Work is underway on a $30 million (€28m), 7,500-cap amphitheatre project in the US, being led by Coran Capshaw’s Red Light Ventures.

The venue in Richmond, Virginia is earmarked to open in spring 2025 on Gambles Hill, and will welcome 25-35 concerts a year, as well as hosting community-based activities. It could also serve as the primary stage for the annual Richmond Folk Festival.

The city council approved a 20-year performance grant agreement for the development over the summer, with fencing going up on the site in mid October, reports Richmond Bizsense.

“Richmond is known for its vibrant arts and music scene, but for too many years, big-name artists have bypassed the city because it didn’t have a suitable venue,” Capshaw told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “This spectacular location offers the ideal place to showcase and build upon the growing energy surrounding Richmond’s riverfront.”

“Richmond can often be overlooked by big-name artists who are looking for a venue that’s large enough to meet the demand of their fanbase”

Red Light Management founder Capshaw, who manages acts such as Dave Matthews Band, previously partnered with the City of Charlottesville to develop the 3,500-cap Ting Pavilion in 2005. Red Light is working on the Virginia Amphitheater scheme with Virginia-based IMGoing Events, with concerts to be arranged via Red Light’s promotions arm, Starr Hill Presents.

Grant Lyman, Live Nation’s southeast region president, said the new venue would fill a void for touring artists between Washington DC and the Carolinas.

“The fan and artist’s experience here in Richmond will be world-class, bringing fans downtown to the riverfront with a background that showcases the city’s urban growth,” Lyman told the council committee, as per Virginia Business. “Richmond can often be overlooked by big-name artists who are looking for a venue that’s large enough to meet the demand of their fanbase, as well as capable of supporting their production needs.”

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Organisers of the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in the US were forced to end the event early due to severe weather.

The sold-out festival took place at the Virginia International Raceway with acts including Slipknot, Death Punch, Megadeth, Pantera, Shinedown and Danzig, and was due to run between 7 and 10 September.

A powerful thunderstorm hit Blue Ridge (cap. 50,000) on its opening day, cutting Coheed and Cambria’s set short and prompting an evacuation of the racetrack.

The festival resumed the next day but organisers were forced to pull the plug on the final two days due to the approach of more dangerous weather.

“With heavy hearts, due to this weekend’s continued severe weather, we must announce the cancellation of the final days of Blue Ridge Rock Festival,” organisers announced via social media on Saturday (9 September).

“This has been an agonising turn of events for what was to be such a special weekend”

“Your safety and well-being are our foremost concerns. We understand the disappointment this brings, and we share immensely in your sadness. Please know that this decision was made with the utmost consideration for everyone involved and our focus now is on supporting those of you still on-site.”

“This has been an agonising turn of events for what was to be such a special weekend. There will be much more that we will unveil over the next few days. Rest assured, we will take care of you despite these difficult circumstances.”

Following the cancellation, several artists, including Shinedown, Papa Roach, and viral country sensation Oliver Anthony performed an impromptu set for disappointed fans.

Organisers said information regarding refunds will be made available early this week “when business re-opens.”

Extreme weather has impacted a number of 2023 festivals and outdoor concerts including IYKYK, Bluedot (UK), Pitchfork Festival Chicago (US)  Primavera (ES), Dutch festivals Awakenings, Bospop and Wildeburg, Alexandra Palace’s Kaleidoscope Festival and Robbie Williams’ concert in Austria.

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ASM Global are partnering on the development and operation of the proposed 17,000-seat GreenCity Arena in Virginia, planned to be the greenest venue in the US.

The Henrico County venue will be designed for touring concerts, family shows, sports and tournaments, and will be a central feature of the $2.3 billion GreenCity ‘eco-district’.

Henrico first announced GreenCity in December 2020 as a mixed-use development featuring office, residential, retail and hotel uses designed to high-sustainability standards as an eco-district. The arena is being planned as a net-zero energy project with additional design features and practices that developers believe will make it the greenest arena in the nation.

“What we wanted in an arena-development partner is someone that also understood district programming,” says GreenCity Partners principal Michael Hallmark. “The arena may well be the main attraction, but GreenCity is much more.”

