Orion Amphitheater kicks off its third concert season tonight
HUNTSVILLE – Huntsville’s award-winning Orion Amphitheater will kick off its anticipated third concert season tonight with performances by Scarface & Band, Z-Ro, Lil Flip, Mike Jones, Slim Thug, Paul Wall and more. Additional shows to come this year include Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Steve Miller Band, Matt Rife, NEEDTOBREATHE, Lainey Wilson, Slash, Styx & Foreigner and Kings of Leon, with more shows still to be announced. Additionally, The Orion will host more than 75 community-focused events this year including Pup Palooza and Camp to Amp as well as several other annual local favorites. See below for complete schedule to date.
Of the 2024 season, Managing Director Ryan Murphy shares, “On the heels of one of the most exciting musical seasons to have come to Huntsville, this year will certainly continue to keep the bar raised. Many exciting announcements will roll-out throughout the concert season, and we continue our commitment to cultural and community events while evolving our sustainability programs and F&B offerings. Every year will get better and better here at The Orion, and that is what keeps it exciting.”
Additionally, The Orion has partnered with Odette’s Chef Josh Quick to open a new brick and mortar dining option this season. Of the partnership, Chef Josh shares, “I am so excited for this coming season and The Orion x Odette partnership. After doing a few pop-ups for the guests at some really great shows last year, I couldn’t wait to get this new project going! It’s very exciting for us to share what we do in Florence with the people visiting The Orion, in what is such a special place to watch a show. The hospitality-focused team at The Orion has made us feel at home, it’s a natural fit with the Shoals being involved in this wonderful music and community venue. We will be offering items from, and influenced by, our seasonal restaurant menu, such as the Odette cheeseburger sliders, Malaysian fried chicken thighs with rice noodle salad, Alabama fried shrimp, seasonal hand pie and warm chocolate chip cookies. We will utilize fresh produce from our current farmer friends, Sonlit farm and Kodachrome farm, as well as some new farms, including produce grown at The Orion.”
The Orion will also expand its in-seat service this year in addition to open seating areas in the concourses just steps away from Murphy’s Law and Isadora’s. The Orion will also continue to offer local activations before the upcoming shows, while Jeff & Blues will remain open post-show with additional entertainment. This season, both The Orion and Jeff & Blues will also offer a new exclusive Helles Lager, which was created by Yellowhammer Brewing and features flavor profiles inspired by European tradition and classic recipes.
Of the new beer, Yellowhammer Brewing’s General Manager Ethan Couch shares, “Yellowhammer is super excited to be teaming up with the Orion team this year to create a special brew for the Amphitheater. The goal was to create a delicious and refreshing craft beer to enjoy with incredible live music. Partnering with Orion for the past two years has been such a fun relationship and we are thrilled to have this opportunity. They are great about collaborating with local vendors.”
The Orion also remains steadfast in their commitment to sustainability and will continue to implement many initiatives this season, including their reusable cup program, extensive on-site recycling, investments in renewable energy and the use of local and regional farms for their food and drink services, including The Orion’s own on-site garden, which provides ingredients for artist catering as well as public-facing offerings. Additionally, $1 from each drink order at the Carbon bar will be donated to Tennessee Riverkeeper this season to help protect the surrounding rivers and wildlife.
The upcoming season follows another landmark year for The Orion, which was recently selected as the “Top East Coast Amphitheater” on Billboard’s 2024 Top Music Venues list—one of just 26 venues across the world to be highlighted—ranked #33 on Pollstar’s 2023 Top 50 Worldwide Amphitheaters list (ranked by amount of ticket sales globally), selected as Best Venue by Huntsville Event Magazine and Huntsville Business Journal, and was nominated for Amphitheater of the Year at the 2023 IEBA Awards. Additionally, The Orion hosted 32 concerts and 83 community and cultural events last year, welcoming some of music’s biggest names such as Lana Del Rey, Brandi Carlile, Snoop Dogg, James Taylor, Phish, Billy Strings, Widespread Panic, Ja Rule and Ashanti, Turnpike Troubadours, Weezer and many more. With these shows, The Orion sold over 187,800 tickets, with nearly half being sold outside the state of Alabama.
The 2024 season is made possible by partnerships with Covanta, Huntsville Hospital Health System, Woody Anderson Ford, Bank Independent, Dogtown West, University of Alabama Huntsville, Master Gardeners of Alabama, North Alabama Zoological Society, Huntsville Botanical Garden, the Land Trust of North Alabama, Patagonia, REI, Earth Touch and more.
ORION AMPHITHEATER 2024 SCHEDULE TO DATE
April 10—Inbound: Immersive Yoga Series
April 12—The Legends: Scarface & Band, Z-Ro, Lil Flip, Mike Jones, Slim Thug and
Paul Wall
April 14—Pup Palooza
April 21—Out Loud HSV 10th Anniversary Showcase
April 28—Saint Heels: Spring Dance Class
May 5—Neil Young & Crazy Horse
May 6—Huntsville Yoga Week with Light on Yoga Fitness
May 8—Greta Van Fleet with special guest Geese
May 11—Camp To Amp Festival
May 18—Steve Miller Band – 2024 Huntsville Classic Benefiting Huntsville Hospital Foundation
May 19—Saint Heels: Spring Dance Class
May 24—NEEDTOBREATHE with special guest Judah and The Lion
May 29—Inbound: Immersive Yoga Series
June 14—Matt Rife
July 12—Totally Tubular Festival
August 8—Lainey Wilson with special guests Ian Munsick and Zach Top
August 13—Slash with special guests Larkin Poe, ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
August 17—Styx & Foreigner with special guest John Waite
September 13—Kings of Leon with special guest Phantogram
September 20—Koe Wetzel with special guests Dylan Wheeler and Kolby Cooper
For more information, go to www.theorionhuntsville.com
