CINCINNATI — Cincinnati’s newest concert venue is wasting no time filling its first season. Matchbox Twenty will headline a show on July 27, 2027, at the Farmer Music Center, the venue announced in a Nov. 5 Facebook post, according to reporting by the Cincinnati Enquirer. The date is part of the rock band’s 30th Anniversary Tour, and singer-songwriter David Gray will also join the band for the show, the Enquirer reported.
Matchbox Twenty, known for hits including “Push,” “3AM” and “Real World,” becomes only the second artist announced for the new amphitheater. The announcement comes just a few days after the Farmer Music Center made its first-ever show announcement, country star Riley Green on June 24, 2027, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Two headline bookings in the venue’s first week of announcements signal an aggressive start for a building that has not yet opened its doors.
Tickets for the Matchbox Twenty concert go on sale Friday, Nov. 13, at 10 a.m., the Enquirer reported. Fans can sign up for the band’s presale starting now, with presale tickets going live Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m. The venue directs fans to farmermusiccenter.com for more ticket details, including chances to win free tickets, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Farmer Music Center is a $160 million project by Music and Event Management Inc., known as MEMI, being built next to the 42-year-old Riverbend Music Center, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Colloquially referred to as “Riverbend 2.0,” the venue is slated to open in spring 2027. MEMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, according to the orchestra.
The three-story outdoor amphitheater is expected to accommodate up to 20,000 concertgoers, split between 8,000 reserved seats and a 12,000-capacity general admission synthetic lawn, the Enquirer reported. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has said the design includes about 300,000 square feet of concourse and new club space, with expanded concessions and restrooms. The venue sits on a hill next to Riverbend, giving it an elevated feel compared with its longtime neighbor.
The center takes its name from a $60 million gift from the Farmer Family Foundation, which the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra described as the largest philanthropic commitment to the arts in recent Cincinnati history. The orchestra has projected the new venue will generate an annual economic impact of $82 million, boost tourism and create jobs across the region. It will serve as the centerpiece of a music campus alongside the existing Riverbend Music Center and PNC Pavilion.
Riverbend itself is not going anywhere. MEMI is not planning to demolish the existing Riverbend Music Center next door, as it may be used for other shows or music festivals, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. For Cincinnati concertgoers, that means the summer of 2027 will offer two major outdoor stages side by side — and, with Matchbox Twenty and Riley Green already on the calendar, a first season that is beginning to take shape more than a year before the gates open.
Photo: Martini, CC BY-SA 3.0