“A growing list of touring artists as well as corporate sponsors are viewing climate change action strategies as key factors in their decision process. They can go anywhere. We want them to come here,” Hallmark said. “Developing science-based targets and net-zero goals is just good business.”

“GreenCity offers tremendous synergies for the talent we hope to attract”

The arena construction will be largely paid for by bonds issued through the GreenCity Community Development Authority, which was established by the Henrico Board of Supervisors on 24 January. The CDA will be overseen by a separate board. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is expected to lead the underwriting effort.

The arena site, located along Interstate 95 between East Parham Road and Interstate 295, is seen as the best location for a major arena in Virginia.

ASM Global executive VP of development Liam Thornton says: “We believe this location is optimal within the greater region, as the I-95 corridor connects touring shows from Boston to Miami. It will be a tremendous venue for us as well as Central Virginia. Additionally, the extensive work already done by Henrico County in terms of completing planning approvals, the development agreement and the formation of the CDA demonstrates their track record of successfully partnering with the private sector on consequential projects.”

ASM global president and CEO Ron Bension adds: “It’s a beautiful development plan, impressive at every level. GreenCity offers tremendous synergies for the talent we hope to attract as well as the corporate partners we believe will be eager to be a part of this exciting project.”

Design for the arena will be finalised in the autumn. Construction is expected to begin in early 2024 with completion in 2026.

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As countries around the world crack down on ticket touting – with the launch of the Anti-Resale Alliance by politicians and industry groups in Spain the latest example – one US state has just taken a big step in the opposite direction.

House Bill (HB) 1825, criticised by venues and promoters as “legislation that protects scalpers and out-of-state companies to the detriment of Virginia fans”, has passed Virginia’s House of Delegates, meaning anyone found to be restricting the resale of concert tickets will soon be liable for prosecution.

HB 1825 – introduced last month by Virginia state delegate Dave Albo, who was unable to resell a paperless ticket to an Iron Maiden show he could no longer attend – and its sister State Bill (SB) 1425 provide for a fine of up to $US15,000 for anyone who issues tickets “through a delivery method that substantially prevents the ticket purchaser from lawfully reselling the ticket” online, or “penalises, discriminates against or denies admission to an event solely on the basis that the person resold a ticket or purchased a resold ticket on a specific internet ticketing platform”.

The bill now goes to the desk of Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, who has previously pledged his support to Albo. “He generally believes in fostering competition and innovation,” a spokesman for McAuliffe (pictured) told the Daily Press in January. “And he looks forward to buying his next round of Springsteen tickets on the secondary market.”

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A coalition of venues, ticketing companies, promoters and other music businesses have voiced their opposition to legislation before the Virginia General Assembly that would block the resale of tickets on “the internet ticketing platform of the ticket purchaser’s choice”.

House Bill 1825 – introduced last month by Virginia state delegate Dave Albo, who was unable to resell a paperless ticket to an Iron Maiden show he could no longer attend – and the sister State Bill (SB) 1425 would, if passed, provide for a fine of up to $US15,000 for anyone who issues tickets “through a delivery method that substantially prevents the ticket purchaser from lawfully reselling the ticket” online, or “penalises, discriminates against or denies admission to an event solely on the basis that the person resold a ticket or purchased a resold ticket on a specific internet ticketing platform”.

The bill is opposed by several Virginian venues, as well as organisations as diverse as Live Nation/Ticketmaster, AEG Live/AXS, independent promoter Jam Productions, ticket agency Ticketstoday and Grammys organiser The Recording Academy.

Calling themselves the ‘Virginia Sports and Entertainment Industry Coalition’, the companies have penned an open letter to William Stanley, the sponsor of SB 1425, criticising a bill they say would hurt “Virginia consumers, businesses and the Commonwealth’s [Virginia’s] economy.

