Can Orlando find the formula for Concert Residencies?

With the announcement this week of the expansion of the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts coming in 2027 we have great opportunities for cultural growth.?Specifically looking at the performance space the addition of a 750-seat theater, 7000-person auditorium space on the lawn, and a 12,000-14,000 square foot performance space we have many new capabilities for artists in Orlando.?One of the main areas that has always been Orlando’s room for growth is its live music scene.?Don’t get me wrong there are fantastic venues from Will’s Pub to Tanqueray’s, the Plaza, and others with bands ready to perform along with the over 20 music acts at Disney Springs and other attractions with them.?We have several festivals at the fairgrounds, Lake Eola, and numerous parks hosting events. What Orlando needs is…. Residencies! Professional entertainment stars that bring some name entertainment for 3 months or so. Retool with a pivot of decoration and the next artist takes over the venue. Why not here?

So there it is on the table.?We need the music world to look at our 50 million visitors a year to the area on top of the local music lovers, and find a way to get name acts to have a semi-home here.?We already have tons of attractive reasons for them to hang out with us in Central Florida from the people, real estate, sports, and climate, to the accessibility of all the relative luxurious comforts and shopping.?Las Vegas answers this with Casinos and bravo to them for cornering the market so well that it’s not even an option here.?So, the question becomes how can we have name music acts come for a residency for 3 months at a time before handing the baton to the next name performer who takes over the location??Without the added benefit of the gambling money available, how do we get acts that may not want to be on the road but want to keep on stage here for a while??Perhaps a hybrid is an answer in that we come up with something akin to a musical village with a residency location and local acts climbing and aspiring on the various surrounding in a permanent festival atmosphere or even looking at our favorite cover bands.?House of Blues and the Hard Rock Café have road circuits bringing up acts that are touring but that’s very much like the Amway Center with its one-night-only guests.?Where is our Orlandopalooza?

It would be na?ve that Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers would feel such devotion to their Disney roots that they would come to a residency on their property but boy does that scare protesters out the door when they are bringing their star power (just a suggestion).?Epic Universe has lots of unlabeled venues planned for the 2025 opening but nothing of music has been mentioned by them.?Lots of land around it but already covered last week. NSYNC and Backstreet Boys I hope you are listening and have some friends that just want a place they can settle in for a while and give the music lovers a place to go.?Blake Shelton knows how to bring them in for a night at Ole Red but is there room for Gaylord Palms to talk to the Opry folks in Nashville for some help?

We have a lot of connections to music in general, but we have yet to see who will be the Imagineer that will open the next residency venue in our backyard.?We certainly have a great deal of music to choose from locally on any given night, but if we want to expand beyond the roller coasters and thrill rides and look to fill what even places like Branson in Missouri know, we need middle to big-name musical acts and we need them to stay for a while.?If you have talented acts that still have the fire to deliver on stage night after night, then we can certainly find a way to make it happen here in the number one vacation destination on the plan.

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