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Photo: KFC Yum! Center

After months of anticipation, multi-platinum selling, Grammy-nominated Chicago band Fall Out Boy released their seventh studio album M A  N   I    A  on Island Records/DCD2 Records. The album is available across all DSPs NOW. The band also released a new music video for the track “Church” directed by Daveion Thompson – watch HERE.

Fall Out Boy will bring M A  N   I    A on the road to 25+ U.S. cities beginning August 29 in Uniondale, NY with special guest Machine Gun Kelly on all dates. Gym Class Heroes, Every Time I Die, Against The Current, State Champs, L.I.F.T., and nothing,nowhere will each join the tour on select dates to be announced. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Monday, January 22 at 10am local through Thursday, January 25 at 10pm local. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday, January 26 at 10 a.m. local time. For complete presale details and ticket information, please visit www.ticketmaster.com. $1 from every ticket sold will go to the Fall Out Boy Fund benefiting charities throughout Chicago. Prior to the U.S. run, the band will continue their global tour with dates across Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Asia.

On September 8, Fall Out Boy will return to their hometown for a special homecoming milestone – their first-ever headline show at Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Field. The band previously performed at Wrigley as MLB’s first-ever live musical performance on Opening Night in April 2015. Most recently, Fall Out Boy took over the 7th inning stretch and sang “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” on September 16, 2017 when the Cubs hosted the St. Louis Cardinals – a game at which Pete Wentz also had the honor of throwing the game’s ceremonial first pitch.

“I grew up going to games with my dad at Wrigley,” says Pete Wentz. “This stadium contains so much magic from being a kid…. I can’t think of somewhere closer to me to come home and play a show at in Chicago.”

The band celebrated the album’s release this week with performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night and Good Morning America this morning, along with an appearance on MTV’s TRL on Wednesday. They will perform on The Late Late Show with James Corden on January 31.

Photo: KFC Yum! Center

Promising to be the Tour of the Year, two of the world’s greatest rock bands – DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY – are teaming up for a massive co-headlining North American tour composed of both stadium and arena concerts, half the shows being closed by Journey and  half by Def Leppard. The tour, promoted by Live Nation, kicks off May 21st in Hartford, Connecticut, at the XL Center and will feature complete sets and all-new production from both bands, and an arsenal of their hits such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Lights,” “Photograph,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Rock of Ages” and “Faithfully.” Tickets go on sale beginning Saturday, February 3, at LiveNation.com.

The 58-city tour will hit ten stadiums – Toronto’s Rogers Centre; Atlanta’s Sun Trust Park; Detroit’s Comerica Park; Chicago’s Wrigley Field; Denver’s Coors Field; Minneapolis’ Target Field; Boston’s Fenway Park; St. Louis’ Busch Stadium; San Francisco’s AT&T Park; and San Diego’s Petco Park – as well as world-famous arenas, such as Madison Square Garden in New York and the ‘Fabulous’ Forum in Inglewood, California.

Neal Schon said, “These co-headlining Journey/Def Leppard dates will be epic classic rock shows. So many hits. It will be great to see you all, friends!”

Said Joe Elliott, “This tour is going to be a blast! We’ve toured together before and it was massive.  This time it’s going to be even bigger and better!”

Jonathan Cain added, “We are all anxious to share our sound with the world again and, along with Def Leppard, we are part of a world-class package to the rock stage that spans decades and represents a multi-platinum legacy.”

Added Rick Savage of Def Leppard, “12 years ago we embarked on a US tour with Journey and it was an absolute blast. Looking forward to hooking up again. Believe me, this will be even more spectacular.”

Photo: KFC Yum! Center

Award-winning Country duo Sugarland announced today their highly-anticipated return to the stage with the Still The Same Tour, beginning this Spring in the US. With numerous Grammy, ACM and CMA Awards, chart-topping hits and MULTI-PLATINUM sales, the pair’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush will bring their new live show to 48 cities, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville and Louisville on Saturday, July 28, 2018. The first leg of the tour will feature opening acts Brandy Clark and Clare Bowen, while Frankie Ballard and Lindsay Ell will accompany the pair for the second half.

“We are thrilled to head back out on the road together as this has been a long time coming for the both of us!” said Nettles. “And to have Brandy, Clare, Frankie and Lindsay join us will make our return really special.”

“Can’t wait to get back out there and share our new music with the best fans on earth!” Bush continued. “It will be great to hear everyone singing the old favorites along with us all summer.”

Tickets for the Still The Same 2018 Tour will go on sale starting Friday, January 12 at 10:00am local time. Beginning today, fans in select cities will have the opportunity to purchase VIP packages which includes an opportunity to meet Sugarland, attend a pre-show VIP sound check, access to exclusive tour lithographs and more.

Since the band’s inception in 2002, Sugarland has sold nearly 10 million albums domestically, earned seven No. 1 singles to date and amassed over 260 million on-demand streams. Their critical and mainstream appeal has been magnified with countless industry accolades over the course of their career. The hitmakers recently released “Still The Same,” their first new music in seven years, aptly setting the tone for their joint venture with Big Machine Records and UMG Nashville; this summer’s tour shares its name. This rejuvenation of their musical vision remains true to the authentic sound and emotive songwriting that has made Sugarland one of the most popular Country music duos of all time.

