BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - A day that has been years in the making is nearly upon the Magic City as completion of the Coca-Cola Amphitheater draws closer.
Live Nation’s Jay Wilson welcomed WBRC’s Jonathan Skinner to the new venue to give an update on the amphitheater’s progress, saying construction is on time.
“I was just back talking to Joel with stone construction and he says we’re on time,” Wilson said standing outside Coca-Cola Amphitheater. “So if he says it, we’re on time, then I’ll believe him. So we’re going to be ready on June 22.”
Sunday, June 22 will be a huge day for Birmingham.
That’s when the amphitheater is set to open its doors for fans for the first time ever as comedian Matt Rife takes the stage.
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“It’s gonna be a wild moment when you walk through the front gate,” Wilson said. “People are gonna say, ‘I can’t believe that this is the venue that’s built in downtown Birmingham.’ It’s a stunning venue that we’ve spent many years developing and thinking about.”
Wilson talked about how Live Nation builds venues all over the world, adding that designers took a lot of the best attributes from each and put them into the Coca-Cola Amphitheater.
“When they walk around the bowl and they see the stage house for the first time, we’re all going to be standing there to see their expression when they go, ‘Wow,’” he said. “You can see the city behind the stage. We’re very proud of how this amphitheater is going to impact the city of Birmingham in this.”
With the size of the plaza, fans can expect less congestion and lines with plenty of food and beverage locations, according to Wilson. He added it will be all different kind of unique foods, “not just your normal hamburgers and hot dogs.”
Wilson said they expect the Coca-Cola Amphitheater, along with numerous other projects in recent years, will elevate the Druid Hills and Northside communities in Birmingham.
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“The BJCC, (Protective) Stadium, the renovation of the Legacy Arena, all the action that’s going on at Uptown, you’ve got top golf right there,” he said. “We’re just an extension of a couple of blocks up.”
The new amphitheater sits on the site of the old Carraway Hospital, just minutes away from the main BJCC complex and Uptown, Birmingham’s bustling entertainment hub.
As the venue’s debut date draws nearer, nearly 30 acts are already booked to take the stage in Birmingham. Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Pantera, Luke Bryan, and Alabama’s own Jessie Murph are just a few of the names set to headline the amphitheater’s debut summer.
Wilson said the Coca-Cola Amphitheater is built to handle the bigger productions many tours demand in 2025.
“A lot of bands that have really skipped the market because we haven’t had the outdoor facilities that can handle a lot of the big tours that are out there now,” he said. “You know, tours are much bigger with a lot of video and and more lights and and you need a big old stage house that can handle that. So we designed it with that attention. We’re going to see over 30 shows this year that, you know, probably 10 or 12 of them would have skipped the market if if we didn’t have this type of facility.”
When fans head to Coca-Cola Amphitheater on that first night, there will be plenty of places to park.
There will be two parking decks in use for this year’s amphitheater season in addition to 10 surface lots that will provide lighted, staffed parking just blocks from the amphitheater.
The traditional BJCC parking lots will also be available with a shuttle that will run from the BJCC to the amphitheater and back.
Live Nation recently hosted a hiring event at Protective Stadium where they had said they expected to hire over 300 positions.
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