Jun 2, 2021 | Entertainment, General News
2021 Tour to Feature Special Guests Maddie & Tae and Filmore; Tickets for the Mohegan Sun Arena concert go on sale Friday, June 11th
Multi-PLATINUM selling performer Brett Young is looking ahead to
the fall as he unveils details today behind his headlining THE WEEKENDS TOUR. Launching on September 11th, and making its way to Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, November 12th. Ramping up excitement for his upcoming new collection WEEKENDS LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT THESE DAYS out June 4th (BMLG Records), pre-sale tickets for fan club members have begun via brettyoungmusic.com.
Tickets are $65.00, $55.00, $45.00 and $35.00 and go on-sale Friday, June 11th at 10:00am through Ticketmaster.com.
“Announcing a headlining tour and preparing to release new music both in the same week truly feels like a dream and something I won’t ever take for granted,” Young shared. “It’s emotional thinking about reuniting not only with my band and crew after so much time apart, but with the FANS! I can’t wait to make up for lost time and finally get to perform these new ones we’ve been working on.”
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the world for “All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. In 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena remained one of the top venues in the world according to year-end reports by both Pollstar and Venues Now. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
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Jun 1, 2021 | Entertainment, General News
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 4th
UNCASVILLE, CT (June 1, 2021) – Country music superstar 
and one of four major artists that serve as coach’s on NBC’s, The Voice, Blake Shelton, will perform at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, October 22nd. Shelton recently released his 12th album, Body Language, on May 21st. Up-and-coming Country singer, Emily Ann Roberts, who was a finalist and member of team Blake Shelton in season nine of The Voice, will open the concert.
Tickets are $189.00, $169.00, $149.00 and $129.00 and go on sale Friday, June 4th at 10:00am through Ticketmaster.com.
Blake Shelton continues to add to his superstar status with his new album Body Language, available everywhere now. The album’s flagship single “Happy Anywhere” (featuring Gwen Stefani) topped the Country Digital Song Sales chart, also marking his 28th No. 1 on the country airplay charts. Now he’s building upon the message that it doesn’t matter what you have or where you are if you have love: his latest hit, “Minimum Wage,” is currently Top 15 on the country charts. Both tunes follow the Platinum-selling, multi-week No.1 “Nobody But You,” which has now topped 240 million streams. “Nobody But You” made its TV debut on the 62nd GRAMMY Awards, where Shelton was also nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for his smash “God’s Country.” The 4x Platinum smash earned the 2019 CMA Award and 2020 ACM Award for Single of the Year. As his award wins approach the hundreds, Shelton remains a force in the industry with ACM (5), AMA (3), CMA (10), CMT (11) and People’s Choice Awards (6), among many others.
As a coach for the Emmy Award-winning television show The Voice, Shelton is an eight-time champion, most recently with his contestant Cam Anthony. The Grand Ole Opry member also remains focused on his Ole Red partnership with Ryman Hospitality, with locations currently in Tishomingo, Nashville, Gatlinburg and Orlando. A noted humanitarian, Shelton has helped raise millions of dollars for children’s hospitals, disaster relief organizations, food banks and more in his home state of Oklahoma and throughout the entire country.
For more information, please visit www.BlakeShelton.com and follow @BlakeShelton.
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the world for “All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. In 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena remained one of the top venues in the world according to year-end reports by both Pollstar and Venues Now. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
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May 21, 2021 | Entertainment, General News, Hot Summer Fun
Hear “Make It Mine (Ska Version)” — https://JasonMraz.lnk.to/MakeItMinePR
UNCASVILLE, CT (May 21, 2021) – Farmer, philanthropist, and Grammy-winning
musician Jason Mraz today announced his first US tour dates since the onset of the pandemic. “Look For The Good Live!” kicks off July 30th at Austin’s legendary Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater and makes its way to Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, August 22nd. The summer tour runs through August 28th at Pittsburgh’s Rock, Reggae, and Relief. For all details, visit jasonmraz.com.
