Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise the Texas Rangers has announced that multiple Grammy Award-winner Chris Stapleton will headline the opening event for its new Globe Life Field ballpark.
The country music star will perform alongside special guests Willie Nelson & Family, Jamey Johnson and Yola at the event in Arlington on March 14. The concert is the latest announcement from a partnership between the Rangers and Live Nation, with the club stating its commitment that the new stadium will be a multi-purpose venue.
“This just goes to show that Globe Life Field will be more than just the home of the Texas Rangers,” said Rangers vice-president Rob Matwick, according to the club’s official website. “It will be a 365-day-a-year sports and entertainment venue. Much more to come. But March 14 now gives us a date to shoot for.”
Globe Life Field (pictured earlier this week) broke ground in September 2017 and is being built as a public-private partnership between the Rangers and the City of Arlington. The first seats, theatre-style instead of the hard plastic used at the Rangers’ current home, were installed this week.
Globe Life Field is due to host its first baseball game on March 23, an exhibition match against the St. Louis Cardinals, and with construction now said to be at 80% completion officials are confident that deadlines will be met.
Jack Hill, the Rangers’ senior vice-president for project development, said: “We’re good. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. There has been great cooperation between the work force and the City of Arlington. It is really starting to come together. The roof is in good shape. We have hit all our milestones.”
Globe Life Park last week began its transformation from a baseball venue to a multi-purpose facility that will host the Dallas Renegades XFL American football franchise and North Texas Soccer Club, which competes in the USL League One division.
Globe Life Park had served as the home of the Rangers since 1994 but the recently concluded 2019 season marked the team’s last at the ballpark before moving to its new home.
Image: Texas Rangers
