Harley Shed For Nashville

With Starwood Amphitheatre shuttered, the nearest Nashville-area shed is at least 100 miles out, but there’s an outdoor stage getting built along with a Harley Davidson dealership about 38 miles away near Columbia.

"We’re not replacing Starwood," Nashville-area publicist Kirt Webster told Pollstar. "We’re just creating a new destination, with a new feel, a new vibe and something fun and trendy to come and enjoy a show at."

The shed is expected to open by next season, but it’s too early to determine if national touring artists will find it amenable – although having a built-in crowd of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts could be enticing, and Premier Global Productions and Clair Bros. are part of the production.

Harley-Davidson dealership owner Ricky Kelley is the man behind the venue, which will share 25 acres of land with a new Harley-Davidson superstore and possibly a restaurant and a hotel.

"This is really a Harley destination," Webster said. "This is going to be a place where tourists, Harley riders, motorcycle riders – they all can come and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle that they all want as they’re riding down the highways. At the same time it will be a location for fun and a lot of music and a way to generate money for charities and different kinds things of that nature."

The capacity has not been determined yet but Kelley told Pollstar, "I think the approximate dimensions indicate that we don’t have a problem putting a lot of the big, major acts into that venue."

While there are plans to host acts across all genres of music, Kelley said he’s a huge country music fan as well as a fan of classic and Southern rock.

Webster said that with Kelley’s connections from working with the Academy of Country Music for their charity ride and doing the Dierks Bentley charity ride, he should have no problem locking a lineup for the venue’s season May through October.

"He has entertainers from Keith Urban to Montgomery Gentry to Dierks Bentley who are all his friends," Webster said. "He gives them a lot and they give him a lot so it’s a win-win situation."

Kelley said one thing the venue already has going for it is its location at the intersection of Interstate 65 and exit 46.

"It’s not in the center of an urban, downtown area or anything like that, it’s not out in the middle of a farm field 8 million miles from town, it’s just sort of centrally located," Kelley said. "And really halfway between northern Alabama and northern Nashville. Statewide it’s a pretty centrally located area. It’s easily accessible from a lot of places."

Kelley said that while some details are still being worked, "Progress is going pretty good and work is real good and the timing for 2008 is looking good. Now it’s just a function of having some nice weather through the winter here in Nashville and then we’re good to go. Everyone will be happy."