BY MELISSA RUGGIERI/AJC Music Scene
Avid concertgoers might have realized that in the span of seven days this month, five major concert tours pulled into the Atlanta area: James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt; Paul McCartney ; New Kids on the Block with Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men ; Roger Waters and Kendrick Lamar with Travis Scott and D.R.A.M.
With Philips Arena shuttered for the summer while undergoing renovations, all of these shows - July 11-17 - were staged at Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, leading to the most successful week in the history of the 14-year-old venue.
During the stretch of events, the 13,000-capacity arena (which was set up for around 10,000-11,000 for most concerts because of production elements) welcomed more than 51,000 guests who consumed more than 22,880 16 oz. cups of beer. Venue operations averaged about six hours for each turnaround to the next event.
We were there for every show (reviews in the links above) and can attest that the marketing team never wilted or lost their sense of humor during the exhausting week.
Though the team exhaled this week, the concert schedule at the venue resumes Saturday with Shawn Mendes and Charlie Puth. Other upcoming shows include J. Cole with Anderson.Paak Aug. 11, Lionel Richie with Mariah Carey Aug. 13 and Ed Sheeran with James Blunt Aug. 25-26.
Check out the cool time-lapse video they’ve created of the process.
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