Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Ala. has tapped some of the most beloved artists from the Northern Alabama region for the venue’s opening weekend. Dubbed The First Waltz, the amphitheater’s grand opening will span three days from May 13-15 with performances from Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Brittany Howard, Mavis Staples, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Emmylou Harris, Drive-By Truckers and more.
“There are artists performing at The First Waltz who have never played in Huntsville before alongside others who have lived and breathed this special region of Northern Alabama their whole lives,” said Ben Lovett, who is CEO of Orion Amphitheater developer Venue Group. I couldn’t be more excited and grateful to both the artists and the City of Huntsville and the people of Huntsville for their sustained commitment and belief in doing something magical here.”
The weekend will also feature performances from John Paul White and Waxahatchee with more artists to be announced. The weekend will wrap on Sunday with special performances from Huntsville’s own musical community including The Aeolians of Oakwood University, Kelvin Wooten, Deqn Sue, Translee and Huntsville Community Drumline.
“The Orion Amphitheater will be an impressive quality-of-life addition to complement our thriving arts and entertainment community,” said Hunstville mayor Tommy Battle in a release. “We anticipate this amazing venue will help attract and recruit new people and ideas to our community from across the Southeast.”
Located adjacent to the emerging MidCity District and designed by a team led by Ben Lovett, Madison House Presents co-president Mike Luba and David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc., the Orion Amphitheater will provide year-round community programming with seasonal markets, food and film festivals, regional theater productions, environmental symposiums, and family friendly events.
The amphitheater, opening in 2022, will have a capacity of 8,000 alongside a food village that will operate throughout the year and provide refreshment not only to patrons of the Amphitheater but also an additional amenity and social space for Mid-City and the food lovers throughout Madison County. Venue Group’s Ryan Murphy will serve as the general manager for the new amphitheater.
“The Orion Amphitheater is an architectural landmark different from others in the city, and together with the elevated hospitality, we are re-setting the tone for Huntsville’s cultural future,” said Murphy in a release.
In addition to bringing A-list talent to Huntsville, the amphitheater aims to become a leader in sustainability for North Alabama with plans to roll out its comprehensive sustainability platform early next year.
Tickets will go on sale this Friday at 10am CT via theorionhuntsville.com. Multi-night packages will be available.
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