Limelight Imaging was honored to be on hand in Arlington, Texas the weekend of April 17 thru April 19 as many of the biggest names in country music gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Academy of Country Music Awards. Many parties and galas took place in and around Arlington and Dallas, Texas that weekend. We were fortunate to be able to attend the daytime events of the two-day "Party For A Cause" held at Globe Life Park, the beautiful baseball complex of the Texas Rangers.
The "party" served as a fundraiser for ACM Lifting Lives. One of the charities benefiting from this event was Segs 4 Vets, an organization providing Segways and similar vehicles for severely disabled vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The daytime party was held on the north lawn of the stadium and featured two stages.
Friday's performers included many talented young and up-and-coming acts: Dan + Shay, Mo Pitney, Kelsea Ballerini, Cole Swindell, Michael Ray, and The Josh Abbott Band.
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| Kelsea Ballerini |
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| Mo Pitney |
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| Cole Swindell |
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| Michael Ray |
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| Josh Abbott |
Of course, a few more experienced performers where also on hand to show the younger generation just how it is done: Kristian Bush from Sugarland, and Montgomery Gentry, to name a few.
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| Kristian Bush |
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| Montgomery Gentry |
Saturday's performances included: Maddie and Tae, Frankie Ballard, Sam Hunt, Brett Eldredge, Kip Moore, Old Dominion, and The Gatlin Brothers.
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| Chase Bryant |
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| Dylan Scott |
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| Frankie Ballard |
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| Kenny Foster |
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| Kip Moore |
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| Old Dominion |
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| Sam Hunt |
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| Tyler Farr |
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| Larry Gatlin of The Gatlin Brothers |
Each of these two evenings brought out even more stars for a special concert of duets which were recorded for broadcast by CBS television in May. Unfortunately, Texas weather can be very unpredictable in the spring and major thunderstorms rolled in each evening just as the concerts began, resulting in 2 to 3 hour delays in the shows. Because of the taping, we weren't able to photograph these performances, so we are looking forward to the upcoming broadcast.
On Sunday evening, we attended the red carpet arrivals for the Academy of Country Music awards show. The 50th ACM awards show was held in the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. A record breaking crowd of more than 70,000 people attended the live show.
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| Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black |
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| Rascal Flatts |
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| The Band Perry |
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| Keith Urban |
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| Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood |
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| Steven Tyler |
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| Mickey Gilley |
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| Scotty McCreery |
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| Dan + Shay |
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| Kellie Pickler |
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| Martina McBride |
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| Dierks Bentley |
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| Luke Bryan |
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| Kacey Musgraves and grandfather |
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| Lady Antebellum |
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| Hunter Hayes |
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| Lynn Anderson |
After the red carpet arrivals, photographers and news crews were ushered into the press room set up in the stadium where we awaited award winners wishing to share their excitement with the world.
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| Milestone Award recipient - George Strait |
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| Milestone Award recipient - Reba McEntire |
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| Vocal Group of the Year - Little Big Town |
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| Newcomer of the Year - Cole Swindell |
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| Song of the Year - Lee Brice |
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| Milestone Award recipients - Brooks and Dunn |
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| Multiple award winner - Miranda Lambert |
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| Duo of the Year - Florida Georgia Line |
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| Entertainer of the Year - Luke Bryan |
