Van Halen says it’s playing Wichita; ticket-sale information released

Van Halen, the rock band that’s touring with original singer David Lee Roth, will perform at Intrust Bank Arena on Sept. 17, arena officials announced Monday afternoon.

News of the concert leaked earlier Monday after the band listed the date on its official website.

Tickets go on sale Saturday morning and will cost $95, $75, $45.

The arena gave away 15 free tickets to the concert to those who attended a 1 p.m. Monday announcement outside of the arena.

About 100 people gathered to hear the announcement and to try to win the free tickets.

Intrust Bank Arena general manager A.J. Boleski, who emerged wearing a Van Halen T-shirt to the opening chords of the song “Jump,” said that Wichita was added to the tour, in part, because of fan demand.

He read a statement from the show’s promoter, Bob Roux of Live Nation:

“Wichita must be packed with more Van Halen fans per capita than anywhere else in the country because they have been bombarding us with requests to bring the band to Wichita for months now,” the statement said.

Van Halen has been on tour since February supporting its new album, “A Different Kind of Truth.”

The opening act will be Ky-mani Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley.

Tickets to the concert go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. The arena will use its lottery system to sell the tickets.

In an effort to discourage camping and ensure fairness, arena officials sell tickets using the system whenever they anticipate a particularly high demand.

Under the system, fans can start lining up at the arena box office at 7 a.m. Those who are there at 9 a.m. will be given a ticket with a number.

At 9:30 a.m., a random number is drawn. That person becomes first in line, and everyone else lines up behind that person in numerical order.

Tickets also will be available at selectaseat.com, at Select-A-Seat outlets and at 316-755-SEAT.

This story was originally published May 7, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Van Halen says it’s playing Wichita; ticket-sale information released."