The Grammys are coming to the Strip for the first time ever
Las Vegas has won its first Grammy.
The music industry’s pre-eminent annual awards show is coming to MGM Grand Garden on April 3. The Recording Academy announced the oft-rumored move to the Strip on Tuesday morning.
“We are thrilled to become part of the Grammy Awards legacy and have the opportunity to host this year’s prestigious event at the iconic MGM Grand Garden Arena,” MGM Resorts International Vice President of Entertainment Chris Baldizan said in a statement. “We are ready to celebrate the biggest night in music in the Entertainment Capital of the World, and can’t wait to show artists, and music fans everywhere why Las Vegas throws the best party.”
The announcement was made collectively by the Recording Academy, CBS and CMT. CBS will telecast the program in place of the CMT Awards, which had been scheduled to air on the network on April 3. CMT plans to set a new date later in April.
The 64th annual Grammy Awards had been scheduled for Jan. 31 at Crypto.com Arena — formerly Staples Center — in Los Angeles, but organizers postponed it because of COVID uncertainty.
“The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah will be the master of ceremonies for the second consecutive year, as planned. Additional details about the dates and locations of other official Grammy Week events have yet to be announced, including the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, MusicCares Person of the Year event and the Pre-Grammy Gala.
The Grand Garden seats 17,000, a scale large enough to stage a lavish Grammys production. The venue has hosted the Billboard Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Latin Grammys telecasts. Reaching further back, the venue has also hosted the Espys on ESPN and the “VH1 Divas” concert special.
T-Mobile Arena would also have served as an appealing Grammys venue but is likely unavailable through April as the Vegas Golden Knights need to keep the schedule clear for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Grand Garden and T-Mobile are partnerships between MGM Resorts and event presenter AEG.
For the moment, the Grammys telecast appears to be a one-off. The music industry is centered in Los Angeles, and as Staples Center, the newly renamed Crypto.com location has hosted 19 Grammys telecasts. L.A. has hosted the show every year since 2004, the exception being the 2018 telecast from Madison Square Garden in New York.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
