T-Mobile Arena Debuts on the Las Vegas Strip with The Killers, Wayne Newton, Shamir and Blue Man Group
T-Mobile Arena celebrated its grand opening yesterday with a blowout concert headlined by local legends including The Killers; “Mr. Las Vegas” himself, Wayne Newton; and emerging pop artist Shamir (Photo credit: Al Powers).
Crowd watching fireworks for grand opening of T-Mobile Arena
Photo credit: Tony Tran Photography.
As the sun set on the Las Vegas Strip, T-Mobile Arena surged to life with light, sound and energy. GRAMMY-nominated rock stars The Killers were on their home turf at T-Mobile Arena, captivating a sellout crowd. Lead singer Brandon Flowers was joined by fellow Las Vegas-bred bandmates Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermerand, Ronnie Vannucci Jr. The stars powered out hits including “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me” and “Read My Mind.” Enhancing the live performance, a 30-foot megascreen projected the set and incredible video throughout the venue.
The Killers Perform at T-Mobile Arena Grand Opening
Photo credit: Kevin Winters / Getty ABA.
T-Mobile Arena ensured all guests could take selfies, share the moment via Snapchat and more thanks to ridiculously fast network speeds from T-Mobile, America’s fastest 4G LTE network, and over 550 Wi-Fi access points integrated throughout the arena.
Brandon Flowers w. Wayne Newton at T-Mobile Arena Grand Opening
Photo credit: Kevin Winters / Getty ABA.
Opening for The Killers was legendary Las Vegas artist Wayne Newton, who belted out some of his greatest hits including “Danke Schoen,” “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “Viva Las Vegas.” Breakout Las Vegas-born pop artist Shamir, lauded for shattering normative gender labels, delivered a true-to-style set infused with soul and raw talent.
Brandon Flowers w. Blue Man Group at T-Mobile Arena Grand Opening
Photo credit: Kevin Winters / Getty ABA.
The evening featured a series of unexpected collaborations, which kicked off with a video introduction from late-night TV host and Las Vegas native Jimmy Kimmel. An on-stage cameo by Blue Man Group during The Killers’ performance of “Human” fired up the crowd, as the trio’s dynamic combination of music, comedy and technology helped to provide a truly once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
Shamir Performs at T-Mobile Arena Grand Opening
Photo credit: Al Powers.
Old school blues met The Killers’ alternative sound as Wayne Newton joined Flowers onstage for a rocking collaboration of “Johnny B. Goode.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was when Imagine Dragons’ frontman and fellow Las Vegan Dan Reynolds shared the stage with Flowers – for the first time – to perform “Jenny was a Friend of Mine.”
In an epic finale, Reynolds joined Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil, comedian Carrot Top, Wayne Newton, magician Jeff Civillico and others in The Killers’ rendition of “Viva Las Vegas.”
Guests partied to dynamic entertainment throughout the evening while they sipped and sampled T-Mobile Arena’s gourmet food and drink. Anticipating grand opening night, Levy Restaurants flew in nearly 700 pounds of live lobsters, 290 pounds of ahi tuna, nearly one million fluid ounces of draft beer, 484 bottles of Patron and much more. Delectable fare such as a made-to-order Poke Bar and Carvery Cart serving BBQ Pork Banh Mi were available for guests along with the venue’s signature Pink Highlighter cocktail, served in blinking magenta souvenir cups that dotted the crowd with splashes of colorful light. As guests exited the building onto Toshiba Plaza, magenta fireworks lit up the evening sky.
The official proclamation of “The Killers’ Music Appreciation Day” in Clark County, NV. From Left to Right: MGM Resorts Chairman and CEO Jim Murren, Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Brandon Flowers, Clark County Commissioner Mary Beth Scow, AEG CEO Dan Beckerman
Photo credit: Ethan Miller / Getty.
Earlier in the day, The Killers joined executives from MGM Resorts International, AEG and T-Mobile for an official press conference in Toshiba Plaza. Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak presented the hometown heroes with a Crystal Key to the Las Vegas Strip and proclaimed April 6, 2016 “The Killers’ Music Appreciation Day.” Brandon Flowers and Ronnie Vannucci accepted the accolades and addressed the crowd of officials, venue partners and executives convened at the plaza, including Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts; Dan Beckerman, President and CEO of AEG; Andrew Sherrard, Chief Marketing Officer of T-Mobile; Scott Maccabe, President and CEO of Toshiba; and Mary Beth Scow, Clark County Commissioner.
Flowers said, “We’ve been lucky and we’ve had a lot of boxes checked that were dreams for us; this is another one of those, and this is going to be one that we’re never going to forget. We’re really proud to be from Las Vegas and we take a little bit of it with us everywhere we go, we really do.” Nearly two years and $375 million were invested in bringing the 20,000-seat, world-class arena to Las Vegas.
Grand opening celebrations continue throughout the weekend with tonight’s “T-Mobile Arena Opening Celebration Concert” featuring multi-platinum, GRAMMY-nominated artist Nicki Minaj with special guest Ariana Grande. The songstresses kick off an extensive schedule of more than 70 events booked for T-Mobile Arena’s first season, including the first stop on Guns N’ Roses’ reunion tour, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, UFC 200 and more.
T-Mobile Arena Lobby
T-Mobile Arena is a privately funded indoor arena. The 20,000-seat venue, located on the Las Vegas Strip between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, will host more than 100 events annually, including UFC, boxing, hockey, basketball and other sporting events, major headline entertainment, awards shows, family shows and special events.
Las Vegas’ newest landmark features 50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest experience second to none. Toshiba Plaza, an adjacent two-acre outdoor entertainment space, features performance stages, a variety of video screens and other interactive content and display areas.
T-Mobile Arena is a joint venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM). For more information visit the T-Mobile Arena website at t-mobilearena.com.