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Photo by RodeoHouston

As if the fact that the upcoming CMT awards are coming to Texas were not exciting enough, San Antonio country music fans will rejoice at the news that Chris Stapleton is adding two Texas shows to his “All-American Road Show" this fall. The eight-time Grammy Award-winning country music superstar (who also has 15 CMA and 10 ACM awards under his belt) will stop in San Antonio and Austin in October.

Stapleton will show San Antonio some love at the AT&T Center on October 19, 2023, before heading to Austin's Moody Center on October 20, 2023. Stapleton will appear with special guests Nikki Lane and CMT-nominated Charley Crockett. The two new Texas dates are in addition to his originally posted stop at Corpus Christi's AmericanBank Center Arena on October 12, 2023.

Tickets will go on sale on Friday, March 24, at 10 am. Stapleton’s fan club will have early access to tickets and VIP packages with pre-sale starting on Tuesday, March 21, at 10 am through Thursday, March 23, at 10 pm. As the official card of Chris Stapleton’s “All-American Road Show” 2023 tour, Citi cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets starting on Tuesday, March 21, at 10 am until Thursday, March 23, at 10 pm. For complete pre-sale details visit citientertainment.com.

In addition to the new “All-American Road Show” dates, Stapleton will headline both RodeoHouston on March 16 and Stagecoach Music Festival on April 30 and will join George Strait for a series of stadium shows with special guests Little Big Town. He will also perform at UTEP Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX, on April 26, 2023.

The Kentucky-born artist is one of the country’s most respected and beloved musicians. He was recently named the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year for the sixth time, setting the record for most wins ever in the category. Additionally, his most recent album, Starting Over, won Best Country Album at the 67th Annual Grammy's, as well as earning Album of the Year honors at both the 54th Annual CMA Awards and 56th ACM Awards. The record follows Stapleton’s pair of Platinum-certified releases from 2017, From A Room: Volume 1 and From A Room: Volume 2, as well as his x5 Platinum breakthrough solo debut album, Traveller.

In addition to his work as a musician, Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, are founders of the Outlaw State of Kind charitable fund, which supports a variety of causes that are close to their heart. Most recently, their “Kentucky Rising” concert last fall raised over $2.8 million to support flood relief in Eastern Kentucky.

Confirmed tour dates are listed below, including supporting acts and special guests:

March 16: Houston, TX—RodeoHouston
March 17: Durant, OK—Choctaw Grand Theater
March 18: Durant, OK—Choctaw Grand Theater
April 26: El Paso, TX—UTEP Don Haskins Center*
April 27: Albuquerque, NM—Isleta Amphitheater*
April 29: Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Bowl – Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday
April 30: Indio, CA—Stagecoach
May 6: Glendale, AZ—State Farm Stadium†
May 27: Columbus, OH—Buckeye Country Superfest
June 1: Moline, IL—Vibrant Arena at The MARK‡
June 2: Grand Rapids, MI—Van Andel Arena‡
June 3: Milwaukee, WI—American Family Field†
June 8: Syracuse, NY—St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview+
June 9: Mansfield, MA—Xfinity Center+
June 10: Mansfield, MA—Xfinity Center+
June 15: Spokane, WA—Spokane Arena§
June 16: Bend, OR—Hayden Homes Amphitheater§
June 17: Seattle, WA—Lumen Field†
June 22: Des Moines, IA—Wells Fargo Arena§
June 23: Wichita, KS—INTRUST Bank Arena§
June 24: Denver, CO—Empower Field at Mile High†
July 7: Bangor, ME—Maine Savings Amphitheater§
July 8: Cavendish, PEI—Cavendish Beach Music Festival
July 13: Charleston, SC—Credit One Stadium#
July 14: Virginia Beach, VA—Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater#
July 15: Baltimore, MD—CFG Bank Arena#
July 19: Omaha, NE—CHI Health Center**
July 20: St. Louis, MO—Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre**
July 21-22: Cullman, AL—Rock the South
July 28: Nashville, TN—Nissan Stadium†
July 29: Nashville, TN—Nissan Stadium†
August 5: Tampa, FL—Raymond James Stadium†
August 10: Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion**
August 11: Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion**
August 12: Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion**
August 17: Toronto, ON—Budweiser Stage‡
August 18: Toronto, ON—Budweiser Stage‡
August 19: Montreal, QC—Lasso Festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau
August 24: Memphis, TN—FedExForum††
August 25: Alpharetta, GA—Ameris Bank Amphitheatre††
August 26: Alpharetta, GA—Ameris Bank Amphitheatre††
October 5: Charlottesville, VA—John Paul Jones Arena*
October 6: State College, PA—Bryce Jordan Center*
October 12: Corpus Christi, TX—AmericanBank Center Arena+
October 19: San Antonio, TX—AT&T Center+
October 20: Austin, TX—Moody Center+
October 26: Tulsa, OK—BOK Center+

