It’s Strait to Las Vegas for Las Vegas Arena

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Mark Damon / Las Vegas News Bureau

George Strait announces an exclusive engagement in Las Vegas in 2016 at a news conference Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, at MGM Grand. Strait will be among the first entertainers to perform at the Las Vegas Arena set to open in April.

Published Tue, Sep 22, 2015 (10:23 a.m.)

Updated Tue, Sep 22, 2015 (12:59 p.m.)

George Strait to Play Las Vegas Arena

George Strait announces an exclusive engagement in Las Vegas in 2016 at a news conference Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, at MGM Grand. Strait will be among the first entertainers to perform at the Las Vegas Arena scheduled to open in April. Launch slideshow »

George Strait at MGM Grand: 2/1/14

George Strait performs during his “The Cowboy Rides Away Tour” stop at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014. Launch slideshow »

George Strait Tribute @MGM Grand

Montgomery Gentry. Launch slideshow »

The first entertainer announced to perform at Las Vegas Arena is a solid, and Strait, individual.

The man dubbed the King of Country Music and a proven Las Vegas commodity, George Strait, was announced today as one of the first entertainers to perform at Las Vegas Arena during a news conference at MGM Grand.

Strait was to appear during a news conference this morning, where dates, prices and other details were to be announced. It is expected that a series of shows will be announced at the 20,000-seat venue.

The show announcement coincides with the release of Strait’s new album, “Cold Beer Convo,” due out Oct. 15. The first single, “Cold Beer Convo,” is released to country music radio stations Wednesday.

The 63-year-old country music legend has routinely sold out MGM Grand Garden Arena. He opened Cowboys Stadium in 2009 and has sold 70 million records worldwide.

Just announced: Dates are April 22-23 and Sept. 9-10, 2016. Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 2. Kacey Musgraves is the guest for the Las Vegas dates.

From the stage, Strait said, “I’ve played Las Vegas pretty much my entire touring career. The crowds are great. They come from all over because there is so much to do here.”

Strait has played a series of shows over the past six years at MGM Grand Garden Arena, typically during Super Bowl Weekend. Before Grand Garden Arena, he performed at Frontier, Las Vegas Hilton (where he stayed in the Elvis Suite), the Mirage (where scenes in the film “Pure Country” were filmed) and Golden Nugget.

During his remarks at today’s news conference, Strait referred to his return to the stage after “The Cowboy Rides Away Tour” of 2013-2014 and added that he wanted to continue to perform live and promote his new album.

“I said all along I wasn’t going to tour anymore, but I also said that I wasn’t retiring by any means, and I still wanted to do some dates,” he said. “I’ve been working a little bit here and there, and I’m really proud of this new album that’s coming out. I think it’s a great record. I always say this — I think it’s one of the best records I’ve done.”

Mark Prows, senior vice president of arenas for MGM Resorts, said Strait has been the rare artists who “sells out MGM Grand Garden Arena instantly whenever he plays there” and that the country legend was among the first artists to enter the discussion for who to recruit to open the venue.

“This goes back to the beginning, when we were first developing the arena, because of George’s history in Las Vegas,” Prows said.

Strait will play Las Vegas Arena in the round, as he has appeared at Grand Garden Arena, at the venue’s full 20,000-seat capacity.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

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