Concert News

Mark Cuban's new Dallas concert venue sets new opening date with Sting

Photo by Eric Ryan Anderson

The new concert venue from Mark Cuban has a new opening date and it's booked a big-name act: Sting.

According to a release from Live Nation, the 17-time Grammy award winner will open The Echo Lounge & Music Hall on Tuesday, December 14. Tickets go on sale December 3 at 10 am on livenation.com.

The performance will feature Sting in a uniquely intimate setting, although with a band and it will be electric, not acoustic. Not THAT intimate, OK.

The event will also feature special guest Joe Sumner, a songwriter and musician who is also Sting's son, so sweet.

The last time Sting performed in Dallas was in 2017, at Texas Trust CU Theater in Grand Prairie on a tour supporting his then-released album, 57th & 9th.

The date at The Echo Lounge seems to be a one-off, as Sting has no other dates scheduled until March, when he resumes a world tour that began in 2019; he starts in Europe, then comes to the U.S. in summer 2022.

The Echo Lounge & Music Hall has had some fits and starts in its journey towards opening.

The venue was first announced in January 2020 under the name HiFi Dallas. COVID-19 pushed that back until October 2021, when it was rebirthed as Echo Lounge, with a lineup of shows and a hoped-for debut in November.

Located at 1323 N. Stemmons Fwy., it was developed in partnership with Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks, and is next-door to the Mavericks' training facility. When it does open, the 1,000-capacity club is designed to bring concerts from touring artists as well as local acts into the heart of the city.

It features a main music hall, lounge, and outdoor patio, and will serve food, premium cocktails, and craft beer.

Here's a nice summary of Sting's career:

Composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist Sting was born in Newcastle, England before moving to London in 1977 to form The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five studio albums, earned six GRAMMY Awards® and two Brits, and was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

As one of the world’s most distinctive solo artists, Sting has received an additional 11 GRAMMY Awards®, two Brits, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations, a TONY nomination, Billboard Magazine’s Century Award, and MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. In 2003, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his myriad of contributions to music. Also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, he has received the Kennedy Center Honors, The American Music Award of Merit and The Polar Music Prize. Sting has been awarded Honorary Doctorates of Music by the University of Northumbria (1992), Berklee College of Music (1994), University of Newcastle upon Tyne (2006) and Brown University at its 250th Commencement ceremony (2018).

Following his critically acclaimed album, 57th & 9th, his first rock/pop collection in over a decade, Sting and reggae icon, Shaggy, both managed by the Cherrytree Music Company, released a collaborative, island-influenced album, entitled 44/876, drawing from the many surprising connections at the heart of their music. With its title referencing their home country codes, 44/876 first and foremost honors the duo’s mutual love for Jamaica: Shaggy’s homeland, and the place where Sting penned such classics as The Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” Their chart-topping release debuted at #1 in Germany and Top 10 in the UK. It spent over 20 weeks atop Billboard’s Reggae Album chart in the US, earned Gold certifications in Poland and France and received the GRAMMY Award® for Best Reggae Album.

In 2019, Sting was honored at the BMI Pop Awards for his enduring hit single “Every Breath You Take,” which has become the Most Performed Song, with 15 million radio plays, from BMI’s catalogue of over 14 million musical works. Most recently, the song was added to Spotify’s ‘Billions Club,’ having amassed over 1 billion streams on the platform.

Also in 2019, an album entitled My Songs, featuring contemporary interpretations of his most celebrated hits, was released and followed by a world tour of the same name, which will resume later this year and extend through 2022. Sting’s ‘My Songs’ World Tour is a dynamic and exuberant show featuring his most beloved songs spanning the 17-time GRAMMY Award® winner’s prolific career with The Police and as a solo artist.

Sting’s latest album, The Bridge, showcases his prolific and diverse songwriting prowess. Representing various stages and styles from throughout his unrivaled career and drawing inspiration from genres including rock n’ roll, jazz, classical music and folk, the eclectic album features Sting’s quintessential sound on pop-rock tracks such as the album’s opening rock salvo “Rushing Water” and new indie-pop sounding “If It’s Love.”

Sting also recently kicked off his Las Vegas residency, “My Songs,” at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, presenting a compendium of his most beloved songs; the residency will resume in June 2022.

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World Cup record

Lionel Messi sets World Cup scoring record as Argentina wins in Dallas

Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images

Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J match between Argentina and Austria at Dallas Stadium on June 22, 2026 in Arlington.

