Big stars, bigger shows: How Knoxville could be the next hot spot for major concert tours

Country stars Tim McGraw, Dan + Shay and Sam Hunt. Hip-hop and R&B artists Nelly, Ashanti. Grammy album of the year winner Jon Batiste. Breakout musicians Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers. They are are all slated to perform in Knoxville in 2024.

With an increasing number of legends and popular music acts stopping by, Knoxville’s status in the live entertainment market is growing.

“It’s been awesome (to see)! And I think it just coincides with the growth of a lot of different things in Knoxville,” Visit Knoxville President Kim Bumpas told Knox News. “More and more artists want to come to Knoxville because we're a great regional drivable market … that is still big yet feels a little more intimate.”

In recent years, Paul McCartney and Elton John serenaded Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. And urban artists Lizzo, T-Pain and Lil Wayne also hyped Knoxville crowds. But could we draw the tours of mega stars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift? Knoxville's stadiums just might be on their radar, even if we wouldn't be one of their first stops, according to a Los Angeles-based concerts producer.

Knoxville was named among the top 50 concert markets nationally, according to Pollstar’s annual concert market rankings in 2023. Landing at No. 41 on the list, Knoxville jumped 56 spots from its 2022 ranking (No. 97), making the single largest jump in the country and bringing in nearly $30 million in the process. Pollstar is a trade publication that tracks live music and concert data.

“Knoxville has set itself apart as an entertainment destination. Artists want to experience what all the hype is about,” Toni Williams, marketing manager for ASM Global Knoxville, told Knox News. “Many artists, they continue to return on their tours because of the great outpouring of support from our community.”

ASM Global is a venue and event company that manages and operates the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum, Knoxville Convention Center, World's Fair Exhibition Hall and Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center.

How Knoxville is becoming a hot spot for concerts and live entertainment

Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top and Hootie and the Blowfish with Darius Rucker will take the stage at Food City Center this year. And don’t forget Aerosmith is expected to reschedule a postponed show there.

The venue, which signed a 10-year naming rights deal with Food City Center last year, recently hosted shows by Lizzo, Blake Shelton, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan and Keith Urban. It boasts a capacity of nearly 22,000 seats, and received a nomination for arena of the year at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards.

“The University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s vision to unlock the potential of Food City Center has been validated by the response of our amazing fan base to the expanded opportunities,” Jason Pedone, director of Food City Center, told Knox News. “Food City Center is now the premier major entertainment facility in the region.”

Knoxville native Brad Painter is the booking director for Food City Center through venue management company, OVG360. He works with promoters, agents and managers to ensure Food City Center is an option when artists are in the early stages of tour planning.

“Some artists approach their plans with Knoxville firmly in their sights, while others require a bit more coaxing to pay a visit to East Tennessee,” he explained. “But we’re always waving the Knoxville flag,”

Williams also confirmed Knoxville is “on the radar” for many artists. ASM Knoxville regularly attends conventions hosted by Pollstar, the International Entertainment Buyers Association and other organizations to develop and maintain relationships with promoters while amplifying Knoxville’s profile.

Knoxville is a ‘sweet spot’ for popular entertainers

UT and Knoxville’s big-city amenities with small-town appeal make Knoxville a desirable location for live entertainment. Bumpas noted it’s the “sweet spot” for attendance. Performers can book Knoxville venues and sell out quickly, an incentive as the live entertainment industry rebounds from earlier-COVID-19-era setbacks.

Knoxville is surrounded by entertainment hot spots to the east, west and south, but it shouldn’t be overlooked, Pedone said.

“Our fan base is so strong that touring acts are not forced to choose. They can play Knoxville, Nashville, Atlanta and Charlotte with confidence,” he said.

The Knoxville Civic Center attracts an array of performers, from touring musicians and stage productions to comedians such as Kevin Hart, Matt Rife and Jo Koy. The coliseum has a 6,500-person seating capacity and the auditorium can seat up to 2,500 people.

Other popular venues include the Tennessee Theatre, the Bijou Theatre and the Mill and Mine, all of which regularly host musical acts that range from legends to up-and-comers. These venues can accommodate between 700 and 1,600 people.

“It’s been wonderful to see this community’s ongoing support of the arts, and live entertainment, in particular. As you might imagine, a proven track record of selling tickets only helps us attract bigger and bigger names to Knoxville,” Painter said.

One show of East Tennessee concert market strength was viral sensation Oliver Anthony’s sold-out show last year. Anthony canceled his initial concert at the 1,500-capacity venue Cotton Eyed Joe following a ticket price dispute, and moved the show to the larger Knoxville Convention Center.

