Promoter Live Nation is bringing a new waterfront concert venue to the Ocean State next year.
Live Nation teamed up with both the city of East Providence and the East Providence Waterfront Commission to kick-start plans for the new amphitheater. It will be built upon a 45-acre mixed-use development site, known as the South Quay, which has been unoccupied and unused for the past four decades.
The venue will include an outdoor amphitheater, as well as amenities to cater to the varying weather in New England. While waterfront concerts are currently being held in Bold Point Park, the series will be moved to the new venue, which is yet to be named, in 2020.
“It was important for the City to champion this project because it adds to our City’s commercial tax base, as well as solidifies the State of Rhode Island’s commitment to green energy and its position at the forefront of offshore wind energy,” East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva said in a press release.
The Bold Point Park concerts will continue throughout 2019 as planned. Chairman of the Commission, William Fazioli, noted in the release that the Commission is “encouraged by the expansion of the successful Bold Point concert series within our Waterfront District.”
“This proposal advances our goals for a vibrant mixed-use development that will grow jobs and increase public access to our City’s waterfront.”
Rhode Island – the smallest state in the U.S. – doesn’t normally get picked for a stop on bigger artists’ tours. While it is home to venues like The Strand and The MET in Providence, as well as the arena in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, there is not a larger-scale outdoor music venue. This new amphitheater will allow more artists to visit the state and maybe even put Rhode Island’s music scene on the map.
