Oklahoma City, OK (April 6, 2015) - The
beginning of 2015 was a strong one for the SMG-managed Chesapeake Energy Arena
in Oklahoma City. The arena ranked 20th in the United States and 50th
worldwide in ticket sales for the first quarter of 2015 according to Pollstar’s
listing of the Top 100 arena venues.
This is
the highest Chesapeake Energy Arena has ranked among U.S. venues in the
first-quarter Pollstar chart since it
was 18th in 2008. It’s also the highest worldwide Pollstar ranking for the arena at the
end of any quarter since it was 48th at the end of the first quarter
in 2013.
“It’s
been a thrilling start to the year,” General Manager Gary Desjardins said. “I’d
like to thank the event promoters and our staff for their hard work and
dedication during these last three months. We look forward to more top acts
coming to Oklahoma City throughout 2015.”
The
first quarter of the year saw several exciting touring shows make their way to
the arena, including four of the Top 10 selling tours according to Pollstar: Eric Church, the Harlem
Globetrotters, Miranda Lambert and Winter Jam. Chesapeake Energy Arena also
welcomed back Cirque du Soleil for seven performances of Varekai.
Along
with the Globetrotters and Winter Jam, the arena welcomed other annual staples
Professional Bull Riders and Monster Jam during the first three months of the
year. It was also a quarter of firsts for the arena as Oklahoma native Charlie
Wilson made his first stop there. Marvel Universe Live made its first ever trip
to the state of Oklahoma with six performances.
In
addition to these touring shows, Chesapeake Energy Arena hosted 20 Oklahoma
City Thunder home games, four Oklahoma City Blue home games and an NCAA Women’s
Basketball Regional in the first quarter of 2015.
The
arena has already announced more big-name tours for this year, including two
that were in Pollstar’s Top 10 from
the first quarter: Fleetwood Mac April 17 and Foo Fighters Sept. 29. Other shows
coming to the arena include Kevin Hart April 11, New Kids on the Block May 18,
Eagles May 20, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey June 25-28, Def Leppard Aug.
10 and Shania Twain Aug. 12.
In March
2016, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament returns to Oklahoma City with first-
and second-round games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
A
full schedule of upcoming events at Chesapeake Energy Arena can be found at
ChesapeakeArena.com. The full Top 100 arena ranking and Top 100 tour ranking is
available in the most recent issue of Pollstar.
