Tonight's

kickoff of the 2000 summer concert series at the

Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater is the start of what

could be the arena's most popular year yet.

"So

far, the year 2000 has been a record-breaking year,"

amphitheater director Kristi Rapson reported Monday night

to the Development Authority of Peachtree City.

Some of the

numbers relating to the ticket situation bear this out:

As of

Monday, a total of 1,233 season ticket holders had bought

92 percent of the entire inventory of tickets for the

first series. The amphitheater has a capacity of about

2,200.

Individual

tickets went on sale April 11, and 600 were sold that

day.

Both Kansas

concerts, tonight and tomorrow night, are effectively

sold out. The Saturday night show sold out first, which

Rapson said is a first since the amphitheater began

showcasing each performer two nights instead of one.

Standing-room-only tickets will go on sale each night at

7 p.m.

Scattered

individual tickets remain for both Righteous Brothers

concerts June 2-3. Standing-room-only tickets also will

be available for those shows.

For Don

McLean's concerts (May 5-6), a few Friday tickets are

left and about 130 remain for Saturday. Other remaining

performers are the Fifth Dimension (May 19-20) and Helen

Reddy (June 16-17), with about 170 tickets left for each

weekend.

Publicity

for the amphitheater in the metro Atlanta area is on the

rise. Rapson reported this week that FOX 5's Good Day

Atlanta morning show will be interviewing Kansas after

this weekend's shows, and arrangements are being made to

interview Don McLean and the Righteous Brothers on the

Friday before each of their concerts. Those two acts have

also been approached by Randy and Spiff from radio

station FOX 97's morning show.

The

amphitheater renovations that have taken up much of the

past off-season are on schedule, and everything is set to

be ready for tonight's opening.

A ribbon

cutting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with a number of city

officials invited. Kansas will help cut the ribbon.

The second

summer concert series schedule will be announced in

mid-May. Those shows begin July 21-22 and continue

through Sept. 22-23.