2019 ACM Awards: Dierks Bentley Happy to Not Be Hosting With Luke Bryan This Year

Dierks Bentley hosted the ACM Awards, alongside Luke Bryan, in 2016 and 2017, before Reba McEntire took over the duties last year, and will continue for the 2019 ACM Awards as well.. While the singer enjoyed the two years he and Bryan helmed the show, he’s just as happy to not have to do that anymore.

“Not hosting is pretty great,” Bentley shared with PopCulture.com at a recent media event. “It was fun doing it. I had two great years with Luke. We had so much fun doing it. It was fun. It was wild and crazy. But it’s also fun to just appreciate being there. I wasn’t nominated for a Grammy this year, so I just watched it from home. I could really appreciate every performance, the collaborations, all these great female performances.

“I missed not being there, because that means I’m not nominated, which is probably a bad thing for business, but it was nice to be able to step back and enjoy it,” he continued. “For me to be able to be there in the audience and no pressure, it’s definitely more fun. Luke and I had a lot of fun, but there’s a lot of energy expended and nerves and anxiousness, so I’ll take this.”

Bentley’s last time hosting was less than six months before the tragic Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting occurred, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more. Although Bentley wasn’t there the year the shooting occurred, he has previously performed at the three-day event, which makes any return to Vegas bittersweet for him.

“This was before Route 91,” Bentley explained. “It was a little bit different Vegas back then. Vegas. There’s a lot of emotions with me being in Las Vegas. I know the ACMs are not Las Vegas, but it is in Las Vegas, so they’re tied together. I get a bracelet from someone on the road. I had a Route 91 bracelet for most of the tour …. I hear a lot of stories.

“It’s a fun awards show,” he added. “I know we’re not there to talk about that. We’re there to party and to have fun, but there’s a lot of memories in that town, from hosting [the ACM Awards], to being a part of that great festival. For me, going back to Vegas every year, it brings up a lot of emotions.”

The 2019 ACM Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Bentley is nominated for four ACM Awards, including for Album of the Year for The Mountain, and Male Vocalist of the Year.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Michael Tran