ALBANY, NY December 13, 2017 -- SMG managed TIMES UNION CENTER announced today the Grand Re-Opening celebration to commemorate the completion of the venue’s atrium, the first phase of a $30 million-dollar renovation scheduled to be completed by August 2018. The celebration event will feature a very special one-time only line up of acclaimed talent on Friday, January 26 2018 at 8:00pm.

Attendees of this exciting event will be treated to unforgettable performances by Grammy Award-winning artists JAMES TAYLOR and JOHN LEGEND. The event will be hosted by comedian JIM BELUSHI, and includes a special performance by MORIAH FORMICA, local contestant on NBC’s The Voice. Tickets go on sale Saturday, December 16 at 10am.

“This star-studded event is a celebration of the grand re-opening of the Times Union Center and highlights the status of the arena as the premier venue in the Northeastern United States,” said Daniel McCoy, Albany County Executive. “We are proud and pleased that the updates to the facility will allow us to offer to the community some of the best sports programming and entertainment in the nation”

The event will be preceded by an invitation-only celebration gala to commemorate the project completion.

In a career marked by artistic triumphs, JAMES TAYLOR has sold over 100 million albums, received multiple Grammy Awards and was named 2006 MusiCares Person of the Year by the Recording Academy. He has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2015 Taylor released the studio album Before This World, which earned him his first ever #1 album on the Billboard Charts and a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. In 2015 Taylor was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor and in 2016 received the Kennedy Center Honors, presented to individuals who have enriched American culture by distinguished achievement in the performing arts.

Critically-acclaimed, platinum-selling singer-songwriter JOHN LEGEND has garnered ten Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe, among others. He recently released his fifth studio album Darkness and Light, to rave reviews which features the hit “Love Me Now.” Legend also serves as one of the principles for Get Lifted Film Co., a film and television production company whose credits include HBO documentary Southern Rites, Pop Network docu-series Sing it On, WGN America’s series Underground, and films such as Southside With You and La La Land.

JIM BELUSHI has been a favorite of film, television and stage audiences for more than 30 years. One of the great leading comedic actors, Belushi starred in the ABC hit comedy “According to Jim,” Showtime’s recent “Twin Peaks” and his illustrious film credits have included Trading Places, K-9, About Last Night and just-released Wonder Wheel. He started his comedy career with Chicago’s Second City and Saturday Night Live and still performs improvised comedy on stages all across the country.

MORIAH FORMICA received national attention for her performances on the NBC-TV singing competition The Voice. She not only impressed the judges, but has developed a strong fan base as well. A senior at Shaker (NY) High School, the 17-year-old powerhouse released an EP of original music last year and recently performed to sold out audiences in the Capitol Region.

The re-opening gala celebration is co-produced by Times Union Center and John Scher/Metropolitan Entertainment. Metropolitan Entertainment produced the original opening with a performance by Frank Sinatra 28 years ago on January 30, 1990, then named the Knickerbocker Arena.

Ticket prices range from $65.00 to $195.00 and will be available for purchase through the Times Union Center box office, online at ticketmaster.com or timesunioncenter-albany.com, and charge by phone at 800-745-3000 starting Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 10am. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Albany County Legislature’s 50th Anniversary Celebration for the Benefit of The Pediatric Emergency Center Department at Albany Medical Center.

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