Spectra announces Dwight Yoakam concert at Albany Civic Center

ALBANY — Officials with Spectra Entertainment have been building for just this moment. By bringing one well-received — and mostly sell-out — show after another to the Albany Municipal Auditorium, Spectra and Flint River Entertainment Complex General Manager Josh Small have made it clear that “that’s the way you get people interested in the bigger shows.”

Small and Spectra kicked off 2020 in a big way Monday with the announcement that one of those big shows — country superstar Dwight Yoakam — is headed for the Albany Civic Center.

“We’ve had some significant shows at the Civic Center already, so we’re looking at this announcement as another step in the right direction,” Small said Monday after the show was announced. “But, as far as concerts go, yes, this is what we’ve been saying all along. When you have successful shows (at the smaller Municipal Auditorium), and the artists and their people enjoy the experience, you get more of these kinds of opportunities.

“Funny thing is, we’ve already had one person to comment that we ‘should have had this show at the Municipal Auditorium.’ That’s, of course, the opposite of what we’ve been getting. But this show is too big for the auditorium. It was time for us to step up and start getting these bigger shows. This (announcement) definitely gives us a strong start to 2020. Of course, we have a couple of other things in the works — some confirmed, some at various stages — that we think the community is going to like. Now, it’s time for the community to step up and support this show.”

Six String Southern Production is presenting the Yoakam concert. Yoakam is scheduled to perform at the two-day Shaky Boots Festival in Atlanta on May 9. Tickets are reserved seating and go on sale to the public on Friday, beginning at 10 a.m. Ticket prices start at $45 and are available at Ticketmaster.com and the Albany Civic Center Box Office.

Yoakam, who will perform with his full band, is expected to perform all of his greatest hits, including “Guitars, Cadillacs,” “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere,” “Fast as You” and “Honky Tonk Man.” The show’s opening act will be announced at a later date.

Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide and is a 21-time nominated, multiple Grammy Award winner. He has 12 gold albums, including nine that received platinum or multiplatinum sales, with five of those albums topping Billboard’s Country Albums chart and another 14 landing in the Top 10.

Nearly 40 of Yoakam’s singles have charted, with 14 peaking in the Top 10. He is also the recipient of the Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association.

Yoakam is a formidable film and television actor as well who has appeared in more than 40 feature films, including “Sling Blade” and “Panic Room.” In 2016, he recurred in David E. Kelley’s Amazon series “Goliath.” Recently, he appeared in director Steven Soderbergh’s film “Logan Lucky” with Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig. Yoakam has acted alongside such Hollywood luminaries as Jodie Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, Jared Leto, Forest Whitaker and Matthew McConaughey.

Spectra is an industry leader in hosting and entertainment, partnering with clients to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra’s blend of integrated services delivers incremental value for clients through several primary areas of expertise: venue management, food services and hospitality, and partnerships. Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com. Follow Spectra on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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