 

photo credit: Jamesmac96

 

Venue industry publication, Pollstar Magazine, released its 2017 Year-End Worldwide Ticket Sales rankings and AEG Facilities’ managed KFC Yum! Center is ranked 24th in the nation and 50th in the world for ticket sales by venue, having sold more than 386,000 tickets in 2017. The arena broke its records for total tickets sold and total number of concerts hosted in a calendar year, both set in 2014.

AEG Facilities, the KFC Yum! Center’s management group, owns, operates or is affiliated with 26 of the top 100 arenas worldwide, including the No. 1 ranked The O2 in London.

Multiple factors contributed to the success of the arena including the record breaking number of concerts, quality of artists who performed at the venue and fan support. Of the 29 total concerts hosted at the KFC Yum! Center in 2017, 14 sold out and three were ranked in the top 10 tours in the world, including Guns N Roses, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. The Louisville community visited the venue in record numbers, but more than half of the venue’s ticket sales came from regions outside Louisville, including Lexington, Cincinnati, Evansville and Indianapolis.

The KFC Yum! Center is excited for a strong slate of amazing shows in 2018, including Kid Rock, Luke Bryan, P!nk, Maroon 5, among many others.

*Value includes concerts and family shows only; does not include sporting events, private meetings or trade shows

Photo: LiveNation

Singer/Songwriter Rod Stewart, the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-music icon, today announced plans for an extensive North American summer tour.  Following the incredible success and rave reviews for their 2017 summer tour, Stewart has invited the legendary Cyndi Lauper to again join him as the tour’s special guest.  Produced by Live Nation, the 22-date tour begins June 25 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA with performances scheduled at some of the most storied venues across North America including Madison Square Garden in New York on Aug. 7, Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Aug. 1, Budweiser Stage in Toronto on Aug. 10, Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Francisco on Aug. 29 and more. The tour will come the KFC Yum! Center July 29, 2018. Tickets start at $42.75 each.

Pre-sales begin Tuesday, January 9 at 10:00 a.m. local time; tickets will go on sale to the general public starting Friday, January 12 at 10:00 a.m. local time via www.livenation.com. For complete details on presales, ticketing and tour information, please visit: https://fanclub.rodstewart.com/, LiveNation.com or CyndiLauper.com.

Citi® is the official presale credit card for select markets of the Rod Stewart with Special Guest Cyndi Lauper tour. As such, Citi® cardmembers will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning January 9 at 10:00 a.m. local time until Thursday, January 11 at 10:00 p.m. local time through Citi’s Private Pass® Program. For complete pre-sale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.

photo credit: Jamesmac96

The Louisville Arena Authority and the KFC YUM! Center announced the successful refunding of its outstanding debt.  Scott C. Cox, the Arena Authority Chairman, stated that “we are pleased with the restructuring of the LAA’s debt. The new structure will allow the KFC YUM! Center to continue to operate as a world class facility for all Kentuckians.”

The weighted average interest rate for the 2017 issue is 4.544%. The weighted average interest rate for the 2008 issue was 6.455%.  This almost two percent reduction in the weighted interest rate will result in tremendous savings for Kentucky taxpayers.

The bonds were sold to institutional investors across the United States and to individuals in Kentucky.

Chairman Cox emphasized his appreciation for the partnership that achieved the KFC YUM! Center’s new investment grade rating.  Governor Matt Bevin, Senate President Robert Stivers, former Speaker Jeff Hoover and current Speaker David Osborne, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, the Louisville Metro Council and its President David Yates, and President Greg Postel of the University of Louisville and Mr. J. David Grissom, Chairman of the Board of U of L’s Board of Trustees all deserve great credit for their help in restructuring and improving the KFC YUM! Center’s finances.

Mayor Greg Fischer said, “Congratulations go to the KFC YUM! Center team for a successful bond sale, which will result in savings of many millions of dollars for our community.  This positive step is the result of the City, Commonwealth and the University of Louisville working together for the benefit of citizens and the local economy.”

Hilliard Lyons served as the financial advisor to the Arena for the refinancing and Bank of America Merrill Lynch led a twelve member underwriting team that brought the issue to market this week in New York.

The KFC YUM! Center is managed by AEG Facilities.

photo credit: Jamesmac96

The undisputed queen of R&B and hip hop Grammy –award winning platinum selling recording artist, Mary J. Blige, will be in concert on Saturday, September 23, 2017. Special guests Grammy nominated JOE and Stokely will perform on her “Strength of a Woman” tour at the KFC Yum! Center.

Mary J. Blige will be performing records from her new album “Strength of a Woman ‘” plus huge repertoire of hip-hop soul anthems that include the hits; You Remind Me, Real Love, I’m Going Down, Mary Jane (All Night Long), Not Gon’ Cry, As, Dance For Me, No More Drama.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, July 14 at noon. Tickets will be available at the KFC Yum! Center Box Office online at Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

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