An official groundbreaking was held Thursday, April 25, announcing a partnership between the upcoming Trueline Greenville entertainment venue and Clayton Construction Company of Spartanburg, which anticipates opening and full completion of the development by the first quarter of 2025.
Trueline Greenville, a proposed 1,700-seat music and events amphitheater at 401 E. Rhett St., plans to bring pop, hip-hop and country acts to the city while also being a local arts incubator in a 30,000-square-foot space in the former location of D&B Glass. Trueline plans to host a space that attracts big-name artists like Lil Wayne, The Struts and Brett Young to appear in Greenville.
On Thursday morning, with support from Mayor Knox White, blues musician Mack Arnold and various other city leaders in attendance, Trueline’s announcement marked the beginning of big-name artists, live music and entertainment heading to the West End of downtown Greenville.
“We’re thrilled with how quickly things are progressing and our schedule appears to be on track,” Michael Grozier, CEO of Trueline Brands, told The Greenville News . “I want to really thank the people who have already invested in this project. This experience was a journey.”
Grozier, co-founder of House of Blues, has opened nearly 25 music venues and operates over 100 music and entertainment venues in the Southeast, including The Tabernacle, The Coca-Cola Roxy and Buckhead Theater in Atlanta, as well as The Fillmore and The Underground in Charlotte. North Carolina.
“To see all the artists that they’re going to bring, the variety of music and entertainment … that’s going to allow us to reach new audiences and visitors to enjoy it,” said Heath Dillard of VisitGreenvilleSC, a marketing nonprofit organization for the city and approx.
“Thank you for thinking of Greenville as that type of place; we are thrilled to be partners in this,” added Dillard.
What’s Coming to the West End, 2025: How new entertainment venue Trueline will complement Greenville’s growing music scene
How much money are Greenville investors putting into Trueline Greenville?
As of mid-December 2023, Trueline has raised nearly half of their $10 million in needed equity funding, with 60% of that funding coming directly from investors in the Greenville area and the rest from investors in 13 other states, according to Sam Blumin, Chief of Staff of Trueline.
At the time, local investors in Greenville had contributed about $2.5 million to the project.
According to Grozier, as of April 2024, Trueline had raised $5 million domestically in about 90 days, making their previous goal of $8 million by the end of January 2024 a success. There are currently a total of 120 investors in the project, 80 of whom are from the northern part of the state, he confirmed.
“The significance of (the local funding) is that it’s a regional operation,” Grozier said. “The fact that the surrounding area and the people of the upstate rallied behind us and really wanted this club to happen is so valuable.”
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What will be inside Greenville’s Trueline?
The upcoming venue will consist of four entertainment spaces and will serve as a place for patrons to eat and stroll when concerts and performances are not on stage. The four spaces are known as The Concert Hall, The Handlebar (John Jeter), The Clubhouse and The Green Room – all will have distinct functionality and style.
A few details of the 2025 Trueline entertainment venue project include:
A main hall with a capacity of 1,700 seats, known as the Concert Hall, includes 129 balcony seats.
A small 400-seat venue called The Handlebar will serve as an ode to John Jeter, “The Godfather of the Greenville Music Scene.”
A VIP room with a capacity of 150 seats, known as The Greenroom.
A 250-seat outdoor music venue known as The Clubhouse, pending approval from the City of Greenville.
Four standing platforms in the Concert Hall allow easy visibility of the stage.
Over 40 food and beverage outlets will be located throughout the venue, including an indoor/outdoor patio space, an upscale cocktail lounge with coffee and muffins by day and pizzas and other portables by night.
Technology cufflinks that enable easy payment, personalized welcome messages and exclusive invitations.
Owner Mike Grozier estimates that Trueline will sell a total of 180,000 tickets in the first year, and by 2030 that amount will increase to 230,000 tickets sold. “If we do what we need to do, this market will become very attractive in the live music scene,” he said.
For more information, visit truelinegvl.com.
– AJ Jackson covers the food and dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and culture downtown for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at [email protected] and follow him on X (official Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription .
