Reminding you that concert tickets make great presents around the holidays, Xcel Energy Center has announced a trio of new concerts for 2017 that go on sale this week:
1. LIONEL RICHIE & MARIAH CAREY (MARCH 24): While the ol' smooth-singing "Hello" hitmaker Richie is the headliner, Carey more rarely tours and could be the big draw when their tour comes to Xcel Center on March 24. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. via Ticketmaster and the arena box office for $37.45-$497.50. "Hello" indeed on those highest prices!
Enjoying a career revival in recent years, Richie is calling his trek the All the Hits Tour, also the name of a successful Las Vegas residency he began at Caesar's in April featuring other '80s make-out classics such as "Lady," "All Night Long (All Night)" and "Truly." Carey has racked even more No. 1 hits than Richie – and everyone except Elvis Presley, actually – including "Hero," "My All" and "Heartbreaker."
2. TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (JUNE 3): Dropping hints to the press that this could be their last major tour, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers will end a three-year hiatus and mark their 40th anniversary in 2017 with a 33-city U.S. trek that will include a June 3 stop at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Joe Walsh of the Eagles and "Life's Been Good" fame will open. Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster and the arena box office for $47-$147.
Petty is issuing a deluxe edition of his beloved 1994 album, "Wildflowers," next year but says the outing with the Heartbreakers will cover the full span of their 13 records. He also told Rolling Stone, "I'm thinking it may be the last trip around the country. It's very likely we'll keep playing, but will we take on 50 shows in one tour? I don't think so. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was thinking this might be the last big one. We're all on the backside of our 60s."
3. MIRANDA LAMBERT (MARCH 17): One of country music's most revered singer/songwriters of the moment, Miranda Lambert, will return to the X on Friday, March 17. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. for $37.25-$57.25. Tennessee quintet Old Dominion and Aubrie Sellers will open the show.
Lambert's tour announcement follows the release of her double-LP, "The Weight of These Wings," which – like her ex-husband Blake Shelton's last record – dwells heavily on their divorce. Unlike Shelton's "very personal" record, though, Lambert wrote the bulk of the songs in her collection. She was last seen at Xcel Center on a co-headlining tour with Dierks Bentley in 2013.