CLYDE, Texas (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Two Abilene concert promoters are teaming up with the city of Clyde to build a new, multi-million dollar outdoor venue, geared at luring top tier touring artists to the region.
According to the Abilene Reporter-News, the ambitious 40,000-capacity venue will feature the "Back Porch of Texas"; a 7,500-square-foot indoor/outdoor stage protected by large hyrdaulic doors. The venue will also include three levels, 14 VIP boxes, a 1,500 square foot dance floor and five subterranean VIP living suites.
Mark Powell of Backporch Productions, the promotion company in the partnership, estimates that the venue will likely cost more than $2 million to build. The Reporter-News said that the city of Clyde would contribute $650,000 toward the project, with $400,000 for the stage and an additional $250,000 to grade the site. The expenditure would take the city 20 years to pay off. Additional construction costs would be paid by corporate sponsorships, according to Backporch Productions Kevin Darby.
Backporch hopes to stage 4 'major' music events at the venue per year.
"With that kind of volume, we can get acts that you have to drive to Dallas or drive to Austin to see," Powell told the Reporter-News. "By being the Walmart of events, so to speak, we can justify bringing in top-billing guys that you can't see anywhere else (in the region)." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
