Will the much anticipated 2022 Grammys make its way to Sin City?
After being postponed because of the sudden surge of the Omicron variant in the United States, the Grammys might be going to Las Vegas for this year.
A Billboard source says that the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas might host the Grammy Awards in 2022.
Other venues for the rescheduled awards show are being considered by the Academy, according to insiders; but the Recording Academy has quietly "put a hold on" the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena has gone from a backup plan venue to the front-runner in just two days, owing to a lack of suitable replacement venues in the Los Angeles area.
In terms of hosting the 2022 Grammy Awards, the venue already met two crucial requirements of the event - its availability in April 2022 (the tentative rescheduled date) and it's 17,000 seat capacity that is large enough to cater to the attendees of the annual event.
The last requirement
In contrast to the AEG-owned Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center), which has hosted the Grammy Awards 19 times in 22 years, the MGM Grand Garden Arena does not provide luxury suites.
According to insiders, the Recording Academy, which makes millions of dollars in sales each year by leasing Crypto.com Arena's 172 suites for "music's greatest night," might be forced to make a significant financial compromise as a result of the lack of suites.
However, moving the Grammys to April or May leaves a somewhat limited pool of venue choices for the Academy to choose from.
While a springtime ceremony should provide ample time for the omicron surge to subside, it also means that the Crypto.com Arena and practically every other major professional sports arena in the country can no longer be used because of the start of Playoffs for the NHL and NBA.
If the show pushes through in Sin City, this will be the first time that a Grammy telecast has been hosted in a city where the Recording Academy does not have a chapter.
Since the initial live broadcast of the Grammy Awards in 1971, the event has been staged 39 times in Los Angeles, 11 times in New York, and once in Nashville (in 1973).
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