The full, unedited, letter is below:

Re: Opposition to Senate Bill 1425 and House Bill 1825—

Legislation that Protects Scalpers and Out-of-State Companies to the Detriment of Virginia Fans

Dear Senator Stanley:

The following organizations write to express our strong opposition to Senate Bill 1425 and House Bill 1825—legislation that, while purportedly consumer-friendly, would only serve to benefit ticket scalpers and out- of-state companies at the expense of Virginia fans, teams and venues. Opposed are:

– AEG Live
– AXS
– Broadway in Richmond
– Busch Gardens Williamsburg
– Feld Entertainment, Inc.
– Feld Motor Sports® (including Monster Jam®, Monster Energy® Supercross, AMSOIL Arenacross)
– IAVM International Association of Venue Managers
– IMGoing
– Jam Productions
– Jam Theatricals
– Jiffy Lube Live
– John Paul Jones Arena
– Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (Artist Nation, Live Nation, Ticketmaster)
– Monumental Sports & Entertainment
– Portsmouth Pavilion
– Red Light Management
– Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®
– Spectra Venue Management
– The Birchmere
– The Broadway League, Inc.
– The Recording Academy
– Ticketstoday
– Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
– Water Country USA

“This is legislation promoted by scalpers who aim to limit the ability of artists, teams, venues, and promoters to determine the terms under which tickets to their events may be sold”

The sports and entertainment industry is a huge source of pride for the Commonwealth—hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in venues, sporting events, concerts, and other live event productions, significantly contributing to the employment of thousands of Virginia residents. This bill is an attempt by out-of-state ticket scalpers and companies to use legislation to shape the marketplace in order to protect their profits—to the detriment of Virginia consumers, businesses and the Commonwealth’s economy.

This is legislation promoted by companies and scalpers who aim to limit the ability of artists, teams, venues, and promoters—the event presenters who financially and creatively invest in putting on an event—determine the terms under which tickets to their events may be sold. Thus, ticket scalpers aim to use the bill to dictate how event presenters can sell what they create. This is as simple as Virginia event presenters vs. out-of-state scalpers and companies. If fans don’t like certain types of tickets, they will vote with their wallets by choosing other types of available tickets or tickets to other events. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection used this same rationale when studying the issue, and recommended that market forces—not the state legislature—should decide such matters.

The real industry-wide problems that need to be addressed are the lack of consumer disclosures from scalpers and deceptive resale websites in the secondary marketplace. The lack of disclosure on resale sites prevents fans from making informed purchases and the State from collecting appropriate taxes. Fans routinely purchase tickets in the secondary market unaware of the original price, or that they are shopping on sites where prices often exceed face value. They’re also often purposely misled by language or images of an artist, venue, team, or an entertainment event to give the appearance of an official or legitimate ticket selling channel. We encourage the Virginia Legislature to pursue stand-alone FAN-protection legislation that puts fans first instead of out-of-state scalpers.

Senate Bill 1425 and House Bill 1825 are protecting the profits of scalpers and out-of-state companies, not the best interests of Virginia fans. The signatories to this letter employ people here, pay taxes here, or help attract tourism and visitors contributing to Virginia’s economic base. We have a vested interest in ensuring that fans have a great live entertainment experience—and that they come back again and again. We’re standing with fans against this legislation, and we urge you to do the same.

Please oppose this legislation and support our Virginia live entertainment industry and fans.

Sincerely the Virginia Sports & Entertainment Industry Coalition

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While a growing number of high-profile artists, including Coldplay and Adele, have taken to voiding tickets sold on the secondary market as a means of discouraging touting, it may soon be illegal to do so in the US state of Virginia.

Dave Albo, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, has introduced a bill to the house that, if passed, would levy fines of up to US$15,000 on promoters and primary ticket agencies which “penalise, discriminate against or deny admission to an event solely on the basis that the person resold a ticket or purchased a resold ticket on a specific internet ticketing platform”.

House Bill (HB) 1825, titled Right to resell tickets; civil penalty, also takes aim at paperless tickets, prohibiting the sale of tickets “solely through a delivery method that substantially prevents the ticket purchaser from reselling the ticket on an internet ticketing platform”.

The bill would levy fines of up to $15,000 on those which “deny admission to an event solely on the basis that the person resold a ticket or purchased a resold ticket on a specific internet ticketing platform”

The bill is currently awaiting assignment to a house committee.

Speaking to the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Markus Schmidt, Albo says he was inspired to draft the proposed legislation after being unable to resell a ticket to an Iron Maiden show he could no longer attend. (Iron Maiden are also known to be fans of paperless ticketing.)

“I had to eat about $400, and I was pretty angry about that,” he explains.

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