Before Dierks Bentley was a country superstar and the co-host of the ACM Awards, he was a young boy growing up on the West Coast.
So it’s not surprise why Dierks tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal he and Las Vegas, home of the Academy of Country Music Awards, go hand in hand.
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“I’m from Arizona, so I love the desert out West, the dry heat. It reminds me of being home,” he says. “Las Vegas and I fit well together.”
When it comes to down time in Sin City, Dierks looks forward to “sitting by the pool” and “having a drink.” “I gamble a little bit, blackjack, but I’ll save craps for Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley for when those high rollers roll into town,” he says.
In addition to being the host of the show, he’s also a three-time nominee this year.
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“You write the songs with a lot of thought and care and love and hope for the best, that fans will hear it and take it to heart and love it like you do,” he says of making music, adding that the awards are “icing on the cake.”
Watch the 52nd ACM Awards live from the T-Mobile Arena Sunday, April 2 at 8/7c on CBS.