Out West Midland launches 2026 concert season at the Horseshoe

New entertainment promotion company partners with Acosta family to bring live events to Midland

Jan. 29, 2026 at 5:55pm

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After the closure of the popular music venue The Tailgate, a new entertainment promotion company called Out West Midland has been launched in partnership with the Acosta family. Out West Midland will host a limited run of live events at the Midland County Horseshoe in 2026, including a concert by country band Midland and an MMA fight night with XKO. The new venture aims to expand the types of live entertainment available in the Permian Basin region.

Why it matters

The closure of The Tailgate left a void in Midland's live music scene, but the launch of Out West Midland represents a new chapter in the city's entertainment landscape. By partnering with the Acosta family and utilizing the larger Horseshoe venue, Out West Midland plans to bring a wider variety of live events to the community, from country concerts to MMA fights.

The details

Out West Midland is a new entertainment promotion company founded by former Tailgate owners Ariel Herrera and Sean Elphick, who have partnered with the Acosta family. The new venture will host a limited schedule of live events at the Midland County Horseshoe in 2026, kicking off with a concert by country band Midland on March 19 and an XKO Fight Night MMA event on April 18. The Tailgate venue is being taken down, but the Out West Midland team plans to repurpose some of the iconic equipment from the former music hall.

  • Out West Midland will kick off its 2026 concert season on March 19 with a performance by the country band Midland.
  • The XKO Fight Night MMA event will take place on April 18, 2026 at the Midland County Horseshoe.

The players

Out West Midland

A new entertainment promotion company founded by former Tailgate owners Ariel Herrera and Sean Elphick, who have partnered with the Acosta family to bring live events to the Midland County Horseshoe.

Ariel Herrera

Former co-owner of The Tailgate music venue and a founder of the new Out West Midland promotion company.

Sean Elphick

Former co-owner of The Tailgate music venue and a founder of the new Out West Midland promotion company.

Aidan Acosta

Partner in the new Out West Midland promotion company.

Logan Acosta

Partner in the new Out West Midland promotion company.

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What they’re saying

“We're so grateful for everyone that supported Sean and I the past four years. We're excited to announce our new partnership with the Acosta family for our new project called Out West, and our focus is to bring live entertainment to West Texas.”

— Ariel Herrera, Co-founder, Out West Midland

“With Out West Midland, we're building the next chapter of live entertainment in the Permian Basin. This season is about bringing the right artists and events to the Midland County Horseshoe and creating nights that people will talk about long after the lights go down.”

— Out West Midland partners

“We want to draw all the crowd from Out West. But even if you're not from Out West, and you want to come attend one of our concerts, we'd be happy to host you.”

— Logan Acosta, Partner, Out West Midland

“We're going to try and bring as many genres as possible; we know that there's a need for that in Midland. There's not a lot of concert venues around here, so we just want to make sure that we're providing different types of entertainment for everyone to enjoy.”

— Aidan Acosta, Partner, Out West Midland

“Last year, we weren't in the works with these guys, but they've done a great job. We're excited to bring something for Midland to enjoy. We appreciate everybody and we can't wait to kick butt this year.”

— Aidan Acosta, Partner, Out West Midland

What’s next

Tickets for the Midland concert and the XKO Fight Night are currently on sale. For tickets and event details, visit www.outwestmidland.com

The takeaway

The launch of Out West Midland represents an exciting new chapter for live entertainment in Midland, as the new promotion company partners with the Acosta family to bring a diverse lineup of concerts, MMA fights, and other events to the larger Midland County Horseshoe venue. This signals a commitment to expanding the types of live experiences available to the Permian Basin community.