For the first time in 39 years, Kauffman Stadium – home to the Kansas City Royals – will host a concert. Billy Joel will perform at the venerable venue on Friday, September 21.
The last concert held at the venue was back in 1979, back when the stadium was still called Royals Stadium. The headliner that night was REO Speedwagon, while Joel was on his way to winning the Grammy for that year’s release of “52nd Street”. Royals officials said they hope to hold at least one or two concerts per year at the venue going forward, mirroring a trend that has seen summertime concerts at baseball venues across the country in recent years.
Joel, who continues to tack on dates to his record-breaking residency at Madison Square Garden, is no stranger to playing shows at ballparks, having toured through seven such locations last summer. He begin his swing at Atlanta’s Suntrust Park, hitting Dodger Stadium (LA), Progressive Field (Cleveland), Target Field (Minnesota), Wrigley Field (Chicago), Fenway Park (Boston), Citizens Bank (Philadelphia) and Busch Stadium (St. Louis) on the way. He also famously closed down Shea Stadium with a performance at the then home of the New York Mets (located on the Queens end of his home base of Long Island, NY), which was later released on CD and DVD.
Live Nation officials sway they expect the venue to hold between 35-40,000 fans for the concert, according to a report by Kansas City’s KSHB.
“This is the type of concert that everyone will always remember. You will always remember that you were at Billy Joel for the first concert in 39 years. We love to put together those big events in big venues that haven’t been done before,” explained Dave Gerardi, the president of Live Nation Midwest.
Tickets for the concert are available for Royals season ticket holders beginning on Wednesday. Sale for the general public begins on Friday, January 26 at 10 a.m.