*with special guests Margo Price and Nikki Lane
†with George Strait and special guests Little Big Town
‡with special guests Marcus King and The War and Treaty
+with special guests Charley Crockett and The War and Treaty
§with special guests Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives and Allen Stone
#with special guests Margo Price and Allen Stone
**with special guests Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives and The War and Treaty
††with special guests Marcus King and Allen Stone
+with special guests Charley Crockett and Nikki Lane

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San Antonio International Airport clears runway for 1st nonstop flight to Europe

booking tix now

Big news for Texas travelers: San Antonio International Airport's first-ever nonstop flights to Europe will begin in 2024.

Passengers can now book tickets via Condor Airlines for flights from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) to Germany's Frankfurt Airport (FRA) between May 17 and September 6, 2024. Flights will initially operate three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays – and flights to Frankfurt are expected to take a little more than 10 hours, while flights coming in from overseas will last about 11.5 hours.

The seasonal service is a "spectacular win" for the city, according to Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and could bring in an estimated $34 million annually. The airport has been seeing wins left and right, having just been named one of the nation's least stressful airports, and consistently handling busier and busier days.

"Germany is where San Antonio has the most demand for travel in Europe because of the cultural, historic, tourism, military, and business ties," Mayor Nirenberg said in a news conference on September 21.

San Antonio Airport System Director of Airports Jesus Saenz foreshadows that the SAT-FRA flight is "just the beginning" of possible flight expansions for the airport in the future.

"We fully believe San Antonio will utilize this service to Europe and take advantage of Condor’s extremely competitive airfares," he said. "Once that happens, we anticipate Condor will expand their services even further."

The airline will be using a brand new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft for the nonstop flights, which features 30 business class seats, 64 premium economy seats, and 216 economy seats.

"With our growing fleet of A330neos, we can provide better travel options to more Americans every year," said Condor CEO Ralf Teckentrup said in a release. "I am particularly proud to offer the only nonstop connection from San Antonio, Texas to Frankfurt, Germany – the heart of Europe, where travelers can enjoy the popular touristic sights of Germany or travel beyond conveniently by air, road, or rail. I invite everyone to try out our newest and most luxurious in-flight experience ever."

Monday flights will depart from SAT at 10:05 pm and arrive in Frankfurt at 3:20 pm the following day. Returning flights from FRA on Mondays will depart at 3:40 pm and arrive at SAT at 8:05 pm.

For Wednesday and Friday flights, departures from SAT will take place at 8:25 pm and arrive at FRA at 1:40 pm the next day. Returning flights from FRA will depart at 2:00 pm and arrive at SAT at 6:25 pm.

New honky-tonk surprisingly two-steps into St. Paul's Square

SPUR OF THE MOMENT

When Steve Mahoney first relaunched Francis Bogside and sibling wine bar, Anne’s, in the former home of Smoke BBQ, rumors circulated on how he would use the expansive upstairs space. Now, San Antonio has its answer. In a surprise move, the veteran bar owner debuted his latest venture — honky-tonk concept Blayne’s — on September 22.

