Newly Formed Cola Concerts To Present 3,500-capacity Outdoor Shows At Columbia Speedway

–

Event production companies Innovation Arts & Entertainment and The Roberts Group have teamed up to form Cola Concerts, which will present touring musicians and comedians at a venue being purpose-built for socially distanced, 3,500-capacity concerts at the Columbia Speedway in Columbia, S.C., which has announced Wynonna, Shovels & Rope, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Allman Betts Band, and Ranky Tanky for November-December.

The Cola Concert Series at the Columbia Speedway Entertainment Center will feature a pair of 40-foot screens allowing for clear picture even during daylight. With a capacity of 3,500, the site will be one of the largest entertainment experiences operating in South Carolina and some of the largest in-person concerts taking place since March.

Fans will experience the shows from “coves,” 12’x12’ areas enclosed by posts and ornamental rope, allowing enough space to safely socially distance.

The Cola Concert Series is expected to hire more than 100 local employees to handle everything from ticketing to security. Additionally, there will be space for 10 local food vendors at the Columbia Speedway Entertainment Center, providing concessions to 3,000+ fans at every show.

Innovation Arts & Entertainment quickly erected the Yarmouth Drive-In on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, purpose-built for drive-in concerts, making it one of the more active such venues during the pandemic, hosting 50 live music and comedy shows this summer including Marcus King Trio, Chase Rice, The Disco Biscuits, Goose, and comedians Bert Kreischer, Nikki Glaser and Iliza Shlesinger.

“We are excited to take what we learned at the drive-in this summer and use it to create the best live entertainment venue in South Carolina,” said Adam Epstein, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Arts & Entertainment. “We have had an overwhelming response from artists that are ready to bring music back to Columbia.”

The Roberts Group is a national live entertainment promotion company. They have a deep connection to Columbia. They have brought more than 100 theatrical performances to the city through their Broadway in Columbia series, which launched in 2003.

– Yarmouth
Pod People: The re-configured Yarmouth Drive-in on Cape Cod, where Innovation Arts CEO Adam Epstein has built out an active, dedicated drive-in concert venue – and is building additional dedicated “cove” seated venues in other states for winter and spring events.

“When we began talking with Adam and IAE about launching a live entertainment series, the first place we thought of was Columbia,” says Daniel Hampel, Managing Director of The Roberts Group. “Every time we bring a show to Columbia the fans are so warm and kind. We couldn’t be happier about bringing live entertainment back to the Soda City.”

Tickets for the newly announced shows go on sale publicly, but fans can sign up for presale at ColaConcerts.com.

Epstein told Pollstar that he is already looking at other sites with the “cove” seating in mind for 2021, purpose built for social distancing but with cars not part of the audience equation as the business opens back up in certain markets.

“We are actively investing and finding opportunities because we do believe this will be with us through next summer. We can’t sit on the sidelines,” he said previously. “We’ve committed to make sure it is the best of what is out there right now. And we’re always improving on it. We want people to feel like they got a little bit back of that thing they lost, that we lost. Anybody who comes to our site and experiences our shows can tell how much care we put into all of it. We’re really busting our asses.”

Cola Concerts series at the Columbia Speedway:

Shovels and Rope | Saturday, November 14 – 8:00 PM

St. Paul and the Broken Bones | Friday, November 20 – 8:00 PM

Allman Betts Band | Saturday, November 21 – 8:00 PM

Ranky Tanky | Sunday, November 22 – 8:00 PM

Wynonna Judd | Thursday, December 10 – 8:00 PM