Chesapeake Arena, BOK Center listed on Pollstar’s Top 200 Arena Venues of 2012
Jason Aldean performs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman Archives
Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena and Tulsa’s BOK Center both posted strong showings in one industry magazine’s ranking of worldwide ticket sales for 2012.
The SMG-managed arena came in 36th among United States venues in Pollstar’s Top 200 Arena Venues in ticket sales for the year, according to a news release.
It was Chesapeake Energy Arena’s best finish in the Pollstar year-end rankings since 2008, when it came in 35th among U.S. venues, according to the release. That was prior to the nearly $100 million renovation to the arena that forced it to close due to construction at various times from 2009-11. Pollstar’s annual rankings are based on ticket sales for touring concerts and attractions, as reported to the magazine.
The Oklahoma City arena ranked 71st among arenas worldwide.
“This was an incredible year for everyone associated with the arena,” Regional General Manager Gary Desjardins said in the release. “In addition to the excitement around improvements to the arena and the NBA Finals, we saw nearly 200,000 guests come through our doors for some of the top touring acts in the world. We are very proud of this achievement and excited for what 2013 will bring.”
In 2012, Chesapeake Energy Arena welcomed raucous crowds for touring acts such as Jason Aldean, Drake, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cirque du Soleil’s “Dralion.” All four shows were in Pollstar’s Top 25 worldwide tours of the year based on ticket revenue.
The arena is already scheduled to host several more top acts in 2013, including George Strait’s “The Cowboy Rides Away Tour” Saturday, Bon Jovi on March 16, Eric Clapton on March 20 and Justin Bieber on July 2.
For more information, go to www.chesapeakearena.com.
The BOK Center, also managed by SMG, finished 2012 ranked 17th in the United States and 45th in the world in Pollstar’s Top 200 Arena Venues for 2012.
“Last year was another incredibly successful year for the BOK Center,” said General Manager John Bolton in a news release. “To continue to be ranked among the nation’s top venues recognizes the support of Tulsa ticket-buyers, the dedicated SMG staff and promoters who continue to bring the hottest tours to the BOK Center.”
The BOK Center hosted 21 of the top 100 tours in 2012, including Roger Waters, Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson,” Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, The Black Keys, Journey, Van Halen and Bob Dylan.
Already this year, the arena has hosted Justin Bieber, with upcoming shows including Kid Rock (Feb. 9), The Who (Feb. 14), Lady Gaga (March 20), Maroon 5 (March 22), Fleetwood Mac (May 1) and the rescheduled Rascal Flatts show (Aug. 10). For a complete listing of BOK Center events, go to www. bokcenter.com.
The BOK Center also is nominated for Pollstar’s Arena of the Year, which will be announced at the 24th Annual Pollstar Awards Feb. 7 in Los Angeles.
The O2 (London) topped the overall rankings and the Staples Center (Los Angeles) garnered the top United States spot. A total of 34 SMG facilities finished the year in the top 200.
Pollstar is a weekly trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry.
-BAM
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