Voice of Texas Rangers to host annual birthday benefit show at Longhorn Ballroom

When Eric Nadel’s birthday rolls around, the veteran sportscaster takes a break from working Texas Rangers games and throws a party. Each May, instead of cake and candles, he books a concert venue, invites his friends out and uses the occasion to raise tens of thousands of dollars for charity.

This year, Nadel’s birthday show is taking place on Thursday, May 14, at the Longhorn Ballroom. He’s turning 75 and celebrating his diamond birthday by bringing Sammy Rae & The Friends and Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes along for the fun. Nadel himself will host the event, which includes silent and live auctions to raise money for the Grant Halliburton Foundation during the evening.

The benefit’s origins date back to 2011, when Nadel rented out the second floor of the Kessler Theater to celebrate his 60th birthday. He and the Kessler booked singer-songwriter Daphne Willis to open for Kelly Willis (no relation), and the evening was a massive success. So massive, in fact, that Nadel says by the next morning, he was already planning to do it again the next year to raise money for a worthy cause.

Nadel has been open about his own mental health struggles, so he identified two organizations focused on helping others facing similar challenges at the time, Contact Crisis Line and To Write Love on Her Arms.

Over the years, the benefit has grown significantly as Dallas music fans have marked the special occasion on their calendars each year and as more sponsors and organizations have gotten involved. After the pandemic, Nadel settled into a relationship with the Grant Halliburton Foundation, a Dallas-based nonprofit that seeks to prevent suicide among teens and young adults. Instead of the Kessler, the event is now grown to reach its sister venue, the Longhorn Ballroom. Last year, Nadel says they had around 600 attendees and raised $100,000; he’s expecting a similar turnout this year.

Though he has become known as the iconic voice of the Texas Rangers, Nadel is a music lover at his core, and the bands that play at the annual benefit are always artists he has a personal affinity for. This year, he says, they’re flying Sammy Rae in from New York since it’s such a milestone birthday for him and bringing in a long-time favorite of Nadel’s, Chuck Prophet.

“I’ve been a huge Chuck Prophet fan for many years,” says Nadel. “And now he’s doing Cumbia music… and I just love it.” He recommends Prophet’s “First Came the Thunder” to anyone looking to get a feel for the genre.

During this year’s live auction, Nadel plans to auction off a trip to Napa, a VIP trip to Houston to see the Rangers play the Astros, a dinner with Texas Rangers President Chris Young and more. He wants to be clear, though, that although this is a fundraising event for a good cause, it’s not exclusive.

“It’s a benefit, but it’s not some high-priced gala,” says Nadel. “Our tickets…run from $25 to $70… we want as many people there as possible.” 

While some items will certainly command a higher price tag, Nadel has leaned on his relationships in the world of sports to get items like signed baseball cards, with bids starting as low as $50. They will also auction off baseballs signed by Dallas athletes and celebrities, including Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, and others. There are 25 meal experiences up for grabs, allowing winners a lunch or dinner with local sportscasters or team executives. A lot of these items are already available to bid on through the benefit’s silent auction, which will conclude May 14 at 9:30 p.m., and even if you don’t attend the actual benefit, you can still win items from the auction.

Above all, Nadel is proud that his work with the Texas Rangers has put him in a position to host this annual benefit at all. He says he’s looking forward to seeing where the team goes this year.

“They need to start hitting,” he tells the Observer. “Based on the numbers on the back of these guys’ baseball cards, they should be scoring a lot more runs than they are, and I think eventually they will.”

Beyond his day job, though, Nadel says the benefit is something special he looks forward to each year. It’s a birthday party writ large, a way for him to give back to the community. And he’s not planning to stop anytime soon.

“I’m already planning next year’s,” he says.

Tickets for Eric Nadel’s 14th Annual Birthday Benefit are available now.