The name pays homage to the late Blayne Tucker, the former co-owner of the Mix and managing partner of Floore’s Country Store. A tireless advocate for the city’s musical scene, he helped usher in the Save Our Stages Act, assisting hundreds of venues to stay afloat nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“[Blayne’s] impact in San Antonio is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Mahoney via a release. “We hope to continue his efforts and support live music in the city.”

Fittingly, music will be in the air at Blayne’s, starting with The Babylonz and DJ Guero Vaquero from 5 pm to 2 am on the soft opening night. A large dance floor, pool tables, and bar games complete the honky-tonk vibe.

Like many of Mahoney’s bars, Blayne’s has a solid food program. The Tex-Mex fusion menu features eclectic pub grub like red curry short rib mini tacos, southwest eggrolls, street corn bites, smoked barbacoa pizza, and customizable nachos. The initial press announcement didn’t deeply discuss the drink options but promised margaritas, house cocktails, and beer.

Though no official announcement has been made, Mahoney has another bar up his sleeve. The Francis Bogside website teases the January 2024 opening of Robert’s, named after Mahoney’s late business partner, Robert Darilek. Details, including the location, are slim, but the landing page touts “feature club-style seating, an extensive whiskey list, and a cigar menu.”

Following the September 22 sneak peek, Blayne’s will be open Wednesday through Saturday, 5 pm to 2 am.

Blayne's San Antonio

Photo by TXTroublemaker

Blayne's food menu includes red curry short rib mini tacos.

San Antonio contemporary art sale preps red dots for 33rd year

The eye of the beholder

Sometimes it feels like the only art most people will ever have in their homes is funky craft market finds, but one San Antonio art hub is making its contemporary curation accessible in a popular annual sale. The 33rd annual Red Dot Sale is returning soon.

Held at Contemporary at Blue Star, the exhibition and celebration of local artists officially opens to the public on October 6th. Don't fret if you can't make it to the opening weekend, as the Red Dot art sale will be on display until January 9, 2024. Eager art buyers will even be able to look at pieces for purchase online at the official Blue Star Red Dot website.

There will be a special opening night celebration on October 4 from 6-10 pm, where guests who purchase a ticket will be able to preview the artwork on display and for sale from more than 100 San Antonio based artists. (The event page also teases a silent disco after-party.)

Previous Red Dot Sales have reportedly seen prices as low as $200, so there really are works available for most budgets.

The Red Dot Art Sale is a fundraiser that helps keep Contemporary at Blue Star running year after year. According to this year's call for submissions (now closed), half the proceeds from the event go toward funding Contemporary at Blue Star's ongoing exhibitions, and half will go to the artists who put their work on display.

Continuing the ongoing theme of supporting talented local artists, the Red Dot exhibition also features an honored artist who has consistently displayed dedication to supporting the San Antonio arts scene.

This year that chosen honoree is Cathy Cunningham-Little, an artist inspired by explorations of illusions versus reality.

According to Cunningham-Little's official biography, her central theme in her pieces were inspired by her father's loss of sight due to a genetic disorder.

In Cunningham-Little's own words, viewers of her artwork are, "asked to become an active participant in a dialogue with the work as they experience the dissolution of boundaries between substance and space."

The sale also spotlights Andi Rodriguez as this year's distinguished patron, as well as the MOSAIC Student Artists — a group of high school students who study studio art and business in an after-school program with the Contemporary.

The Red Dot exhibition and sale will also feature augmented reality (AR), thanks to a partnership with a San Antonio-based art tech startup called Kaleido. Guests who attend the show will be able to utilize Kaleido's AR to hear straight from the artists about their work (as opposed to reading a placard describing what the artwork is supposed to be).

“I am thrilled that Red Dot celebrates San Antonio’s vastly rich community of artists,” said the Contemporary’s Executive Director Mary Heathcott in a release. “I am also excited to partner with Kaleido, which has the potential to share Red Dot works and artists across the globe. With innovation being one of our pillars, this new partnership will elevate the Red Dot show to an immersive augmented reality engagement.”

Tickets ($75) for the opening event are still available in a limited quantity — purchase them via Eventbrite.