EDINBURG — Construction hard hats topped an audience spotted with dignitaries and media Monday as the soon-to-be-opened Bert Ogden Arena announced that Grammy-winner and legendary Mexican singer Luis Miguel will perform at the venue Aug. 31.
The event coordinated with the release of Miguel’s upcoming 22-stop North American tour, “¡México Por Siempre!” which also hits Dallas, Laredo, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso.
Yajaira Flores, arena booking and marketing director, stressed Miguel hasn’t been on tour in five years and is playing larger venues in other cities.
“We’re a very important Latin market in the United States,” said Flores, adding the public should expect more “general-audience” targeted event details within weeks.
Flores said the capacity of the arena will allow for kinds of events that have never come to the Rio Grande Valley. The announcement was paired with hard-hat tours of the site, and is the first glimpse of a lineup billed as “changing the game in entertainment” locally, according to promotional material.
Buzzes and bangs of an active construction site backed the program which took place on a stage assembled before exposed beams of the unfinished venue. Staff cited weather for construction delays but the facility is projected to be complete at some point this spring or summer, according to a Monitor story.
RGV Vipers owner and construction mogul Alonzo Cantu said the arena, which will house his basketball team, is part of the continued growth of the Valley.
“We want to transform the Valley … to be as good as any place in the country,” he said.
He said the structure should be completely enclosed in about two weeks, protecting it from further weather delays. He anticipates crews working around the clock to finish.
The arena is projected to seat 9,000 people for concerts in a horseshoe formation, up 1,194 seats from the original four-sided arrangement. For basketball, the arena will seat up to 7,688.
Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at bertogdenarenargv.com.
