When Keith Urban was announced as the host of the 55th ACM Awards in 2020, no one could have predicted what a challenge that job would become. The original ceremony was postponed, due to COVID-19, later held in September, albeit without an audience.
“It was a strange sensation, walking out on the Opry stage, to empty seats with lights in them, and all the crew backstage with masks on,” Urban recalls. “It was very weird. It feels like a dream now, whatever that was. It was very strange.”
At the time, Urban was grateful to be able to have the ceremony at all, even though it looked much different than any of the ACM Awards in the past.
“We did a couple of concerts via Zooms and stuffs from that warehouse through that period,” Urban remembers. “I even did a drive-in concert. We were already doing stuff, either where there was no audience, or there was a limited kind of audience situation. So that wasn’t a stretch for me. And I did love the idea that we could keep the lights on for everybody at home, and give them something to hold on to. Keep them moving.
“It’s always nice to know you’re not alone, going through something alone,” he continues. “Everybody’s got their own experience with what’s happening. But if we can all be connected while it’s happening, it helps. And it was pretty extraordinary to watch people put all that aside and just look at the greater good of the ACMs coming to everybody’s homes, or wherever anybody was watching.”
Urban handled his role gracefully, even as he tried to steer a live show without any audience members.
“As many of you know, this show was supposed to take place in Las Vegas in April, but was postponed due to the lockdown,” Urban said at the time. “But tonight, we’re back. Of course, due to the COVID world that we’re living in right now, we won’t have an audience here, but we have everyone of you watching wherever you’re watching us right now. Thank you so much, every one of you.”
The “Straight Line” singer surprisingly did not receive any nominations this year. But he still has plenty to look forward to in 2025. Urban will kick off his High and Alive World Tour next month, joined by Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins.
“We should have toured last year,” Urban admits to Everything Nash and other outlets, during a recent media event. “That was the plan, but I scrapped an album and ended up making HIGH, and so that pushed me off a year, which is fine because I’m much happier with this album and especially the songs that we get to play live. “‘Straight Line,’ ‘Chuck Taylors,’ ‘Laughin’ All the Way To The Drank,’ ‘Wildside’ — there are so many fiery, energized, up-tempo songs, which I love playing live and especially outdoors, summer. That’s my jam.”
“I feel like a racehorse at the starting gate, just kicking at the stalls, trying to get out,” he adds. “I can see the track and I’m like, just let me at it.”
This year’s ACM Awards will be hosted by Reba McEntire. The show will air live on May 8 on Amazon Prime. The ceremony will take place on May 8 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Find all of Urban’s music and upcoming shows at KeithUrban.com.