2022 Impact 50: Louis Messina

CEO & Founder
Messina Touring Group

Messina Group CEO and founder Louis Messina’s roots are in rock, establishing his bona fides in New Orleans and Texas with iconic shows for Led Zeppelin, the Stones, plus those legendary Texsas Jams. The visionary firebrand – who conceived OzzFest with Sharon Osborne, Van Halen’s Monsters of Rock, Fleetwood Mac’s Reunion and George Strait’s Country Festival Tours – continues to redefine what’s possible in the live space, specializing in taking acts he believes in from arenas to stadiums effortlessly.

Based in Austin, Messina is the man behind tours for Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney, Shawn Mendes, Eric Church, The Lumineers, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Little Big Town and Blake Shelton.

With Chesney out for a massive stadium summer after two attempts to regroup during the pandemic and Strait playing select major dates, plus Church and The Lumineers taking an aggressive run at the road,Messina is moving into the post-COVID with real joy as he does what he does best: putting live music in the hands of the fans.

Citing “bringing music to America” as the major initiative he’s working on, Messina points with pride to keeping his team cohesive. As he says, “We maintained our team in the wake of COVID and our artists are coming back strong. The Lumineers and Shawn Mendes are
about to launch their tours later this year. Blake Shelton is headlining several festivals this year. Eric Church has been performing for packed audiences since his tour began last year. Kenny Chesney is just starting one of his biggest tours ever. George Strait is bigger than he’s ever been – and continues to play one-offs.”

The TJ Martell Entertainment and Country Music Association Lifetime Achievement honoree is pleased that his artists are seeing full houses: “Consumer confidence continues to grow as each show is played,” Messina says. “Early on there were frequent no-shows, you know, those people who purchased a ticket but didn’t attend the show. That is no longer the case. Only the strong will survive, but the people are coming.”