Officials Say The Eagles Perfect Fit For BOK

The Eagles will be the opening act at Tulsa's new BOK Center on September 6. The announcement was made at the arena on Tuesday. The News on 6's Steve Berg reports the secret was leaked on The Eagles' website on Monday.

But, there is still a lot of excitement about the first concert at the BOK Center and about the new building.

With a dazzling panorama of the downtown skyline behind them, officials say the future for the arena looks bright.

"This is an announcement that I've been looking forward to making since taking office two years ago," said Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor.

The Eagles announcement had already flown the coop, but they kept their sense of humor about it.

"And they're here with us today," jokes Mayor Taylor. "They will be here on September 6 and I know will be playing to a full house."

The news was actually kept under wraps much longer than people probably realize.

"Actually we've known the opening act since probably about February," said BOK Center General Manager John Bolton.

BOK Center General Manager John Bolton says for the opening act they were looking for someone with the broadest possible appeal across many generations.

The Eagles still appear very marketable. Their new album is selling well. Billboard magazine had them ranked as the 2nd highest grossing concert tour in 2005.

"We knew going into this that we never could please everyone with one act. So, we tried to look for someone that was kind of general and that people would really like and enjoy, and it's a major superstar-caliber act. And so we're very excited to have them," said Bolton.

Bolton predicts a quick sellout on tickets and not just from Tulsa.

"I mean, when we put Celine Dion on sale, we sold tickets in 22 different states so we know that the appeal of The Eagles is definitely very high. And we expect that tickets will go very fast," said Bolton.

"I think it's a perfect opening event for this venue, a really iconic band, an iconic facility," said Mayor Taylor.

Self-avowed Eagles fan Mayor Kathy Taylor says they're gradually building a good variety of events for the BOK Center.

"I mean everything from Kenny Chesney to the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets; it's going to be an incredible fall season," said Mayor Taylor.

Tickets for The Eagles go on sale July 21 at 10:00 a.m. Prices have not been announced yet.

Related Stories:

07/08/2008  The Eagles First at BOK Center
07/07/2008  Opening Act To Be Announced Tuesday