The countdown has begun: 25 days and counting until Lady Antebellum graces the AA Center stage on February 18th. If you are dying to see Lady A and just cannot bear the thought of waiting until next month, you’re in luck. The band is giving you a chance to chat with them LIVE the night before they kick off their Own The Night 2012 World Tour! Sure it may not be the “in-person” convo you were hoping for, but this is pretty much the next best thing. Plus it’s just enough of a Lady A fix to tide you over until concert time (other than spending hours belting out “Just a Kiss” into your hairbrush….no, just me?)

The talented country trio will talk all about their upcoming tour and will be answering your questions via Twitter and Livestream. You can join in on the fun when the chat streams live on Lady Antebellum’s website, this Thursday, January 26th at 6 p.m. CT.

Start thinking of questions you’ve been dying to ask, and let them know you’ll be anxiously awaiting their tour stop in Dallas. We hope to see you here when doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the concert next month!

Set your alarms, mark your calendars and start practicing your head banging. Nickelback just started gearing up for their 2012 Here and Now Tour and plan on making a stop right here in Dallas this summer. Tickets go on sale January 21st starting at 10 a.m.(that’s this weekend, people!) and will sell out fast. So if you’re counting down the seconds on Saturday morning like you’re practicing for New Years, we promise not to tell anyone.

The guys of Nickelback are bringing their “biggest and baddest” show yet, so you will definitely not want to miss out. To make the night even better, the band is bringing along a few friends. Special guests include Bush, Seether and My Darkest Days. That lineup ensures this will be a concert to always remember.

Go ahead and clear your schedule for a Friday night that is bound to rock. And if you weren’t already excited enough, be sure to take a look at the promo video below. Head over to Ticketmaster and purchase your tickets for the June 1st show while you can.

It’s truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas today, as The Story Tour loads into American Airlines Center. In the spirit of the season we’re giving away two front row tickets to one lucky winner and two Plaza level tickets to another lucky winner for tonight’s show! All you have to do is to comment on this blog post with your favorite Christmas carol. We’ll randomly choose one winner at 3:30 PM today! 

*Please be sure to check back here at 3:30 PM as we announce the winners. 

The Story: A Christmas Spectacular is a collaboration of 18 songs telling the story from Genesis to Revelations.  As the story is told, the audience is entertained with dazzling multimedia of biblical scenes to accompany songs written and produced by by distinguished song writer and producers, Nichole Nordeman, Brown Bannister and Bernie Herms.  Nordeman, the 2003 Dove Awards “Song Writer of the Year”, Herms “Producer of the Year” and Bannister winner of 25 Dove Awards and 14 Grammy’s combine their experience and expertise to produce one of the most spectacular Christmas celebrations imaginable!

The tour kicks off on December 1st and immediately heads to the American Airlines Center to dazzle audiences on December 2nd.  The Story is a moving musical experience that you wont want to miss!

The Story (Updated Version: 5/25/11) from Proper Management on Vimeo.

Have you ever wanted a behind the scenes look at the American Airlines Center? Well, this may very well be your chance! If you are a college student and looking for an internship, we are offering an once in a lifetime opportunity this spring and boy is it going to be fun!

Twitter, Facebook and blogging combined with some of the most amazing concerts and events you could possibly imagine! Sounds like fun right? That’s what we thought and thats why we want you to come help us! This internship will allow you to have fun, be creative and learn everything you would want to know about social media and more!

Don’t settle for a internship where you file and do paperwork all day. Join us! Gain useful experience and learn tons all while having the time of your life at one of the most exciting places in Dallas! Want to learn more about this internship? Click here and apply for this AMAZING opportunity to get some hands on experience at the American Airlines Center!

Since our opening in July 2001, we have had a lot of great memories at the American Airlines Center.  We have been ranked one of the best NBA Arenas in the United States and held witness to the largest ribbon cutting ceremony of all time (to date) for our grand opening. However, those are just minuscule matters in comparison to what we really care about, which is you, the people who make all of this possible.  So, we asked what your favorite memories and experiences have been at the American Airlines Center and here are the responses we received!

Top Ten Memories for the Past Ten Years:

1. The Mavs v. Heat NBA Finals Watch Party- 16,000 tickets were sold in 45 minutes to this momentous event. The arena was filled with the Maverick blue as fans cheered on their team to beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.  The stadium shook as the fans cheered in celebration when our beloved Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Finals 4-2 for the first time in franchise history! An unforgettable moment in Dallas history and we are so honored we were able to be a part of the celebration!

