This was no ordinary hunt. We weren’t tracking quail on a farm or clicking plastic Nintendo guns at ducks bouncing around the TV. This was a hunt for the ‘Now Generation,’ involving Facebook, Twitter, and a willingness to decipher clues to get a pair of tickets to one of the hottest shows this year. After being given the chance to do a fun giveaway for Black Eyed Peas tickets, we decided to engage our social media followers, who tend to interact with us on a daily basis. It was a nice way to reward them, while giving them something fun to do. While free tickets are free tickets, who wouldn’t want to decipher a clue, race your peers, and find a hidden pair? It’s much more exciting and satisfying than getting them in the mail.

The general locations were picked: (2) Pair at University of Kentucky, (2) Pair at Eastern Kentucky University, (1) Pair at Transylvania University, and (1) Pair in Winchester, KY. It was a broad enough radius to test the waters, and narrow enough to be able to do it in two afternoons.

EKU was the first location on the schedule. We decided to hide them on the back of a marble bench in a courtyard with a fountain. The clue was “First pair of Black Eyed Peas tickets hidden behind one of these benches near the fountain at EKU. First to find them, gets them,” attached to a photo of the set of benches. While the location in relation to the bench was specific, which set of benches was the challenge. The courtyard was lined with around 12 sets of almost identical benches. It didn’t take long though, before someone tracked them down and snagged the envelope taped to the back. For the second location at EKU, we headed to The Ravine, an outdoor stone and grass amphitheater located in a high-traffic area. We wedged the tickets under a branch in one of the trees, and took a photo which obviously showed the tickets in the foreground, and a bit of the stage in the background. Using the photo, and the vague clue (”Second pair of Black Eyed Peas tickets are in a tree in the Ravine at EKU.”), people had to figure out which tree had the stage in the background, then hunt down where the tickets were located on that tree. Students began filing out of nearby dorm buildings with cell phone in hand, scouring the grounds for the mysterious tree that housed the tickets. It wasn’t long before someone snagged them from their spot.

The next morning, we headed to Winchester, KY in search of a spot to hide the tickets. We found the Leeds Theatre, a recognizable classic in downtown Winchester, and tucked the tickets away behind a column on the outside of the building. It wasn’t hard to see the tickets in the photo, but was more of a foot race to see who could get there to claim them first. The beauty of social sites is that there is always someone in the area and checking Facebook or Twitter, so not long after we left the Theatre, someone came and grabbed them.

With Winchester done, we hit the road to head back to Lexington and to the Transylvania University campus. After a quick walk around, we found The Kissing Tree, a famous big tree on campus with a bench going around it. We pointed people to the exact location, but not where it was hidden. Before long we saw someone jogging toward the tree, with a huge grin on her face. With help with a couple friends, they began kicking around dirt, looking on the tree and under the bench. Haydon’s search paid off when one of her friends spotted the ticket envelope taped in the back under one side of the bench.

After a short drive, we arrived at UK’s campus, easily the most active of the ticket locations. As we began to walk around, classes let out so there were lots of students roaming around campus, ready for the hunt. We stopped in the White Hall Classroom Building and managed to find an empty classroom (the kind that seats around 300 people). We found a random seat, pulled the fold-up table out, taped the tickets to the bottom, then folding it back down. As soon as the tickets were taped we sent out our clue, along with a photo of the entrance to the building: “1st pair Black Eyed Peas tix, room 106 row G of classroom building at UK.” Within 30 seconds of sending it out, people already started to come into the classroom and search up and down row G. We dodged out of sight as to not reveal ourselves. When we swung back by the entrance, there were easily 10 or 12 people searching every seat in row G. Nate was talking to someone on his phone who was on Facebook and happen to be at the right place at the right time. He was the first to the scene and first to find the tickets.

We didn’t have a specific place in mind for the last pair of tickets, so we started wandering around campus. Eventually we found a staircase in the back of a building that looked promising. We planned to tape the last pair of tickets on the support pole facing the building. We waited as people passed by, poised to tape them up when the coast was clear. One person caught on to us and was watching what we were doing, so we had to abort the location, and flee to another spot. We got back in the car, drove around campus some more, and then found a nice home for the tickets underneath a bridge connected to one of the buildings. We stashed the ticket envelope underneath a drain pipe, and then watched from afar as someone looked under the bridge and claimed the tickets.

