ACM Weekend Updates

Whoa, nelly, it’s gonna be a crazy busy weekend in Las Vegas for servants of the country music industry. The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards is scheduled for Sunday, April 1 and the telecast will air live from the MGM Garden Grand Arena at 8 pm ET on CBS, but there’s a ton of stuff happening surrounding the ceremony. Here’s a rundown of the all the latest ACM-related news:

But Awards day arrives, Darius Rucker will host the 2012 ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic on Saturday, March 31 at TPC Las Vegas. The annual scramble tournament benefits the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which supports those in need in the music industry.

Also on Saturday (3/31), NRA Country will present ACM Concert — Salute to the Military at 7:30 pm PST during the ACM Experience. The free, open to the public event will be hosted by HLN’s Robin Meade at the Mandalay Bay’s Country Thunder Stage and feature performers Lee Brice, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, JT Hodges, Kip Moore, Craig Morgan, and Thompson Square.

For the Awards Show on April 1, Legendary comedian and bluegrass musician Steve Martin has been added to the performance lineup, and he will showcase his banjo skills in a unique collaboration with Rascal Flatts during their single “Banjo.” The pairing is the latest in a series of collaborative performances that include Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw; Blake Shelton and Lionel Richie; and Toby Keith with some as-yet-unnamed surprise guests. Other performers include Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Bradley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride with Pat Monahan, Scotty McCreery, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Chris Young, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, and Little Big Town.

Newly added presenters on the show include Zac Brown, Brantley Gilbert, Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth, LL Cool J, Scotty McCreery, The Band Perry, KISS, Sugarland, and Thompson Square. Previously announced presenters include Beth Behrs, Hunter Hayes, Lionel Richie, Taylor Swift and Nancy O’Dell.

Great American Country will be on hand to give pre-show red carpet coverage of artist arrivals. ACM Red Carpet Live airs on GAC at 7 pm ET with hosts Suzanne Alexander, Nan Kelley, and Storme Warren.

Check back with musicrow.com during the show for a list of winners, updated in real time.