But demand was so high, the concert was moved a second time to the current Smokies Stadium in Sevier County. Over 9,500 tickets (including field seats) sold out in under two hours, according to a news release.

Could Knoxville be a new stop for massive stadium tours?

Stadium tours have historically been reserved for huge stars who bring music fans to football or baseball fields. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Pink and Ed Sheeran all had successful stadium tours in 2023. But a musical artist hasn’t commanded Neyland Stadium since 2019, when Garth Brooks performed there for a crowd of 84,000 people, breaking a concert attendance record at the stadium. (Although Dolly Parton singing “Rocky Top” during the game against Georgia was definitely a 2023 Neyland highlight.)

“These artists are making ridiculous money,” Stig Edgren, a music industry lecturer at University of California, Los Angeles, told Knox News about stadium-touring artists.

“So, the people that are putting together these tours, they're picking the highest income producing stadiums in the country,” he continued.

The new Smokies Stadium under construction downtown and plans for a Neyland Entertainment District moving forward could be a game-changer for stadium concerts in Knoxville.

“The multipurpose stadium that will be home to the Knoxville Smokies and potentially One Knox Soccer Club will be a place for other (ideas for) outdoor concerts,” Bumpas said.

“I think it's awesome and I think Visit Knoxville would kick in like we did with Garth Brooks and use that as a huge showcase opportunity to the people that come in from all over to go there,” she continued.

UT recently moved to the next phase of developing an entertainment district between Neyland Stadium and Food City Center. The area would include restaurants, retail stores, a boutique hotel and condominiums and could increase concerts and entertainment events.

“I'd love to use (Neyland) Stadium more than seven or eight days a year,” athletics director Danny White told Knox News in December. "There's a whole host of opportunities that open up if we can create all these things working together."

If local promoters make proper offers and updated venues can accommodate production needs, it’s “perfectly feasible” for bigger pop acts to play Knoxville, said Edgren. And it doesn’t mean we’re out of luck if Knoxville is left off the first leg of tour dates, either.

Major stadium and arena tours are designed to hit big cities like Los Angeles, New York and even Nashville first, explained Edgren, who also produces live events. A city like Knoxville is likely on the second leg.

“If you don't have the right stadium, then you wouldn't be considered on that (first stadium) run of the tour. But for arenas, you can get Billie Eilish, you can get Olivia Rodrigo, you can get Dua Lipa,” he said. “There's no reason why they shouldn’t play Knoxville.”

It’s not just for country fans

Country stars from the Knoxville area like Morgan Wallen and Kelsea Ballerini are making huge waves in the music world right now. Ballerini even sold out Food City Center last year, headlining her first arena concert in her hometown. But Knoxville isn’t just a place for country music.

Paul McCartney was a big get in 2022, Bumpas noted, and showed concert promoters that Knoxville can successfully host diverse performers. Since McCartney's show, rock bands, hip hop artists and country singers all have come through Knoxville.

“You bring a Lizzo to town and she sold well and she was a fantastic show and then that lends to the Eagles and then that lends, you know, to the next act,” Bumpas said. “So, I think it's a big deal for Knoxville to have a diverse lineup, and that should be a focus as we move forward.”

Food City Center is designed to be a draw for everyone and values entertainment of all genres, Pedone said. “Our fans have clearly demonstrated that via their consistent support of wide-ranging content,” he added.

Providing diverse entertainment for everyone to enjoy is a priority for OVG360 and ASM Knoxville, too, especially as the city’s population continues to grow.

“We are actively working on expanding our content offerings beyond those known quantities to feature other types of entertainment that work well here, like pop, rock, alternative and hip-hop,” Painter said.

“I think we’re just scratching the surface of what is possible here,” he added, hinting that “exciting announcements” are on the way but stopping shy of sharing more details.

Will Knoxville’s concert market continue to grow?

Knoxville venue mangers and promoters say they’re committed to maintaining a steady growth of live entertainment options for varied audiences over the next few years. Extensive Neyland Stadium renovations and the new Smokies stadium could play a vital role in this strategy, too.

But Bumpas does warn of city’s venue capacity threshold. Knoxville cannot host every performer and their fans. So, what a musical act has going on in their career, like a new album or major award nomination, and what’s happening locally are always factors when strategically booking performers.

As Painter put it, “I’ll never schedule a concert on the Saturday of a home football game.”

Though that impacts who comes to Knoxville and when, the demand will cause concerts to be scheduled further in advance and spread across the city’s venues, which makes for an overall healthy concert market, Bumpas noted.

“I continue to see packed calendars for all the area venues with no signs of that abating,” Painter added.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why more popular entertainers are coming to Knoxville