Although the hunt is over for now, we definitely learned a lot from this and plan to do it again for more events in the future. Thanks to everyone who participated in finding the tickets, commenting on Facebook and Twitter, and being fans/followers of Rupp Arena in the first place. We can’t ever thank you enough for you support. Also, thanks to AEG for hooking us up with tickets to give away in the first place.

We will be back for other shows, and go to more places. The fun has just begun…

My family and I attended the 7pm performance of Sesame Street Live at Rupp Arena on Friday night, and I’m most pleased to report that my son (who just turned five) really enjoyed the program, as did my wife, along with our 5 month old baby in tow (who was mesmerized by the colorful production and never let out a squeal). After yet another week lost to the stresses of the workplace and rushing from points A to B, how refreshing it was to watch the pure delight on our child’s face as his favorite characters came to life on stage! Tonight was true quality time together and a memory we will hold onto for years to come.

This live stage show of the iconic TV program has an amazing 30 year run, and what really connected me was remembering that 35 years ago in 1974, I was a five year old watching these same characters and singing many of the same songs! The messages are timeless; love and support your friends and family, work together to achieve a common goal, believing in the power of your dreams and wondering what you might like to be when you “grow up” (great question that I actually started to ponder while sitting in the audience at age 40!) ……I’m glad a new generation of kids are hearing this, and that my son was one of them in the audience!

The show was about an hour and a half, with a 15 minute intermission, so it was just right for little attention spans (both young and old!) Hardcore Elmo fans will not be disappointed, as he has a breakout in the program of the essential “Elmo’s World” styled exactly as the TV program. Newer characters like Abby Cadabby, Telly Monster and Baby Bear mix in seamlessly with veterans Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert and Oscar the Grouch, who shows up like a crusty old friend from the past to steal the show.

Here’s hoping that “Sesame Street Live” tours for another 30 years and thanks to Rupp Arena for bringing them to the children of Lexington and the Bluegrass! If you are looking for a great family activity this weekend for the Kindergarten and under crowd, you really can’t go wrong with Sesame Street Live! The best part of all is that today I’m a hero with my 5 year old for taking him to the show…typically, I have to do something really cool (like catching fireflies on a summer night) to warrant such a title. What a great start to the weekend!

Guest Blogged by: Doug High
Photos by: Doug High

Scarefest starts today at the Lexington Center. We went down and did a quick walk through of the exhibit hall before it opened up and took the camera with us. Check out the video below (click here to watch in high definition) to see a quick rundown of the setup from this year. For more information on Scarefest, visit their website by CLICKING HERE.

Cue the spooky music… [presses play]… much better. The ScareFest Horror and Paranormal Convention is back at the Lexington Center this September 11th through 13th! Many may remember last year (it’s first year), which was very successful and hosted a lot of celebrities and exhibitors involved with horror and the paranormal. Although last year set the bar high, this year will push it even higher! Hit the jump to see a list of some of the celebrities coming to the event.

Horror Guests

Doug Bradley (Pinhead – Hellraiser Series)
Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface – Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Dee Wallace (The Hills Have Eyes, E.T. & Cujo)
Danielle Harris (Halloween 4 & 5, Rob Zombie’s Halloween 1 & 2)
Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead)
Leslie Easterbrook (Police Academy Series & The Devil’s Rejects)
Priscilla Barnes (Threes Company & The Devil’s Rejects)
Kane Hodder (Jason – Friday The 13th VII, VIII, Jason Goes to Hell & Jason X)
Robert Kurtzman (Special FX – Scream, Army of Darkness & Hostel)

Paranormal Guests

Zak Bagans (”Travel Channel’s” Ghost Adventures)
Nick Groff (”Travel Channel’s” Ghost Adventures)
Aaron Goodwin (”Travel Channel’s” Ghost Adventures)
Bill Birnes (The History Channel’s UFO Hunters)
Chip Coffey (World Famous Psychic & Medium)
Patti Starr (Certified Ghost Hunter & Author)
John Zaffis (Demonologist and Paranormal Researcher)
Chris Moon (Paranormal Researcher)
Michelle Belanger (Author, Expert of the Occult)

Every now and then we like to poll our readers/fans/followers to see who they would like to see come to Rupp Arena. It gives us a good idea of what the demand is for certain artists/acts and tells us to keep an ear to the ground for when they are routing their tour. So, we want to know who you want to see! As a little extra incentive, next Monday (August 10th) we will choose a random commenter here, on Facebook, and on Twitter and each will win a Rupp Arena Blog tshirt. So take a second and hammer out some of your favorite bands/shows that are currently touring, planning a tour, or may tour at some point in the future. You never know, they may end up hitting the stage here at Rupp!

