the action, and dozens of star performers playing live.
Seven years ago, Clark also produced the ACM Awards show at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. But it isn’t quite the same scene.
“Because of Dallas in 2015, I kind of know what this will be like, but it will a lot different,” Clark, who has produced every ACM Awards show since 1999, said last week. “First of all, the stadium is gorgeous, and we want to show that. So you will see a much more immersive experience, where our stage is not just at one end of the stadium. We’re in the middle of the stadium. We’re in the promenade, the Al Davis Memorial Torch, we’re coming out of the Twitch Lounge with a performance, and we’re walking through the aisles.”
Expect the show to feel like many shows rolled into a single telecast, streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video at 5 p.m. Pacific. For the first time, the show is not airing on network TV. But it has played Vegas for several years, at Mandalay Bay Events Center, MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena before moving to Nashville during COVID over the past two years.
The glorious home of the Raiders helped bring the show back to Vegas.
“We’re really embracing being in the stadium, which is really different for an awards show,” Clark said. “Plus, we’re going two hours! With no commercials! That’s great!”
Feel free to interpret Clark’s sarcasm. Commercial breaks are important to set the next set of awards announcements and performances. For Monday’s event, those sets will be moved in even as songs are being broadcast.
“For the live experience, I feel it will be much more compelling for the people sitting, because wer’re going to keep you captivated with nonstop entertainment,” said Clark, son of broadcast legend Dick Clark. “We’ve shortened the awards presentations, to pick up the pace. There will be less talking, more music.”
Entertainment legend Dolly Parton hosts, alongside newcomers to the ACM Awards stage, Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett. Parton is set to perform “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans” with Kelsea Ballerini from her latest album, “Run, Rose, Run.”
Kelly Clarkson will pay tribute to Parton with “I Will Always Love You.”
Two of the Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas headliners, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood, are also on the bill. Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, Walker Hayes, Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne and Brittney Spencer are among the all-star performers.
Underwood, Church, Stapleton, Luke Combs and Miranda Lambert are nominated for the night’s top honor, Entertainer of the Year.
The mass of superstars visiting Las Vegas for the ACM Awards leads to inevitable speculation that the show will sit in Vegas for a spell.
“It all depends on one broadcast, and the economics of it,” Clark said. “From the production side, what we have is very adaptable than what you’re used to seeing on awards shows. No disrespect to other shows, but, but I know that Amazon didn’t want this to feel like just another award show they wanted to (do) differently, which is why we’re two hours, which is why there are no commercials, which is why we’re in a stadium.
“Looking into the crystal ball, I can see us staying at Allegiant regularly.”
Paak-ing in the shows
Anderson .Paak of Silk Sonic has visited “Love” and Shin Lim at the Mirage on Thursday, but his drop-in to Delilah on Wednesday was especially memorable. He and Usher took the stage for a quick jam on Wednesday. Bruno Mars, .Paak’s partner in the dynamite Silk Sonic show at Dolby Live, was also in the group but did not perform. He’s a shy one, I guess.
Clothes out
The very funny, and also costume-free, “Naked Boys Singing” at Erotic Heritage museum celebrated its 100th show on Sunday night. The production also said goodbye to original cast members David Hernandez, Matthew Ludwinski and Jaden Lux. Hernandez was competing on Season 7 of “American Idol” when he was sent away after the show learned he was a professional stripper. Ludwinski arrived from the “NBS” production in Provincetown, Mass., and Lux was the show’s dance captain and lead understudy. The “Naked Boys” crew is going dark through March 24.
Great Moments in Social Media
Criss Angel posted a photo on his Instagram page Saturday of him with superstar DJ Deadmau5, who had seen Angel’s “Mindfreak” at Planet Hollywood. This is a rare pic of the DJ, whose legal name is Joel Thomas Zimmerman, not wearing his famous mouse head and ears. And, the Angel-Franco Dragone partnership “Amystika,” the variety production set up as the prequel to “Mindfreak,” opens for previews Friday.
Cool Hang Alert
The Nevada Room Radio Theatre Presents series continues at 6 p.m. (dinner) and 7:30 p.m. (show) Wednesday. “The Mystery of the Golden Chip at The Glass Slipper” is the mystery-comedy show, set at the Glass Slipper Casino, which might be based on the Silver Slipper. I say yes. The series is a live performance of a vintage 1950s-era radio show, with Vegas faves in the speaking roles. This week the cast features Nevada Room co-founders Chef David Robinson (as narrator) and Tom Michel(piano) with vocalist Katy Monroe; Linda Woodson, Jenny Malcomb of Catch 21 and Sean Stephenson.
The production embraces music and commercials from the period. The cost is $15 for the show, additional $24.50 for the three-course meal, or order a la carte. Go to vegasnevadarooms.com for details.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
