Total Blackout Tour
Chris Rock returns to live comedy with concert stop at new $84 million Sugar Land arena
It's shaping up to be fun 2017 in Sugar Land as comedian Chris Rock joins a stellar all-star lineup at the new Smart Financial Centre, which opens in January.
The award-winning comedian, actor, director, writer and producer announced his highly anticipated return to live comedy with The Total Blackout Tour 2017, including stops in two Texas cities. Rock will appear at the Smart Financial Center on May 13 and the Bass Concert Hall in Austin on May 14.
"First time in nine years, OK?” he said in an announcement recorded at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. “Haven’t done it in a while. Been a little busy, you know, writing Pootie Tang 3 and everything.”
Tickets go on sale to the general public at noon on Friday, December 9, at www.livenation.com. Pre-sale of tickets to Citi card members, Live Nation website and mobile app account holders, and Ticketmaster account holders will take place December 7 and 8.
The tour kicks off on Valentine's Day in Durham, North Carolina, and will visit 26 U.S. cities, with more to be added at a later date.
With a career spanning more than three decades, Rock drew a lot of attention as the host of last year's Academy Awards, where he delivered a memorable monologue after no actors of color had been nominated in leading roles. He recently directed the HBO comedy special Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo and made a guest cameo on a recent episode of Saturday Night Live.
The Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land opens on January 14 with a grand opening celebration featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Other top names booked for the new $84 million arena are Don Henley (January 15), Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds (January 25), Reba McEntire (January 27), Kristin Chenoweth (January 28), Sting (February 23), Billy Crystal (February 25), Tony Bennett (March 14), and Steve Martin and Martin Short (April 7).
The venue, which can set up to 6,000, is a joint project of the city of Sugar Land and Ace Theatrical Group, headed by longtime Houston entertainment impresario Allen Becker.