This morning at 10:00am, we officially announced that Smackdown & ECW Live TV will be coming to Rupp Arena on October 13th. This will be a double-header event, both being taped to be aired on TV later. Currently, the lineup includes Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Kane, CM Punk, Christian, The Great Khali, Tommy Dreamer, Melina, and Michelle McCool. There will be more people announced later, and those announced are subject to change, but it looks like a solid group of people for a long night of wrestling.

I thought it might be fun to see what everyone’s favorite memories from Rupp Arena are. We have had a TON of concerts, basketball, hockey, arena football, circuses, bull riding [I could go on forever]…, so there should be tons of memories to be had. Leave a comment with your Top 10 Rupp Arena memories. Be as specific or vague as you like, and just for kicks, we will randomly choose one of the comments and mail that person a Rupp Arena Blog tshirt. Hit the jump below to check out my own Top 10 List.

Here is my Top 10 (in no specific order):

• First UK Game I attended after I began working for Rupp Arena
• Seeing Lynyrd Skynyrd perform “Freebird” & “Simple Man” Live
• Shaun Morgan of Seether & Nickelback performing a cover of “Hey Man Nice Shot” (by Filter) to a sold out crowd
• Riding around with Mickie James (WWE Diva) all day for a blog article and interview
• Watching the Avenged Sevenfold, Buckcherry & Papa Roach (three bands I like a lot) show from right next to the stage
• Watching the Ringling Bros. elephants walk from the Cox Street parking lot to Triangle Park for an “Elephant Wash”
• Standing right next to Nicole Kidman at the mix booth at the Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood concert
• Seeing millions of bubbles float around in the arena during the Sugarland show (they passed out bubbles to everyone).
• Tons of (current and former) UK players and coaches showing their support for Bill Keightly during his memorial service in the arena
• Going to my first rock concert: Nine Inch Nails With Teeth Tour in 2006

Like cooking? How about Bobby Flay? So do we! The Incredible Food Show [get it? E-D-I-B-L-E]is now on-sale via Lexington Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets. Rupp Arena and the Lexington Center are playing host to a food exhibit show on October 3rd & 4th, presented by Kentucky Proud. There will be exhibitors, a show by Sullivan University, and best of all, 2 shows with Food Network’s Chef Bobby Flay. There are many different ticket options for just the show, or with Bobby Flay. Check out The Incredible Food Show website for more details.

The Jonas Brothers kicked off their world tour this past Saturday, June 20th down at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX. There were around 50,000 fans there to greet the trio and their openers (Honor Society and Jordin Sparks). As a special surprise to the fans, Miley Cyrus made a surprise appearance and sang “Before the Storm,” a song she collaborates with the Jonas Brothers on, which is featured on their new CD. If you want to see the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus performing, it’s nothing a quick YouTube search can’t find. The Jonas Brothers will be hitting the stage at Rupp Arena on August 23rd, and Miley Cyrus will be doing the same on November 1st.

A long time ago, in a decade far far away, Rupp Arena opened its doors for the first time with a Lawrence Welk concert on October 17th, 1976. Ever since then we have hosted a wide variety of legendary artists, hall-of-famers, and some one-hit wonders here and there as well. Using an excel document we had and various employees’ knowledge I have been able to compile a list of all the events Rupp Arena has hosted. To my amazement, we have had AC/DC here six times, Lynyrd Skynyrd seven times, KISS eight times, and hundreds of other legendary groups which plotted their course through Lexington during their heyday.

Click here to check out the Event Timeline on Rupp Arena’s website. Clicking on the year links at the top will direct you to that year in the timeline. We would love to know what events everyone has been to, so after you check it our, stop back by here and post your favorites.