2. Dallas Stars v. Anaheim Ducks Farewell to Modano and the  OT Shootout to Win!- The score was Ducks 2-1 with 15:16 left in the 3rd period and tension was high.  Modano deflected a shot by Daley and scored to tie the game 2-2 with 1:47 left in the 3rd. The game turned to a shootout and in the 3rd round Modano in with lightning fast speed sent the puck right through goalie Hiller’s pads! This was Modano’s farewell game and the fans showed him the recognition he deserved with an extended standing ovation, which brought him to tears.

3. New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys- This performance on June 26, 2011 was one that will never be forgotten. The center was filled with two generations of fans celebrating their youth and remembering the songs of these pop sensations. Every word was mimicked as the fans sang along and shrilled for their favorite hunky performer.  The boys ran down to the audience high-fiving and take photo making the experience even more memorable. We will never forget this performance with the confetti flying, studded suits and of course the surprise performance wearing Mavericks jerseys!

4. Lady Gaga: The Monster’s Ball- We saw some of the most intricate costumes, sets and dances imaginable at Lady Gaga’s Monster’s Ball! And those costumes weren’t just on stage, they were in the crowd too! Many of Gaga’s little monsters dressed up in celebration as they danced and sang along to multitude of Gaga’s hits. This performance was one to remember as Lady Gaga awed the crowd playing a fiery piano and singing at the top of her lungs.

5. Keith Urban: Get Closer- Urban stunned the crowd with hits from his newest album and surprised us when he showed up on stage wearing a Mav’s jersey! This country music star brought us to our feet at AAC as we rocked out to Urbans rendition of “We are the Champions” with a verse of ”Deep in the Heart of Texas” mixed in!

6. Lil Wayne: I Am Music II- Pyrotechnics and a set that we will never forget, Lil Wayne left his mark during his 2011 tour. Lil Wayne surprised us with guest artists T-Pain and 15-year old Dallas artist, Lil Twist. This concert showed us how this rap star can entertain, show his amazing talents and have the time of his life at the same time.

7. Trans-Siberian Orchestra-The amazing laser light show, pyro-technics and blend of classical music and rock is something look forward to every year at AAC. This show is one you have to see, if you haven’t already! No wonder it is a top 10 favorite!

8. Metallica: The World Magnetic Tour- The 2009 World Magnetic Tour concert proved to us that Metallica can rock out! The arena was packed and the crowd was roaring! Our ears were ringing for days, after Metallica stunned us with this awesome show!

9. Nickelback concert with Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, and Sick Puppies- This combination of four great rock bands rocked the house and filled the crowd with energy as they played the of their awesome hits! We couldn’t have asked for a better combination of energy, entertainment and rock excitement!

10. The Dixie Chicks: Top of the World Tour- These talented young ladies left us begging for more as the stunned us with their beautiful vocals and harmony.  The crowd sang along to their favorites and the ladies showed us their variety of talents as they strummed the guitar, played the fiddle and rocked out on the banjo.

This Thursday, September 15th is the long awaited How Sweet the Sound concert experience.  Eight local choirs will perform their talents at this community wide gospel celebration.  Hosts, Donald Lawrence, Dorinda Clark-Cole and resident tour judge, Marvin Sapp will search, among our local Texas choirs, for the best gospel choirs in the nation.  Imagine all the best church choirs in Texas all in one room, sounds amazing right? That’s what we think too, and that is what you are going to hear at How Sweet the Sound.  Choirs from Dallas to Fort Worth to Houston will be serenading us with their beautiful gospel music renditions and moving us to our feet as we celebrate the sweet music to our ears!

Here are your local community choirs that will be performing:

Large Choir Category

United Voices of Concord
Concord Church
Dallas, TX

St. John Music Ministry
St. John Baptist Church
Grand Prairie, TX

God’s Tabernacle Of Deliverance Bishop’s Choir
God’s Tabernacle of Deliverance
Desoto, TX

Greater Sweethome Missionary Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir
Greater Sweethome Missionary Baptist Church
Forest Hill, TX

Small/Medium Choir Category

The Levites
Greater Emmanuel Family Worship Center
Houston, TX

Bethel Tabernacle Choir
Bethel Tabernacle
Houston, TX

Inspiring Voices
Inspiring Temple of Praise Church
Fort Worth, TX

Christ Church Concert Chorale
Christ Church Apostolic
Houston, TX

These local choirs will move you to your feet and leave you begging for more of that sweet gospel sound, so come out and support your community choirs at How Sweet the Sound!