Tickets are $60.00, $50.00 and $40.00 and go on sale Thursday, May 27th at 10:00am through Ticketmaster.com.
Mraz enlisted his 13-piece reggae band to hit the road with him, featuring many of the performers from his latest album, Look For The Good. The unique setlist each night will feature songs from that album plus re-imagined Mraz classics and never-before-heard new compositions.
“When we recorded Look For The Good, we knew we had created something special, something uplifting, that needed to be performed in front of live audiences,” said Mraz. “And then, right before our shows began, the world stopped. Like many artists we created quarantine concerts across the internet, but no matter how big the digital reach, it doesn’t compare to being in the same room. We’ve been patiently waiting for this day: when the curtain goes up in Austin — it will be a celebration of life, with a new appreciation for live music, and in-person connections we’ve all been missing.”
In anticipation of the dates, today Mraz released a ska version of his Grammy-winning track “Make It Mine.” The song is the first in a series of re-imagined Mraz classics that he’ll share in the upcoming weeks prior to tour kickoff. The updated classics and three brand new songs will be part of a deluxe re-issue of Look For The Good out July 16th.
In addition to the tour dates, Mraz will make a very special appearance with the San Diego Symphony at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, the Symphony’s new permanent outdoor venue on San Diego Bay, on September 26th.
Look For The Good, released last June, features guest appearances by actress/comedian Tiffany Haddish and reggae icon Sister Carol. Mraz announced on the album’s release day that all of his profits from Look For The Good, including his label advance and subsequent royalties, would be donated to non-profit organizations who serve to advance opportunity and equality for Black lives.
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the world for “All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. In 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena remained one of the top venues in the world according to year-end reports by both Pollstar and Venues Now. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
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May 19, 2021 | Boxing, Breaking News, Entertainment, General News, Sports
Fans Excited to Return for Major Sports & Shows
UNCASVILLE, CT (May 19, 2021) – Mohegan Sun Arena, consistently ranked 
among the top entertainment venues worldwide according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and others, was excited this past weeknd to welcome back fans with return of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, who are currently 2-0 and led by DeWanna Bonner and Jonquel Jones. Mohegan Sun Arena’s first public concert since winter 2020 is also scheduled, when Soft-Rock duo, Air Supply, plays on Sunday, July 18th. More exciting upcoming concerts planned in Mohegan Sun Arena include Lady A on July 29th, Dustin Lynch on August 5th, Straight No Chaser on August 8th, Deftones on August 21st, Tom Segura on August 27th, Toby Keith on September 3rd and back-to-back Sebastian Maniscalco dates on October 1st and 2nd. Major 2022 Mohegan Sun Arena concerts announced recently also include The Weeknd (February 6, 2022), Brad Paisley (May 27, 2022) and Justin Bieber (June 18, 2022). Exciting MMA action returns on Friday, June 11th as well, with Lima (32-8) vs. Amasov (25-0)
With guidance and collaborative work with the Mohegan Tribal Health Department, Mohegan Sun Arena reopens with limited capacities in place during May, June and most of July. This will include private shows, CT Sun games, Bellator MMA and the return of the first public concert on July 18th. Mohegan Sun Arena plans to return to full capacity when Lady A, whose national tour starts at Mohegan Sun, performs on Thursday, July 29th. Health & safety measures will be in effect at Mohegan Sun Arena, including some limitations on food and beverage service. Tickets will also be managed electronically, with ease-of-use on smart phones included. For more information, visit mohegansun.com/arena-policies
“While much of the past year Mohegan Sun Arena was one of the few venues producing live events, it’s with great excitement we can now bring back live fans to enjoy both sports and entertainment at our world-class venue.” –said Jeff Hamilton, President & General Manager of Mohegan Sun. “As the summer approaches, Mohegan Sun will also be announcing additional events and festivities to take place across our property, including some of our most popular outdoor events.”
