The show had been postponed from its Jan. 31 date due to concerns over the omicron variant. This marks the first time the show will take place in Vegas. As a result, the CMT Awards also has a new date.
By Kimberly Nordyke
The 64th annual Grammy Awards ceremony has a new date — and a new location.
News came Tuesday that the show has been rescheduled and will now broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, from 8-11:30 p.m. on CBS (it also will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+). It’s the first time the show will take place in Vegas.
The show was postponed earlier this month amid the omicron surge from its original date of Jan. 31. It was scheduled to take place at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center) in Los Angeles.
However, the L.A. venue is booked up every weekend through early May, and it’s understood that Grammys producers need several days for setup and rehearsals. In fact, the Crypto.com Arena’s calendar is blank every day from Jan. 21 through Feb. 1, which would have been the day after the show, had it taken place Jan. 31 as planned.
Trevor Noah is still set to return as host. Additional details about the dates and locations of other Grammy events, including the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, MusiCares Person of the Year and the Pre-Grammy Gala, will be announced soon.
The news came via a joint announcement from the Recording Academy, CBS and CMT. As a result of the Grammy date change, the CMT Awards will now move from its originally scheduled date of April 3 to a later date in April. This year will mark the first time that the CMT Awards will air on CBS.
A slew of events have been canceled or postponed due to the surge of COVID-19 cases spurred by the omicron variant. Among the ceremonies affected were the Critics Choice Awards, the Governors Awards and the AFI Awards. BAFTA’s Tea Party has been canceled, as have a number of premiere events including those for How I Met Your Father and Peacemaker. Broadway also has seen its share of cancellations and postponements, while festivals also have changed their plans, including the Palm Springs fest (canceled) and Sundance (switched from in-person to online only).
Last year’s Grammys also were postponed amid the pandemic. The original date, which also had been Jan. 31, was ultimately moved to March 14. The ceremony featured a mix of live and pre-recorded performances, with awards handed out in front of a smaller group of nominees and other attendees.
Jon Batiste leads the nominees for this year’s Grammys, with 11 noms in total. The Oscar winner and Late Show With Stephen Colbert bandleader, who released the album We Are earlier this year, earned nods in the top categories of record of the year and album of the year.
This year, the Recording Academy expanded those two categories and the other two general field categories — song of the year and best new artist — to feature 10 nominees, up from eight.
