Getting his country on

Surprising English pop superstar to perform at ACM Awards in Frisco

Ed Sheeran will perform at the ACMs.

Photo by Greg Williams

England's biggest pop star didn't make the cut for his new king and queen's coronation concert last weekend. Turns out, he was setting his sights on a different kind of country royalty. Ed Sheeran will perform at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco on Thursday, May 11 at The Star in Frisco.

He joins a previously announced lineup that includes Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Ashley McBryde, Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Cole Swindell, Keith Urban, Morgan Wallen, The War And Treaty, Lainey Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman taking the stage at show, hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks.

The big, glaring difference being that Sheeran is not a country music singer - although he has collaborated with Luke Combs and Chris Stapleton, and has been spotted hanging out at Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe.

He is undoubtedly a superstar who is in every spotlight right now, from recently winning a court case in which he was accused of copying the Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his own hit “Thinking Out Loud,” to a new Disney+ docuseries called Ed Sheeran: The Sum of it All.

Currently on his “+ - = ÷ x” (Mathematics) World Tour, Sheeran also just played a big show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Saturday, May 6. Two shows in one week - he's practically an honorary North Texan.

A press release does not explain why Sheeran was chosen to perform at the ACM Awards, what he'll sing, or with whom he may collaborate, but it promises he'll be "adding an electrifying moment to an already-packed evening of powerhouse performances."

The ACM Awards will be free to stream live for a global audience across more than 240 countries and territories exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch (it'll also stream for free the next day on Amazon Freevee).

The show gets started 6 pm Thursday, May 11 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco. There are still a limited number of tickets remaining (starting around $400) via SeatGeek, organizers say.

As with any worldwide, Super Bowl-level event, there'll be many happenings leading up to it, including an ACM Lifting Lives benefit concert headlined by country music bad boy Morgan Wallen.

The Awards are being preceded by "ACM Awards Week," an entire slate of prelude parties, including:

ACM Country Kickoff at The Star, a two-day music and entertainment festival which is open to the public, free to all fans, and does not require tickets - May 9-10.
ACM Songs & Stories Powered by The Bluebird Cafe + NSAI, a private industry celebration of the top songwriters of the past year
A Dolly Parton-branded pop-up shop

The 2023 edition of the Academy of Country Music Awards will mark a return to Texas for the first time since the landmark 50th ACM Awards, which took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in 2015.

ACM Awards Ed Sheeran Frisco celebrities concerts

World cup watch

Cedar Hill park to host free World Cup watch party for key USA game

Photo by Fauzan Saari on Unsplash

An outdoor watch party for USA vs. Turkey will take place in Cedar Hill.

Cedar Hill is officially in the game. The suburb southwest of downtown Dallas will host a free public watch party for a FIFA World Cup match featuring the U.S. Men's National Team.

According to a release, Visit Cedar Hill will turn Signature Park into a soccer fan zone for a free outdoor viewing of the USA vs. Türkiye match on Thursday, June 25. The event will include food trucks, music, giveaways, and a big-screen broadcast of the game.

The party will run from 5-10:30 pm at Signature Park, located at 450 Pioneer Trail. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 pm.

The Türkiye match will be the third and final game in the group stage for Team USA and will be played at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium.

Leading up to the match, attendees in Cedar Hill can enjoy a live DJ set by Chasquis Records and food trucks from Food Truck League from 5-9 pm. Free popcorn and giveaways will be available throughout the evening, and beer and wine will be available for purchase from Mudhook from 6-9:30 pm.

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets for the outdoor viewing.

“Soccer has a way of bringing people together, and we’re excited to turn that energy into a summer night that draws visitors, supports local businesses, and showcases the spirit of Cedar Hill,” said Michelle Ebanks, destination manager for Visit Cedar Hill, in the release.

The Cedar Hill watch party is part of a big slate

World Cup festivities planned across North Texas. Arlington's AT&T Stadium, dubbed "Dallas Stadium" for the tournament, will host nine World Cup matches, while a FIFA Fan Fest will take place at Dallas' Fair Park and watch parties will take place in bars, parks, and other venues across Dallas-Fort Worth.

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