Is this outdoor music venue in Alabama the best in North America?

Build an amphitheater in Huntsville, rivaling legendary sites like the Hollywood Bowl and Colorado’s Red Rocks. The idea was met with some understandable skepticism in 2019 when Huntsville city leaders and London-based The Venue Group announced their intentions. Huntsville was only a tertiary market for concert tours. The northern Alabama city was known for its aerospace engineering. Music? Not so much.

But since then Orion Amphitheater opened in Huntsville in the spring of 2022, naysayers have been consistently proven wrong. With a classic Colosseum-inspired design with smart contemporary updates, Orion put Huntsville on the musical map.

Operated by The Venue Group (now known simply as tvg hospitality), the amphitheater has brought an array of music legends to Huntsville to perform for the first time, including: Stevie Nicks, Robert Plant, Neil Young, Cut, Phish, Lana Del Rey, Jac White, Weezer and Smashing Pumpkins. Media channels such as Rolling stone noted.

“A world-class outdoor venue inspired by ancient Roman designs is probably the last thing you’d expect in Huntsville, Alabama, but the city’s new Orion Amphitheater is all about expectations,” says Rolling Stone. Jon Vrijman wrote. “That makes perfect sense for a city best known for sending rockets into space.”

Now Orion is ready for full industrial validation. Orion has been nominated for outdoor concert venue of the year in live music publication Pollstar’s 36th annual awards ceremony. Other nominees include the aforementioned Hollywood Bowl. The winner will receive a prize called Red Rocks Amphitheater.

Others vying for Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year honors include: Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington; Greek Theater in Los Angeles; Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary, NC; and Budweiser Stage in Toronto.

Pollstar subscribers can vote by logging in to pollstar.com/pollstar-awards. Voting is now open until 7pm on December 6.

According to Pollstar’s website, in addition to subscriber votes, data reporting and ticket sales will be weighted elements in the final results in some categories. The winners will be announced on February 19 during the three-day Pollstar Live! Conference in Beverly Hills, California.

Other Pollstar Awards categories include honors for arenas, stadiums, theaters, nightclubs, festivals, tours, headliners, supporting acts and new concert venues.

Also of interest to music fans from Alabama, born in Green Hill/Muscle Shoals Jason Isbell has been nominated for Residency of the Year, for this annual booth at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Other nominees for Residency of the Year include Adele, U2, Eagles, Billy Joel and Dead & Company.

Below is a list of other categories/nominees of interest to general music fans. A full list, including more industry-focused awards, can be found at pollstar.com.

Grand Tour of the Year

Coldplay, Music of the Spheres world tour

Morgan Wallen, One Night at a Time 2024

Noah Kahan, We’ll All Be Here Forever tour

Olivia Rodrigo, Guts World Tour

Taylor Swift, The Eras tour

Zach Bryan, the Quittin Time tour

Rock tour of the year

blink-182, Another tour

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, 2024 world tour

Coldplay, Music of the Spheres world tour

Foo Fighters, All or Nothing Tour

Green Day, The Saviors tour

Metallica, M72 World Tour

Hip-hop tour of the year

$UICIDEBOY$, Gray Day Tour 2024

Drake, It’s All A Blur tour

Megan Thee Stallion, Hot Girl Summer Tour

Missy Elliott, out of this world – The Missy Elliott Experience

Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday 2 World Tour

Travis Scott, The Circus Maximus Tour

R&B tour of the year

Janet Jackson, Janet Jackson: Together again

Jhené Aiko, The Magic Hour tour

Kehlani, The Crash World Tour

Maxwell, The Serenade Tour

Usher, Usher: past present future

XSCAPE / SWV, The Queens of R&B tour

Pop tour of the year

Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour

Charli XCX & Troye Sivan, Charli XCX & Troye Sivan present: sweat

Justin Timberlake, the Forget Tomorrow world tour

Olivia Rodrigo, Guts World Tour

P!NK, Summer Carnival 2024

Taylor Swift, The Eras tour

Country tour of the year

Chris Stapleton, All-American Roadshow

Jelly Roll, the beautifully broken tour

Kenny Chesney, Sun Goes Down tour 2024

Lainey Wilson, Country’s Cool Again tour

Morgan Wallen, One Night at a Time 2024

Tyler Childers, Mule Pull ’24 tour

Zach Bryan, the Quittin Time tour

Music Festival of the Year (worldwide; more than 30,000 visitors)

Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, Texas

BottleRock Napa Valley, Napa, California.

Bourbon & Beyond, Louisville, Kent.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio, California.

Lollapalooza Festival, Chicago, Illinois.

Stagecoach: California’s Country Music Festival, Indio, California.

Nightclub of the year

9.30 Club, Washington DC

Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NW

First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

HISTORY, Toronto, Ontario

Roadrunner, Boston, Mass.

The Sylvee, Madison, Wisc.

Theater of the Year

Altria Theater, Richmond, Virginia.

Beacon Theater, New York

Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NY

Radio City Music Hall, New York

Ryman Auditorium, Nashville

YouTube Theater, Inglewood, California.

Arena of the Year (USA)

Bridgestone Arena, Nashville

Kia Forum, Inglewood, California.

Madison Square Garden, New York

Moody Center, Austin, Texas

Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kent.

Sphere, Las Vegas

Stadium of the Year (USA)

Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas

Fenway Park, Boston

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Nissan Stadium, Nashville

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California.

US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota.