UNCASVILLE, CT (CelebrityAccess) – Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment’s (MGE) Mohegan Sun Arena has once again demonstrated its powerhouse booking strategy with a historic coup – securing a five-show, sold-out run of comedian Matt Rife’s ProbleMATTic World Tour, marking Rife’s arena debut. This achievement follows in the footsteps of music legend Billy Joel, who previously embarked on his first-ever residency with a 10-show non-consecutive record run at the award-winning arena. Rife’s mini-residency is an unprecedented comedy milestone, drawing an impressive crowd of over 40,000 attendees.
Adding to this triumph, Rife achieved seven sellouts at Mohegan’s OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino (Niagara Falls, Canada), bringing the total to an impressive 12 sellouts and attracting over 72,000 people under the Mohegan Entertainment Properties banner. Leveraging Rife’s substantial social media presence of over 30 million followers, all shows were instantly sold out, a testament to the unparalleled engagement achieved through a strategic social media push.
President of MGE’s Sports and Entertainment Worldwide, Tom Cantone, remarked, “The most amazing thing about this is we never spent a dime on traditional advertising. It was all social media, a push of the button to achieve the highest engagement of social media numbers on our channels to date – and counting.”
Matt Frost, Rife’s agent from Creative Artists Agency (CAA), acknowledged Cantone’s impact, stating, “Tom has built an entertainment dynasty and has also made this venue one of the top comedy venues in the country. That’s why we wanted to make Matt’s arena debut here at Mohegan Sun Arena.”
“We have done 10 of the most popular comedy artists and counting in a year with Matt [Frost],” Cantone said. “We look forward to continuing this record pace of securing major comedy excitement.”
Rife joins the ranks of several A-list comedy stars who have made their arena debut at Mohegan, including Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart, Theo Vohn, Sebastian Maniscalco, Impractical Jokers, and Tom Segura, to name a few. “Mohegan Sun has grown into the epicenter for today’s hottest comedians and a career-changing powerhouse place to be on stage,” said Marc Gentilella, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CelebrityAccess.
On Thursday (February 22), Mohegan Sun honored Rife as the 41st Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame inductee before night 2 of his historic run. Cantone and Mohegan Tribal Council’s Kim Baker presented the headline comic with his star. An honor shared with iconic names like Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Keith Urban and more.
In true form, Rife humorously suggested he’d like his star positioned between Swift and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr as he accepted the award in front of a large crowd of his most dedicated fans.
“This has been an incredible experience for me and means more than a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. Thank you to everyone who has supported me from the beginning. Five sold-out shows at one venue is unbelievable, and I hope everyone attending this run of shows enjoys themselves.” ~ Matt Rife
After the ceremony, Mohegan Sun randomly selected three show guests who celebrated with Cantone and Rife as the 10,000-seat arena eclipsed yet another milestone – welcoming 15 million guests since its opening in 2001.
Beyond the historic success of Rife’s run, the venue continues its stellar year, clinching two national awards from NEWSWEEK and Pollstar for Best Casino Venue in America. Owner of Comix Roadhouse, Marc Weisenthal, added, “Mohegan Sun has emerged as a preferred spot for today’s comedians, providing a substantial career boost for performers in this world-class venue.”
Cantone and Co. maintains its record-setting momentum, establishing Mohegan Sun as one of the world’s top-ranked entertainment destinations. Cantone credits, summing up nicely, “This incredible run we are on is the result of how we put People First, and the men and women who run our venue deserve all the credit. Team chemistry here involves Core Values for the entire resort.”
