New amphitheater coming to the Magic City attracting big name artists, Live Nation says

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – Summer concert season is approaching, and in the Magic City, people will have a new venue to jam out in.

Live Nation says there will be something for everyone at the Coca-Cola Amphitheater, from comedians to country superstars, to R&B and rock. More than 30 acts are already announced, and Live Nation says more are coming down the pipeline.

“A lot of different genres of music that we think are going to really serve the whole Birmingham area,” Live Nation’s Jay Wilson said.

According to Live Nation, the venue itself holds a lot of appeal to the big name artists.

“Everybody likes a shiny new toy, but we’ve built venues all over the world, and we’ve taken a lot of the best attributes from those venues, and we’ve built something that I think is going to be a great fan experience,” Wilson said. “We also spent a lot of time building out the back of house with a stage house, dressing rooms; the stage is going to be able to accommodate virtually every tour that’s on the road.”

Live Nation says the amphitheater project has been a 3 to 4 year working partnership with the BJCC, the city of Birmingham, and Jefferson County.

“The fans are going to be wowed when they walk through the front gate the first time,” Wilson said. “The city has done an amazing job with the improvements around the amphitheater. They’re paving the roads, they’re putting in sidewalks, they’re putting in lighting. The BJCC and the city of Birmingham have been working very closely on traffic and security, and that’s something we’re very excited about.”

Live Nation says it’s also excited for the neighborhoods surrounding the new amphitheater.

“We feel like it’s going to be an engine, similar to what Regions Field did down in that area of town, we think that this new Coca-Cola Amphitheater is going to be a catalyst to develop those northside communities. That’s going to connect the BJCC, Uptown, up into that area and we can’t wait to see what happens in the next 2, 3, 4, 5 years,” he said. “People in the community up there have been so gracious. We’re invited to all of their meetings, and we’ve been in constant communication with them on our plans because we know how important it is to put something like that in their neighborhood and we want to be good neighbors and good friends.”

For a list of shows lined up for the Coca Cola Amphitheatre and ticket information, visit the website linked here.