When you think about an arena that has concerts, basketball games, family events and ice hockey, do you ever wonder how they get the ice there and keep it cold? Well, here is your answer. At the American Airlines Center this five day process will give you chills! (literally)

It all begins with an eight-hour cleaning processes where all the dirt, gum and oils left from previous events are scrubbed away.  The building is then cooled for 2 days, allowing the concrete to freeze.  Then the day before the icing processes begins the floor is cooled to 24 F.  How do we cool the floor you ask? Well, we would describe the processes like you would describe the cooling system in your car.  First, gas is pushed through a compressor and brought from outside of the arena inside and passed in tubes next to a freezing liquid.  The gas cools the liquid down and that liquid is sent into tubes underneath the floor. The tubes begin at the center of the floor and branch off like tree branches underneath the ground every 8 to 10-inches.  The liquid in these tubes allow the ground to cool down to a whopping 16 F, leaving the floor at the necesscary 22-24 F for the ice to stay frozen during the hockey game.

Now that the floor is frozen, it is time to paint on the ice! We bring in a 150-gallon tank cart to put on the first layer of ice.  The cart is filled with water and dumps 100-125 gallons onto the frozen ground. The cart repeats this process four to five times coating the ground in ice and building the first layer of the rink. The second layer of ice is then applied with the same machine, but this time paint is mixed in and poured onto the ice. After, the first layer of paint is put on another layer of clear water is spread onto the ice. 

Wondering when the zamboni comes into play? Well here you go! The zamboni is then brought in and for eight-hours we drive over the ice building up 3/8-inch of ice.  The logos are then hand painted onto the ice, along with the lines.  Finally, after all of this is done a clear coat of water is sprayed on top and the zamboni comes around again and builds another 1-1/4 inch of ice!

Did you ever think building ice could be so complicated and fun? Neither did we, but now you know and next time you come to a Dallas Stars game you will be able to tell the person sitting next to you how the rink was built!

Do you know anyone auditioning to be a Ringling Bros Clown?  Auditions were today from 10-1pm!

What does it take to be a clown, you might be wondering?  Auditions consisted of multiple tasks including charades, improv acts, and even acts that were prepared ahead of time.  These talented hopefuls brought their A game, and all of them made great clowns!!  Make sure you get your chance to see the clowns before they are gone, the last Barnum 200 shows at the American Airlines Center are this weekend!!

Still want to audition?  It’s not too late!  Follow the link HERE.

Good luck and we will see you next year when you are PART OF THE SHOW!

Thursday night at the Barnum 200 Circus, we celebrated our 10th Anniversary at American Airlines Center by giving away the ultimate birthday present to our 26th millionth guest.  When the Richardson family walked through the doors that night, they had no idea they would be leaving with four round trip airline tickets, five sets of four tickets to Dallas Mavericks games, five sets of four tickets to Dallas Stars games, and five sets of four tickets to concerts or family events at the American Airlines Center in the next calendar year.  When they walked through the doors, the American Airlines Center staff was all there waiting to greet them with confetti and air horns.  After hearing that they were the winners, they went down to enjoy the circus pre show and then were presented their gift by American Airlines Center management and the Barnum and Bailey ringmaster.

The Richardson family consists of James and Norris, their daughter Zoe, and their son Jelani.  They were so excited to be the 26th millionth guests, claiming that it was an experience they would never forget.  Below is Mr. Richardson’s thank you to the American Airlines Center and staff:

“The Richardson family want to say, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. We had a great time at the circus. the seats were the best. You guy’s made my family feel so special. We look forward to the Mavs & Stars games, concerts and of course our next airlines trip.

May God richly bless you all. And may the Americans Airlines Center prosper always.

James, Norris, Zoe and Jelani.”

You are very welcome Richarson family!  We loved spending our anniversary with you!  Thank you again for an incredible 10 years, Dallas!  Here’s to many more amazing years to come!