Move aside, Guns N’ Roses. Mystic Lake Amphitheater is breaking out its biggest gun yet for its inaugural season — Chris Stapleton.
The acclaimed, substantive Kentucky country singer has confirmed a July 29 date at the new Shakopee amphitheater. Last seen in the Twin Cities playing to around 47,000 fans at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2024, Stapleton could wind up having the hottest ticket in the opening year at the new 19,000-capacity outdoor venue.
Those tickets will go on sale Jan. 16 via Ticketmaster.com, with presale options beginning Jan. 13. Prices have not yet been revealed. The soulful twanger has once again tapped a non-country act to serve as his opener, R&B/soul singer Allen Stone.
One of the youngest acts so far booked at the classic rock-leaning Shakopee amphitheater, the 47-year-old Stapleton booked the date there as a continuation of his All-American Road Tour, which started last year and includes a mix of large amphitheaters and football stadiums.
He’s returning to the road with four more Grammy nominations on deck, including one apiece for his collaborative singles with Miranda Lambert (“A Song to Sing”) and George Strait (“Honky Tonk Hall of Fame”). He also recently released a new video for a previous Grammy-winning song, “White Horse,” which he co-wrote with Minnesota music vet Dan Wilson of Semisonic.
Stapleton’s first outdoor gig in the Twin Cities falls on the early side of the 11 concerts so far announced for Mystic Lake Amphitheater, among which Guns N’ Roses was heretofore its top-drawing name (booked Aug. 8). An official opening concert has not yet been announced. The long-awaited venue — featuring reserved seats and VIP boxes alongside general admission lawn areas — is under construction near Canterbury Park and will be operated by industry giant Live Nation.
Here’s the full calendar so far confirmed at the Shakopee venue:
- July 12: Jack Johnson
- July 22: 5 Seconds of Summer
- July 27: Avenged Sevenfold and Good Charlotte
- July 29: Chris Stapleton
- Aug. 4: Goo Goo Dolls
- Aug. 8: Guns N’ Roses with Public Enemy
- Aug. 9: Train with Barenaked Ladies
- Aug. 16: Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner
- Aug. 21: Mötley Crüe
- Aug. 26: Toto, Christopher Cross and the Romantics
- Sept. 19: Iron Maiden
