Country music fans of all stripes will be excited by this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards show. This year’s show is the 48th annual. The event has turned into a veritable monster known affectionately as The Week Vegas Goes Country®. The Awards Showis the centerpiece of the celebration of all things country music. Of course, before and after the awards show are some mighty fine live shows, such as:

• Brad Paisley hosts the Academy of Country Music’s Fan Jam at the Orleans Arena on Sunday, April 7th, 2013. Anything goes at this raucous gathering.
• On April 8th, you can watch the Superstar Summer Night with Tim McGraw, which features two hours of all sorts of musical collaborations with pop, country, rock and other genres. There are always exciting surprise guests from film and TV. Proceeds benefit the charitable arm of the ACM, Lifting Lives.
• The family-friendly ACM Experience will be held April 5 through 7 at the Orleans Hotel and Casino. The free event has interactive games, live performances and dance contests.
• A two-day outdoor music festival featuring some terrific entertainment like The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley and Kix Brooks.

The main focus of The Week Vegas Goes Country® is the awards show. This year’s categories are as competitive as ever. The Entertainer of the Year is between Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan. Choosing between these country icons won’t be easy, but it never is easy to pick the year’s best entertainer.