As part of the multi-year joint-venture partnership between Sam Houston Race Park and Live Nation, Live Nation will serve as the exclusive booking and marketing agent for The Showgrounds.
"Sam Houston Race Park originally entered the live entertainment arena with the idea of broadening our appeal and therefore, cultivating growth opportunities and sponsorship to further develop and brand our property," said Shawn Hurwitz, Chief Executive Officer, Sam Houston Race Park. "We have experienced success with our concert events in previous years but we want to take our concert and festivals to the next level, so we decided to partner with Live Nation as they are the best in the business."
"On behalf of Live Nation, I am extremely honored to have the privilege to work with MAXXAM Inc., the Hurwitz family and their executive team on the development of The Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race Park," stated Bob Roux, President, Live Nation. "Together, we will provide an extraordinary open-air concert experience for a wide variety music fans and artists alike. I am personally very excited about our inaugural year at The Showgrounds and want to welcome back those patrons who have previously enjoyed live music at the facility. I also want extend an invitation to our new customers for them to join us for an incredible season of concert events and festivals at The Showgrounds."
"We recognized Live Nation's leadership and tremendous strength in the market immediately and welcomed the opportunity to build upon the success of last year's Verizon Wireless concert series. Live Nation's ability to coordinate high-end, quality entertainment showcasing multiple artists over multiple days allows The Showgrounds to successfully fill a void in the market place," commented Andrea Young, Chief Operating Officer, Sam Houston Race Park.
The Showgrounds will continue to build upon the success of the Verizon Wireless Friday and Saturday night post-race concert events, a signature live music event which debuted in 2007, by expanding the number of weekend concert for the series in 2008. The 2008 Verizon Wireless Friday Post-Racing Concert series, which runs Friday, June 27 through Friday, September 12, 2008, will feature tickets for $10 lawn seating (on-sale weekend pricing only); $15 in advance; and $20 day of show; and reserved seating $20 in advance; $30 day of show. The series will go on sale Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 10 a.m. Highlights include:
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June 27 -- Robert Earl Keen
July 11 -- Cory Morrow with Aaron Watson
July 18 -- Roger Creager & Friends
July 25 -- Cross Canadian Ragweed
August 1 -- Jerry Jeff Walker with Django Walker
August 8 -- Hayes Carll plus special guest to be announced
August 15 -- Dierks Bentley
August 22 -- Randy Rogers
August 29 -- Kevin Fowler with Reckless Kelly
September 5 -- To Be Announced
September 12 -- To Be Announced
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June 28 -- John Michael Montgomery
July 12 -- Randy Travis
July 19 -- Blake Shelton
July 26 -- To Be Announced
August 2 -- Neal McCoy
August 9 -- Clint Black
August 23 -- Billy Ray Cyrus
August 30 -- Clay Walker
September 13 00 To Be Announced
May 10 -- REO Speedwagon with Loverboy -- On Sale April 4
May 17 -- Pat Benetar with Fabulous Thunderbirds -- On Sale April 4
May 24 -- Creedence Clearwater Revisited -- On Sale April 4
May 31 -- Kansas with Mark Farner -- On Sale April 4
July 5 -- Country Extravaganza To Be Announced
July 6 -- Vans Warped Tour -- On Sale March 29
July 20 -- Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam -- On Sale April 12
July 27 -- Mayhem Tour -- On Sale May 3
July 30 -- 311, Snoop Dogg & Fiction Plane -- On Sale April 12 Additional performances and on sale dates will be announced in April. The Park, which hosts more than 1 million guests annually, anticipates approximately 250,000 patrons to attend concert events at The Showgrounds in 2008.
The Showgrounds has made extensive improvements to the infield area for the upcoming concert season, including improved back stage facilities for artists and production crews, a second entrance to the facility, increased reserved seating accommodations, new reserved seating chairs, increased lighting to the venue, new signage and updated the Concession Court.
Live Nation is the future of the music business. With the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the world and the most comprehensive concert search engine on the web, Live Nation is revolutionizing the music industry: onstage and online. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV." Additional information about the company can be found at www.livenation.com under the "About Us" section.
The Showgrounds at Sam Houston Race Park is Houston's newest outdoor entertainment venue featuring performances from national recording artists across all genres of music, as well as high-profile festivals and special events beginning in the Spring of 2008. The all-ages venue will host annual Country, Classic Rock and Contemporary concert events throughout the year. For more information on upcoming shows, events and tickets, please visit www.theshowgrounds.com or call 800-211-3381.
