Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

TWO DAYS OF FREE, OPEN-TO-THE-PUBLIC CONCERTS TO BE HELD DURING 
ACM WEEKEND ON FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE FRIDAY, MARCH 30 & SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012

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WEEKEND FEATURES LUKE BRYAN AND ERIC CHURCH,

ACM NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR NOMINEES AND SPECIAL GUESTS

EVENINGS HOSTED BY BLAIR GARNER 

WHAT:  The Academy of Country Music is hosting two days of all-star concerts at Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas during The Week Vegas Goes   Country®! The weekend-long party leading up to the 47^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be hosted by three-time ACM On-Air Personality of the Year Award winner Blair Garner, host of After MidNite with Blair Garner, and will feature performances by ACM New Artist of the Year nominees Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes and Scotty McCreery as well as Love and Theft and headliner Luke Bryan on Friday, March 30^th, and Laura Bell Bundy,  Craig Campbell, Eli Young Band, Jana Kramer, and headliner Eric Church on Saturday, March 31^st. ACM Weekend on Fremont Street Experience is sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

DETAILS:         

Friday, March 30, 2012

7:00pm                 Love and Theft  (Vocal Duo of the of the Year Nominee) – 1^st Street Stage

7:55pm                 Hunter Hayes  (New Artist of the Year Nominee) – 1^st Street Stage

8:50pm                 Brantley Gilbert (New Artist of the Year Nominee) – 3^rd Street Stage

9:45pm                 Scotty McCreery (New Artist of the Year Nominee) – 1^st Street Stage

10:45pm               Luke Bryan – 3^rd Street Stage                                                                                        

Saturday, March 31, 2012                                                            

7:00pm                 Jana Kramer – 1^st Street Stage

7:55pm                 Craig Campbell – 1^st  Street Stage

8:35pm                 Eli Young Band – 3^rd Street Stage

                              (Vocal Group of the Year Nominee, Single Record of the Year Nominee & Song of the Year Nominee)

9:50pm                 Laura Bell Bundy – 1^st Street Stage

10:45pm               Eric Church (Album of the Year Nominee & Video of the Year Nominee) – 3^rd  Street Stage                                                                                

About Fremont Street Experience – Fremont Street Experience is a five-block entertainment zone in downtown Las Vegas that is one of the world’s most-visited attractions.  It features the world’s largest video screen at 1,500 feet long 90 feet above the pedestrian mall. VivaVision, with 12.5 million digital lights and a 550,000-watt sound system, dazzles visitors nightly with light & sound shows.  Encompassing 10 hotel-casinos, 60 restaurants and free entertainment, Fremont Street Experience attracts over 18 million annual visitors.  Visit www.vegasexperience.com for more information.

When “You Gonna Fly” went No. 1 for two weeks, Keith Urban decided to say thanks to the staff at Capitol Records by sending a marching band into the office to play the hit without anyone knowing they were coming.

Luke Bryan’s latest Spring Break EP, Suntan City, is available beginning Tuesday (March 6th). He follows up the release with a pair of shows in Panama City Beach, Florida for his annual Spring Break concert at the Spinnaker Beach Club March 13th and 14th. He grew up a few hours from Panama City, so he and his family would make the trek to the beach quite often. “I think the beach just makes you feel good, just being out on the water, the salt air all that stuff,” says Luke. “As a boy we went [on] vacations there, and so there’s nothing like rolling the windows down and smelling the beach when you’re rolling into town.”

• Luke’s previous EP releases, which can all be found online at digital retailers, include 2009’s Spring Break…with All My Friends followed in 2010 with Spring Break 2…Hangover Edition and last year’s Spring Break 3…It’s A Shore Thing.
• Following his recent No. 1 single, “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” the Georgia native has hit the airwaves with his latest single, “Drunk on You.” 

AUDIO: Luke Bryan is headed to Panama City Beach in a couple of weeks to put on a pair of shows to celebrate the release of his latest Spring Break EP, Suntan City. Even as a kid, Luke always enjoyed going to the beach.

Luke Bryan (PCB) OC: …rolling into town. :22

“I grew up three hours from Panama City. I mean I think everybody has an attraction to the water and the beach, the lake and rivers and all that stuff, and I’ve always been that way. I think the beach just makes you feel good, just being out on the water, the salt air all that stuff. So, yeah, as a boy we went [on] vacations there, and so there’s nothing like rolling the windows down and smelling the beach when you’re rolling into town.”

Lady Antebellum‘s Own the Night remains at the top of the Billboard country album chart. The collection features their current Top 10 single, “Dancin’ Away With My Heart,” as well as their two previous No. 1 singles, “Just a Kiss” and “We Owned the Night.” Luke Bryan’s tailgates & tanlines is No. 2 on the country album chart.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott say they spent more time working on their Own the Night CD than they did their previous outings.

Lady A (more time on OTN) OC: (Dave) …every day. :21

DAVE: “Not to sound like a cliché, but I mean we spent more time on this one than we did on the first two.” HILLARY: “Which we had more time. We definitely, we took more time off to record this album, which really was a luxury, you know? The past two we’ve had to record pretty quickly, so it was nice to have about five months to record this one.” DAVE: “So, we were in there almost every day.”

During their show in Nashville last week, Lady A surprised the crowd with a few guest performances. Sara Evans and Luke Bryan came out to share the stage and wow the crowd with Charles, Hillary and Dave. Check out the band’s latest edition of Webisode Wednesday!

In this episode of Urban Developments, Keith Urban and his band are in the studio for the recording of ‘For You’ for the Act of Valor film.

Nashville, TN – Feb. 27, 2012 – Award-winning singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley’s anthemic title track and current single “Home” is resonating with fans across the border as it climbs into the No. one spot on Canada’s Mediabase Country Chart this week. Though inspired by domestic struggles, the track’s relatable global message of strife, strength and optimism is unifying fans everywhere.
 
“Dierks may have had America in mind with ‘Home,’ but the fact it went to No. one in Canada shows that the song has universal appeal,” said EMI Music Canada’s Ron Harwood.  “We are all proud of where we are from.  We’ve all faced tough times recently.  We all know that things can be better again.  It is a song that reflects on our own past and gives hope for a bright future, regardless of where you call ‘home.’”
 
“The gorgeous title track tastefully expounds on American patriotism…without resorting to blatant flag waving. Bentley once again affirms he is not your run of the mill country act.”  – Winnipeg Free Press

“Home” continues to strike a chord with fans in the U.S. as it also climbs through the Top five at country radio this week. Last week, Bentley wrapped the Canadian leg of his 2012 Country & Cold Cans Tour, which will next visit fans in Australia early next month before its 20-city U.S. spring run. For a full list of upcoming tour dates and more on the new album, visit www.dierks.com.