Iron Maiden and 5 Seconds of Summer have been announced as the first two confirmed concerts at Shakopee’s ambitious new outdoor concert venue Mystic Lake Amphitheater.
Good acts to test the durability of any new venue — between the former’s rugged headbanging fans and the latter’s screaming and dancing audience — British metal vets Maiden are scheduled to hit the 19,000-person amphitheater on Sept. 19, while Aussie pop rockers 5SOS are slated to play there July 22. Tickets for each show will go on sale next week (further details below).
These will not be the actual first concerts at the long-awaited, Live Nation-branded outdoor space; they’re just the first to be announced for it. More Mystic Lake Amphitheater dates will be unveiled in the coming weeks, including its grand-opening date as well as other shows earlier in the season.
At least one major touring act that’s a favorite draw at amphitheaters, institutional jam band Phish, has been rumored to be performing there in June based on fan reports.
Not to be confused with the makeshift concert setup seen in past summers outside Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, Mystic Lake Amphitheater is a permanent facility under construction within eyesight of Canterbury Park horse track off Hwy. 169 at Canterbury Road.
The venue will be operated by concert industry giant Live Nation and is being built with local developer Swervo, which also remade the Armory and Uptown Theater in Minneapolis into concert venues. It is one of two permanent amphitheaters being built in the Twin Cities, also counting the smaller Upper Harbor Terminal venue planned for the Mississippi riverfront north of downtown Minneapolis that will be run by First Avenue Productions.
Iron Maiden is the kind of arena-level rock act that Twin Cities fans have long missed out on the chance of seeing perform outdoors in lieu of a big amphitheater like the Shakopee site. The surprisingly resilient quintet — which still boasts four of its heyday-era members, including singer Bruce Dickinson — will mark its 50th anniversary on tour next year and will have another pioneering metal band, Megadeth, for its opening act in Shakopee.
Presale access for the tour begins Tuesday via Maiden’s fan club, and the general sale is scheduled for Oct. 31 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.com. Live Nation does not reveal ticket prices for its shows ahead of sales.