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and an up-to-date Mohegan Sun Arena calendar for 2021 is available via mohegansun.com/arena-calendar, with highlights below:
- Air Supply | Sunday, July 18th | Tickets on-sale now
- Lady A |Thursday, July 29th | Tickets on-sale May 21st
- Dustin Lynch |Thursday, August 5th| Tickets on-sale May 21st
- Frankie Valli | Friday, August 6th |Tickets on-sale now
- An Evening with Straight No Chaser | Sunday, August 8th | Tickets on-sale now
- Jeff Dunham | Friday, August 20th | Tickets on-sale now
- Deftones | Saturday, August 21st | Tickets on-sale now
- Tom Segura| Friday, August 27th | Tickets on-sale May 21st
- Big & Rich | Wednesday, September 1st | Tickets on-sale now
- Toby Keith | Friday, September 3rd | Tickets on-sale now
- Dan + Shay | Saturday, September 11th | Tickets on-sale now
- CMN Presents Marc Anthony | Saturday, September 18th | Tickets on-sale now
- Sebastian Maniscalco | Friday, October 1st & Saturday October 2nd | Tickets on-sale now
- Harry Styles | Saturday, October 23rd | Tickets on-sale now
- The Doobie Brothers | Thursday, October 28th | Tickets on-sale now
- The Monkees Farewell Tour | Friday, October 29th | Tickets on-sale now
- Old Dominion | Saturday, October 30th | Tickets on-sale now
- Dave Matthews Band | Tuesday, November 9th & Wednesday, November 10th | Tickets on-sale now
- Chris Young | Sunday, December 5th | Tickets on-sale now
“We have been preparing for this day for a long time and we believe that being open this past year operationally makes us more than ready to safely deliver the memorable entertainment experiences that we have become known for.” Said Tom Cantone, President of Sports & Entertainment for Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE). “July 18th will certainly be a special night when our first public concert returns with Air Supply taking the stage.”
For the first half of the 2021 WNBA season, leading up to the Olympic break, the Connecticut Sun will safely host their full and partial plan season ticket holders. Connecticut Sun games will also still require masks, to align with current WNBA guidelines. For more information, visit Connecticutsun.com or call 1.877.SUN.TIXX. Details on individual ticket sales will come at a later date. Upcoming CT Sun home games include May 19th vs. The Indiana Fever, May 28th vs. The Washington Mystics, June 1st vs. Las Vegas Aces, June 5th vs. the New York Liberty, June 13th vs. the Seattle Storm, June 22nd vs. The Dallas Wings and June 27th vs. The Chicago Sky.
Mohegan Sun Arena was named “Innovator of the Year” by Celebrity Access in part due to the transformation that Mohegan Sun Arena underwent during much of the pandemic, becoming a broadcast residency center for sports including MMA, Boxing and College Basketball. ViacomCBS and Mohegan Sun partnered to host the most championship MMA (Bellator) and Boxing fights ever held at a venue in one year, seen by millions around the world. This partnership is also currently the longest running residency in the US. In late 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena was also home to “Bubbleville,” where the Basketball Hall of Fame and Gazelle Group safely completed 26 Division 1 NCAA Men’s and Women’s games in the span of 10 days.
Just before Mohegan Sun’s temporary closure related to the pandemic last year, Bellator MMA was the last public sporting event held in Mohegan Sun Arena. On Friday, June 11th, they are now planned to be the first to welcome back fans, in limited fashion, when Douglas Lima defends his title against the undefeated and #1 ranked Yaroslav Amosov. Tickets start at $60.00 and will be available through Ticketmaster.com on Friday, May 21st, with a special presale starting on Thursday, May 20th from 10:00am – 10:00pm EST.
This fight will also be on SHOWTIME. Bellator MMA will also feature a main event between heavyweight Tim Johnson (15-6) and heavyweight Valentin Moldavsky (10-1) live from Mohegan Sun Arena, with limited fans, on Friday, June 25th. More details on these events are available via bellator.com/articles
A Hall of Fame Tip-Off NCAA Tournament is also being planned at Mohegan Sun Arena for the start of College Basketball later this year. North Carolina, Villanova, Purdue and Tennessee are expected headliners.
