Jerry Jones Domination
Academy of Country Music Awards succumbs to allure of AT&T Stadium
If Jerry Jones has his way, AT&T Stadium will play host to every big event the world has to offer. He took the next step toward that goal with the announcement that the Academy of Country Music Awards will come to the 80,000-seat stadium on April 19, 2015.
The academy obviously wanted to make a splash with next year's awards, as it marks the 50th anniversary of the annual celebration. Whether this is a one-off thing to make a big deal of that anniversary or a recurring event remains to be seen. The awards had been in Las Vegas since 2003.
Jerry Jones doesn't mind jokes at his expense. He's laughing all the way to the bank.
The announcement was made during Sunday's night telecast of the 2014 ACM Awards as part of the show opening by hosts Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, who will also host next year.
Bryan and Shelton even took potshots at Jones, noting that AT&T Stadium has hosted many big events — but only one Dallas Cowboys playoff game.
Jones later took the stage to present an award with George Strait, who'll be putting on his own big event at the stadium on June 7. Jones was roundly booed, just as he was at the Final Four on Saturday, although he's probably laughing all the way to the bank.
As it was in Las Vegas, the event will be more than just the ceremony itself. Globe Life Park will help out by hosting the ACM Party for a Cause: 50 Years of Music & Memories, a two-day music festival, on April 17-18, 2015. The festival will include multiple stages of live performances, interactive experiences, a country marketplace with food trucks and vendors from around the country, and more.
In addition to the ACM Awards, the stadium has hosted major events like the Super Bowl, Final Four, NBA All-Star Game, Cotton Bowl, a Manny Pacquiao boxing match, and numerous other big college football and basketball games.
The academy is wasting no time capitalizing on the announcement, as tickets for the 2015 ACM Awards will go on sale to the general public at 10 am on Tuesday, April 15. Professional Members of the ACM and ACM A-List Members will be able to buy pre-sale tickets starting on April 10.
Tickets will be available through ACMAwards50.com, with packages ranging anywhere from $145-$585. Tickets will include both the music festival and the ACM Awards ceremony.