Scoring goals and breaking records is what Lionel Messi does, and it’s what he did again Monday, June 22 at the FIFA World Cup at Dallas Stadium in Arlington.

The Argentina captain, who many consider the greatest player of all time, scored two more World Cup goals on Monday in his team's 2-0 victory over Austria. That gave him a record total of 18 at the world's biggest tournament.

The Argentina-Austria group stage match at Dallas Stadium drew 70,649 spectators - an official sell-out crowd and the highest attendance yet for a World Cup match at the venue, officials said.

“Beyond anything I’m so happy for the win," Messi said. "It was huge, tough and difficult. It would allow us to be relaxed to what’s ahead. All matches in this World Cup are very even, very intense. I’m enjoying this moment and craving to enjoy with my teammates.”

The first goal against Austria came in the 38th minute and two days before Messi’s 39th birthday, and amid the concern of an ailing father back at home. It was the sixth consecutive World Cup game in which Messi has scored — joining France striker Just Fontaine and Brazil great Jairzinho as only players to do so.

Messi had equaled Germany striker Miroslav Klose for the most goals in the World Cup at 16 with his first hat trick at the tournament in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria in the Group J opener last Tuesday night in Kansas City.

He first had a chance to set the record in the ninth minute against Austria on Monday, but he missed a penalty kick.

“There were moments when I was really angry about missing the penalty, but I was able to make up for it,” said Messi, who has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards as the best player in Europe.

Argentina advanced to the knockout round by winning its first two group games, with Messi scoring all five of the team's goals so far in his sixth World Cup.

Messi added his 18th World Cup goal in stoppage time when he shot one through several defenders after the first attempt was turned away by goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.

Lionel Messi World Cup 2022 Lionel "Leo" Messi and Argentina came into the 2026 World Cup as defending champions. Leo Messi/Facebook

In the first half, the record became Messi's alone when he caught Schlager leaning the wrong way after Thiago Almada let Facuno Medina’s pass go by him and directly onto the Argentina captain’s left foot from about 20 yards.

As the ball went into the net, Messi ran toward a corner and thrust his right arm into the air to celebrate the mark with the decidedly pro-Argentina crowd among the 70,649 fans in Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, the sold-out home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

There had been a gasp from those same fans when Messi missed the penalty kick in the ninth minute.

His left-footed attempt went just wide of the right post. He is now 4 of 7 on penalty kicks in regulation play at the World Cup with misses in three consecutive tournaments.

Klose scored his 16 goals while playing in 24 World Cup matches for Germany, which wrapped up his fourth tournament by winning the 2014 final 1-0 in extra time over Messi and Argentina.

In an interview published on June 12, Klose said he expected Messi to break the scoring record.

“I expect my record to fall in this tournament,” Klose told German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. “With the larger field of competing teams there are more games and so more chances to score goals. And I assume Argentina and France will go far. That’s perfectly OK, the record will be broken eventually anyhow and Messi is welcome to be the one who does it. I’m a big fan of Messi, always have been. Messi is a genius.”

Messi’s hat trick in the previous game, in his 200th international appearance, came 20 years to the date of his World Cup debut in Germany, when he also scored. Monday was his FIFA-record 28th match in the tournament.

The penalty kick came after Lautaro Martinez was running free in the box and was tackled from behind by Xaver Schlager and Stefan Posch, the defender playing with a broken jaw. Schalger got a foot on the ball, but Posch drew the penalty because he did not touch the ball as Martinez tumbled to the ground.

Play continued for more than a minute with Martinez still on the ground near the goal. When the game was stopped for him, officials reviewed the play.

Messi’s father has been undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness, the family said in a statement last week while not providing any specifics. The 68-year-old Jorge Messi has played a key role in his third son’s soccer career, acting as his agent and managing his business affairs off the field.

Lionel Messi was overcome with emotion after scoring his first goal against Algeria, and said after that match his tears came following some tough days not related to soccer.

"Messi Mania" took over Dallas-Fort Worth for days surrounding the match, with passionate Argentina fans filling the Arlington Entertainment District, Fort Worth's Sundance Square, Dallas' Klyde Warren Park, and FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park in Dallas.

The Argentina-Austria game was the third of nine FIFA World Cup matches (more than in any other host city) to be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. They started with Netherlands vs. Japan on June 14, followed by England vs. Croatia on June 17, Argentina vs. Austria on June 22, Japan vs. Sweden on June 25, and Jordan vs. Argentina on June 27.

The stadium will also host two Round of 32 matches (June 30 and July 3), one Round of 16 match (July 6), and one Semi-Final match (July 14).

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