Additionally, Mohegan Sun’s award-winning Wolf Den venue inside Casino of the Earth is back. Limited capacity shows returned this month, and upcoming shows include local favorites Crazy on You – A Tribute to Heart, The 60s Explosion Show and Mullett, to name a few.
This past weekend, Mohegan Sun also successfully hosted the nationally televised Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend, celebrating the class of 2020. The likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Julius “Dr. J” Erving and other legends were on hand Saturday, May 15th, for the Enshrinement Ceremony inside Mohegan Sun Arena, which hosted 2,000 socially distanced fans. Kobe Bryant was posthumously inducted into to the Basketball Hall of Fame, along with an incredible class that included Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Tamika Catchings and more.
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the world for “All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. In 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena remained one of the top venues in the world according to year-end reports by both Pollstar and Venues Now. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
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Jan 5, 2021 | Boxing, Entertainment, General News, Sports
One of the premier casino and entertainment destinations in the United States made a vital pivot during the pandemic to safely host major sports, primarily inside the award-winning Mohegan Sun Arena
UNCASVILLE, CT (January 5, 2021) – 2020 was a historic
year that resulted in every major entertainment venue across the globe shutting down due to the worst pandemic in a century, accounting for billions in lost live entertainment revenue. Mohegan Sun Arena still found a way to stay open and generate a new revenue stream by reimagining itself as a residency broadcast center. Industry leading safety protocols joined the hard-working entertainment division at Mohegan Sun, led by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s (MGE) President of Sports & Entertainment, Tom Cantone – and soon major sporting events (Bellator MMA, SHOWTIME Sports and College Basketball), were planned and executed without fans in attendance. As a result, Mohegan Sun Arena became one of only few venues in the United States open and producing live events. In all, these residencies in 2020 brought in 650+ professional and college athletes competing to audiences stretching in the millions across network TV, pay-per-view, social media platforms and streaming services, the latter of which had huge impacts on increased viewership.
“We wanted to adapt in an impactful way to the unforeseen challenges that Mohegan Sun, especially our award-winning Mohegan Sun Arena, suddenly faced when the pandemic arrived,” said Dave Martinelli, Chief Marketing Officer of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE). “These high-profile sporting events that we signed on and in which were successfully and collaboratively ran, did just that.”
The first deal was struck by Cantone this past summer when a historic residency with SHOWTIME Sports and Bellator MMA was made, creating the opportunity for a string of nationally televised and much anticipated sporting events to be featured in Mohegan Sun Arena. These live broadcast events with the ViacomCBS owned SHOWTIME Sports and Bellator MMA, which will continue in 2021, featured Premier Boxing events on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View (PPV) as well as action packed Bellator MMA fights most frequently broadcast on the Paramount Network and CBS Sports Network. The success of the ViacomCBS residencies soon led to additional interest from other major sports – including the NCAA. Martinelli netted a deal to host 25+ Division 1 NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball teams over the course of 10 days in late November and early December 2020. The agreement came together through partnerships with The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Gazelle Group.
“We created positive momentum with the incredible bubble-site residencies Mohegan Sun Arena hosted for SHOWTIME Boxing and Bellator MMA,” said Cantone. “Our efforts to keep our Arena in action proved how important relationships can be and allowed for additional opportunities such as “Bubbleville” to come to fruition. Through all of these events, comprehensive health and safety standards were carried out with tremendous efficiency by everyone involved, including the healthcare professionals with the Mohegan Tribal Health Department and other healthcare teams assisting us. I’m extremely proud of what our Mohegan Sun management, team members and our partners executed in such a challenging year.”
