New Brandon Amphitheater is a ‘Jewel for Central Mississippi’

Neel-Schaffer provided civil site, structural, electrical, and construction management services for the new  Brandon Amphitheater that opened on April 18, 2018, in Brandon, MS, just east of Jackson. Neel-Schaffer sister firm Maptech (construction staking) also provided services for the $15 million project.

The 8,400-seat state-of-the-art amphitheater includes 3,500 permanent chairback seats, boxed seats, and a large pit area for portable seating and standing crowds in front of the large stage. Other amenities include two large concession stands, a VIP lounge and entertainment area, eight green rooms for entertainers, two kitchens, and a cafeteria for the entertainers and their crews. The facility is built on the site of an old rock quarry, and hundreds of large boulders that were moved during the construction process were kept on site to serve as walls and landscaping amenities.

Designated parking is provided behind the amphitheater for 18-wheel trucks and RVs used by the entertainers to carry equipment and band and crew members.

The facility is modeled after the 7,500-seat Tuscaloosa (AL) amphitheater, which Neel-Schaffer helped design and build in 2010.

At a press conference in 2016 to announce the new amphitheater, Brandon Mayor Butch Lee said the goal is to make it a “jewel for Central Mississippi, the heart of Brandon.”