Awards News

Tickets now on sale for 2025 Country Music Awards in Frisco

Reba McEntire will return as host.

Photo by © Chinh Phan/Fotowerk Group

Tickets are on sale For the 60th Academy Of Country Music Awards taking place in Frisco at the Ford Center at The Star on May 8.

A pre-sale starts on February 18 which can be accessed by signing up for a newsletter at ACM A-List. General on-sale starts Friday, February 21 at 10 am at SeatGeek.

While the full lineup has yet to be announced, the show will be hosted by singer Reba McEntire.

This is the third year the ACM Awards have taken place at Ford Center in The Star District. Ford Center at The Star in Frisco opened in 2016 and serves as the practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the home to sporting events throughout the year. 2023’s ACM Awards was the first awards show to take place at Ford Center.

In a release, ACM CEO Damon Whiteside promises that this year's Awards will surpass the previous 59 years.

"This year’s ACM Awards is a celebration sixty years in the making, and we plan to make it one of the biggest and best shows yet!" Whiteside says.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones echoes that claim, stating that “the bar has been set very high during the first two years of hosting Country Music’s Party of the Year. I think we all agree, though, that the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards' 60th show is going to exceed that bar."

While there is no information on who will appear at this year's event, the 2024 show, also hosted by Reba McEntire — a two-hour concert that also streamed live on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch — drew many stars such as Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, Chris Stapleton & Dua Lipa, Cody Johnson, Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Nate Smith and Avril Lavigne, Parker McCollum, Post Malone, Thomas Rhett, and Tigirlily Gold.

The event is produced by Dick Clark Productions which also does the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, and Golden Globes. If it's an awards show producer you want, Dick Clark is the one.

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Music News

Dallas record store owner and DJ suffers catastrophic injury in fall

Chris Penn

The Dallas music community is rallying around a local figure who's been hurt in a serious accident: Chris Penn, a DJ and co-founder of music store Good Records, fell while at work and sustained serious damage, causing paralysis from the neck down.

According to a post from musician Tim DeLaughter, founder of Polyphonic Spree and co-founder of Good Records, Penn was taking down advertising decals on the store's front window on Monday March 17 when the decal unexpectedly gave way and he fell backwards landing directly on his back.

DeLaughter described the fall as "catastrophic," stating that "his spinal cord was bruised and paralysis was immediate from the neck down."

"It's going to be a long road ahead with many challenges along the way, and we're just getting started," DeLaughter said.

Penn has been in the Intensive Care Unit ever since and is being monitored around the clock. Their current focus is on getting his intubation tube removed so that he can start the journey of breathing without assistance — "that's the first step of many to come," DeLaughter said.

No visitors are allowed but they've started a GoFundMe for Chris, his wife Jennifer, and their three sons Oliver, Archie, and Grover that has already amassed more than $6,000 in donations.

There is also a link for a MealTrain for those who prefer to make donations of food.

"Please send your prayers and positive thoughts towards Chris and his family as we navigate his road to recovery," DeLaughter said. "I know. It's a lot to take in….As you can imagine, the world stopped and from that moment on it has been about Chris and what his future will look like."

DeLaughter also said that one of the first things Penn discussed — via nodding his head at letters until a word was spelled — was "order" — as in order Charlie Crockett Records for an in-store appearance this weekend.

"That pretty much sums him up, so be sure to show up for that in-store tomorrow. We’ve got some records to sell," DeLaughter said.

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