Thursday, April 2, 2009
Bonnaroo / Hot Goss / National Skyline Bonnaroo Bookers AC Entertainment Acquire Nashville's Great Big Shows
Posted by Steve Haruch on Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 5:30 PM
Knoxville-based AC Entertainment, co-creators of Bonnaroo, have acquired Nashville-based promotions company Great Big Shows, according to a press release just received by the Cream. The new company will be bringing The Allman Brothers Band and Widespread Panic to Riverfront Park in October.
According to Rick Whetsel of Great Big Shows: "After over a decade of working with AC Entertainment, I'm really looking forward to enhancing the relationship between our two companies.... [We'll] be able to expand our capabilities as both concert promoters and event producers." So maybe we'll have some more free outdoor shows? Pretty please?
There's no mention in the release (presented without commercial interruption after the jump) of whether there will be any name changes to go with the new partnership. I'll throw "Even Bigger Shows" out there.
Knoxville-Based Music Company Aligns with Local Company
to Expand Operations in Music City and Beyond
Nashville, Tenn. --April 2, 2009-- AC Entertainment, co-creator of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, announces that it has acquired Nashville-based concert promotion company Great Big Shows. This new relationship will strengthen AC Entertainment's Nashville presence and expand its resources for event creation, management and production nationwide.
"This is an exciting step for our company," says Ashley Capps, president of AC Entertainment. "Our business is continuing to grow, and this move positions us for the next phase as we develop new event concepts and grow the management side of our business."
The relationship between the two entertainment companies began when Rick Whetsel, owner of Great Big Shows, approached Capps about booking a major event for him in Washington D.C., Live on Penn. In turn, Capps enlisted Great Big Shows to handle production management for one of his events, Sundown in the City, since then the two companies have collaborated on both big and small events.
"We've worked with Rick and his team on a variety of projects during the past 10 years," continues Capps. "He brings experience and expertise to the table that will complement our operations and help us to produce new events and concepts."
"After over a decade of working with AC Entertainment, I'm really looking forward to enhancing the relationship between our two companies," says Whetsel. "By taking advantage of the strengths and assets created by working together, we'll be able to expand our capabilities as both concert promoters and event producers."
The first major Nashville event to be announced under the new venture is a co-headliner concert featuring the Allman Brothers Band and Widespread Panic at Riverfront Park on October 14, 2009. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 17. Visit www.acentertainment.com for more information on the Allman Brothers Band and Widespread Panic concert, as well as other upcoming events.
AC Entertainment
AC Entertainment (www.acentertainment.com), founded in 1991, books and produces hundreds of concerts and events annually and is well-known as one of the creators and producers of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The company also manages two venues, the Historic Tennessee Theatre and the Bijou Theatre, in Knoxville, TN. The company produces several other special events and recently launched a new festival concept, Big Ears, to international acclaim. In addition, AC Entertainment has an artist management division whose clients include Abigail Washburn and Erick Baker.
Great Big Shows
Since its formation in 1998, Great Big Shows has established itself as one of the premier concert promoters and event production companies in Nashville. Over the last decade, it has built a solid reputation for providing quality entertainment and producing shows such as Nashville's Dancin' in the District, Atlanta's On the Bricks, Washington DC's Live on Penn, Nightmare in Music City, and Vanderbilt University's Rites of Spring. The company has also presented shows regionally in Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky
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