The 51st CMA Awards Show is just a week away and you may be wondering if the show will address the recent shooting in Las Vegas.

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will serve as co-hosts of the annual awards for the tenth consecutive year. Brad recently spoke with Rolling Stone where he said that yes, the show will address the tragic shooting at the “Route 91 Harvest Festival” in Las Vegas.

He told the publication that while the subject will be a part of the show, it will not overshadow the night, “We’re not going to ignore it, but we’re not going to also dwell on that. We have to make sure we honor those we’ve lost, but we also [have to] celebrate this music, which lives on, and do a good job having the heart we need to have on that night.”

Brad explained that the theme of the show this year will be about unity and coming together as a format. That theme is felt in the promotional videos created by the Country Music Association (CMA) for the show posted at the top of the page and the bottom of the page.

Brad and Carrie will co-host the 51st CMA Awards Show live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and will feature performances by Garth Brooks, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett and Alan Jackson as well as collaborative performances by Kelsea Ballerini and Reba McEntire; Dierks Bentley and Rascal Flatts; Maren Morris and Niall Horan; and Brad Paisley and Kane Brown, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Pink, Keith Urban and an opening collaboration featuring Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Keith Urban.

The show will also reveal the winners of the awards throughout the three-hour live broadcast that begins at 7 PM central time (8 PM eastern time) Wednesday night, November 8th on ABC.

By: Buck Stevens