BRANDON, MISS. (CelebrityAccess) The Red Mountain Entertainment-managed 8,300-capacity amphitheater in Brandon, Miss., is on course for its April debut and is already getting gushing reviews from local press.
WLBT and MSNewsNow proudly proclaimed the Brandon Amphitheater at The Quarry will be “a showstopper for all of Mississippi,” with Brandon Mayor Butch Lee noting there hasn’t been anything of its capabilities for the Jackson area.
“This area didn’t have the facility,” Lee told WLBT. “Didn’t have the facility to attract them. It’s not only the artists but it’s the touring group too. It’s their experience and what they enjoy. So it’s the patrons, the touring group and the artist.”
The shed kicks off with a Chris Young performance April 18 and the first year’s lineup includes Dave Matthews Band, Jason Aldean, Alan Jackson, the popular “I Love The 90’s” touring package featuring acts like Salt-N-Pepa and Coolio, and Hank Williams Jr. Many of the performances are part of the “C Spire Concert Series” – the name sponsor a locally based wireless phone / internet service that has sponsored concerts in the area for several years.
The city-owned venue is booked and managed by Red Mountain Entertainment, which manages venues like the Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre and Gulf Coast’s Wharf Amphitheater, and books events like Beale Street Music Festival and Sloss Music and Arts Festival.
“Sitting at the crossroads of the South between Memphis, New Orleans, Dallas and Atlanta, this world-class venue will allow the city of Brandon to bring the caliber of artists this region craves. As we’ve seen with similar venues, the Brandon Amphitheater at The Quarry is sure to have a positive economic impact on central Mississippi and create many lasting memories in this community for years to come,” Red Mountain’s Jay Wilson recently told the Clarion Ledger.
The project, reportedly in the $20 million area, included $14 million in tax-free municipal bonds, according to Mississippi Business Journal.
“We’ve talked to a lot of agents, and they have always said that it would be really nice to have a venue in Jackson, central Mississippi,” Wilson told the Journal. “You’ve got the old downtown kind of livestock arena [the Mississippi Coliseum] at the fairgrounds and really beautiful 2,000-capacity Thalia Mara Hall and that’s really it.”
The shed follows the trend of recent amphitheaters, with no actual lawn area: the capacity of 8,500 is all seats.