“Bubbleville,” as it was billed and came to be known in national press coverage ahead of and during its run from November 25th – December 5th of 2020, saw multiple big-time teams from the likes of Villanova, Florida, Virginia, USC, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Uconn and Arizona State take the floor for the start of their seasons. Similar to the boxing and MMA events, in-person crowds were not present though various games were played to national audiences through ESPN networks and the online streaming platform, FLOHOOPS. After unfortunate setbacks to start, where some teams were not able to take part in “Bubbleville,” the tournaments moved forward, in large part due to the strict safety measures enacted and vital testing schedules conducted by Hartford Healthcare and Mirimus, who administered 2,800 tests among teams and staff.
“Bubbleville protocols included all teams, staff and other vital personnel like referees and broadcasters to take saliva based tests upon arrival and during their stay in the bubble,” said Dave Martinelli, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s CMO. “We hit some setbacks just as the games were set to begin, though focus wasn’t lost, and what followed was 10 days of great College Basketball under a tight system of the type rarely seen before at a casino resort destination.”
Villanova’s championship winning head coach, Jay Wright, also commented to APNews mid-way through “Bubbleville” at Mohegan Sun by saying, “You feel safe, you know you can get a game in here and you know the team you’re playing is going to be safe. I think that’s going to be important throughout this year to find environments like this.”
More than 17,000 hotel room nights were booked at Mohegan Sun’s Sky Tower and Earth Tower during these three major sporting deals. In total, Mohegan Sun gained vast exposure on a variety of media platforms including CBS Sports, ESPN, Paramount Network, Showtime Network, YouTube, the Bellator App, DAZN, TV Spots 5 UK and additional streaming services like FLOHOOPS.
“The exposure we were able to receive as part of these opportunities last year was highly significant,” said Jeff Hamilton, President & General Manager of Mohegan Sun. “Bubbleville hosted a game on Thanksgiving night, live on ESPN, where the Arizona StateSun Devils battled and fell to the #4 Villanova Wildcats. This game had a household Television audience of 591,000, equating to nearly 1 million overall potential viewers. This was just one of many big-time national audiences our venue and brand was a part of in 2020.”
Additional highly rated events, live from Mohegan Sun Arena last year, included Bellator 249 (Cyborg vs. Blencowe on October 15th), Bellator 250 (Mousasi vs. Lima on October 29th) and Bellator 254 (Macfarlane vs. Velasquez on December 10th), among others. And one of the most anticipated boxing events came on September 26, 2020, when in a WBC World Middleweight title fight, Jermall Charlo defeated Sergly Derevyanchenko in a 12 round unanimous decision. Boxing history was also made on this night as the fight card included four other World Championship Title fights live from Mohegan Sun Arena and broadcast to viewers worldwide on Showtime Pay-Per-View (PPV). The pandemic created an opportunity to capture a home audience of more than 12 million viewers during the ViacomCBS broadcasts, with ratings in the double digits.
“During an unprecedented year, we found a way to generate a new revenue stream, create impactful brand exposure, fill hotel rooms and bring back an entertainment workforce,” said Cantone. “No virus could kill the spirit of this incredible team who made the words, “Live from Mohegan Sun Arena,” a monumental achievement in 2020.”
ABOUT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and Venues Now and is also consistently ranked top 15 in the world for “All Size Venues.” The award–winning venue was named “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” in 2016 and is a seven–time Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM) national award–winner for “Arena of the Year,” with the most recent recognition coming in 2019. In 2020, Mohegan Sun Arena remained one of the top venues in the world according to year-end reports by both Pollstar and Venues Now. For more information and updates on Mohegan Sun Arena, call 1.888.226.7711 or visit Mohegan Sun.
ABOUT MOHEGAN GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) is a master developer and operator of premier global integrated entertainment resorts, including Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Inspire in Incheon, South Korea, and Niagara Casinos in Niagara, Canada. MGE is owner, developer, and/or manager of integrated entertainment resorts throughout the United States, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Northern Asia, Niagara Falls, Canada, and coming soon pending regulatory approval, Las Vegas, Nevada. MGE is owner and operator of Connecticut Sun, a professional basketball team in the WNBA and New England Black Wolves, a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. For more information on MGE and our properties, visit www.mohegangaming.com.
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