Thanks to a week of round-the-clock efforts to repair cracks discovered in upper-deck beams, Elton John [ tickets ] will perform the first concert at the new Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Ark. on Friday (10/29). The arena had been scheduled to open with an NBA exhibition game on Oct. 12, but concern about the integrity of the beams resulted in the game's cancellation.

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, city inspectors declared the building safe and issued a permanent certificate of occupancy for the arena earlier this week. The $80 million facility reportedly required repairs to 19 beams that support the upper deck as well as five structures that extend over lower seats.

Alltel Arena will be the second arena this year that John christens with an inaugural concert: in September, he performed the first concert at the new Philips Arena in Atlanta. On a smaller scale, he also performed at the grand opening of the new 2,500-capacity Hard Rock Live concert venue in Orlando this March.

In February, John kicked off his current tour in which he is forgoing a full band and performing only with his piano. After playing gigs in North America through mid-June, John embarked on a month-long European jaunt before heading back across the ocean.

John will conclude the year with a Dec. 30 show with Tina Turner at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

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