Elvis Presley Enterprises & Live Nation Team Up for Concerts at Graceland
Elvis Presley Enterprises and Live Nation have announced a partnership to bring concerts to Graceland in Memphis, Tenn.
Elvis Presley Enterprises and Live Nation have announced a partnership to bring concerts to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. The 2,000-capacity Graceland Soundstage, which is located at the Elvis Presley’s Memphis entertainment complex, and the 464-capacity theater inside the Guest House at Graceland Hotel will be ramping up bookings with the assistance of Live Nation.
“Graceland is already the most famous music destination in the world. And we want to make it one of the most famous destinations to see live music as well,” managing partner of Graceland Holdings Joel Weinshanker told Commercial Appeal.
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Per the partnership, the two entities plan to host 50-75 shows in 2019 with more in 2020. The first slate of performers, who are expected to range from legacy acts to up and comers, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’re anticipating a creative partnership that will play a role in honoring such a historic artist and the place he called home,” said Chief Operations Officer of Live Nation Clubs and Theaters Ben Weeden. He added that Graceland was “one of the singular iconic and transformational music brands on earth.”
According to EPE, 600,000 people already travel annually to the former home of Elvis Presley. While most bookings in the past at Graceland were Elvis-centric, Live Nation plans to expand the destinations in both number and scope.
“We’ve already had a lot of interest within the industry and from artists about playing Graceland. We expect we’re going to be doing a lot of different kinds of show, whether its album release parties, or someone wanting to make a live album — and we’ve already had a dozen requests to do that,” Weinshanker told Commercial Appeal.
EPE added that the concerts can anchor weekend festivals and that the Graceland Exhibition Hall expected to complete construction in May will also contribute to more conventions for the company.
On top of the exhibition hall, EPE is also proposing a 6,200-capacity arena next to Graceland. The arena is still in discussion as it may violate a non-compete agreement the city of Memphis has with the nearby FedExForum, home of the NBA’s Grizzlies.
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