“I’ll never forget that,” said George Strait after singing “Pancho and Lefty” with fellow Texan and country music icon Willie Nelson on Friday night (April 29), a rare collaboration coordinated to celebrate the grand opening of Austin’s new Moody Center arena — a venue that the Oak View Group, Live Nation and the University of Texas, who partnered to create it, are hoping will be similarly unforgettable. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The arena, situated on the southeastern corner of Texas’ main campus, technically opened April 20 with a John Mayer concert, and hosted several acts (including Bon Jovi and Justin Bieber) prior to last Friday. But the official grand opening came with last weekend’s sold-out two-night celebration — with Nelson, St...
The 55-year-old Forum in Los Angeles has landed a new naming partner. Going forward, the Southern California arena will be known as the Kia Forum. Automotive company Kia has become the naming rights and official automotive partner for the arena, which used to serve as the home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. “Kia America is proud of our history in Southern California going back to the establishment of our US Headquarters here in 1992, and so we all celebrate now being part of one of the most historic, and emotionally-connected live entertainment and sports venues in California – if not the world,” said Kia America vp of marketing Russell Wager in a release. “We are thrilled to be a part of the entertainment and excitement of live music and events at the Kia Forum moving forward.” The Foru...
Months after finalizing the purchase of Spectra, Tim Leiweke‘s Oak View Group has rebranded its OVG Facilities division as OVG360 and announced plans to launch a new suite of services for its venue management and hospitality clients. The news comes after six years of rapid growth across Oak View Group in partnership with music executive Irving Azoff and private equity firm Silver Lake, going from six employees in 2015 to more than 25,000 employees and more than $5.3 billion in deployed capital across nine projects, including the recently opened Savannah Enmarket Arena in Georgia. Last year, Oak View Group opened the $1.2 billion, 18,100-seat Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle as well as UBS Arena, a $1.1 billion multi-purpose, state-of-the-art arena located on the grounds of Belmont Park in E...
The planned mid-January opening of Savannah’s new 9,500-seat sports and concert arena has been pushed back, with city officials blaming the coronavirus and supply chain problems. The $140 million Enmarket Arena had been scheduled to open in the past week with concerts by Earth, Wind and Fire on Thursday and Riley Green on Friday. But the venue remains unfinished, and both shows have been postponed until early February. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “It is disappointing to have to take a step back and hit the pause button,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told reporters at a news conference. He added: “However, that disappointment does not eclipse the necessity of being sure we have a complete, safe facility, with all the necessary inspections in-hand.” Construction crews broke grou...
Reuters Liberian President and football legend George Weah has stated that the West African country should host the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in the future. Weah, who has served as Liberia’s president since January 2018 and was FIFA’s World Player of the Year (now known as the Ballon d’Or) in 1995, revealed this ambition while speaking at the official commissioning ceremony of the Samuel K Doe Sports Complex practice pitch earlier this week. The 54-year-old believes that if Liberia can build new venues, hosting the AFCON is a realistic proposition. “Everywhere they’re hosting African Cup, the only reason we can’t host it they will tell you we don’t have so many fields, we don’t have the facilities but I can assure you, we will continue to advocate and make sure the facilities are bu...
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the ambush on entourage of Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, which led to the death of security men and some operatives of Civilian-JTF. The President made the condemnation in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday. He described the attack, on Maiduguri-Baga route, as an orchestrated sabotage against long planned return of displaced persons to their local communities. Buhari noted, with deep sympathy, the loss of lives of security men on the convoy, ahead of the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), commiserating with their families and loved ones. The president advised the government of Borno, working with security and intelligence agencies, to remain firm in their determinat...
Two U.S. Senators, Democrat Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican John Cornyn of Texas, introduced a new bill designed to aid independent music and entertainment venues impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Save Our Stages Act,” rolled out Wednesday, would offer six months of financial support to help “keep venues afloat, pay employees, and preserve a critical economic sector for communities across America,” according to a press release. The coronavirus has derailed the live music business, with any indie venues temporarily closed given the higher probability of transmission in small, crowded indoor areas. As the bill notes, and as previously reported, 90% of owners, promoters and bookers are at risk of permanently closing within a few months without financial assistance. “Minnesota’...