WRITTEN BY KRISTEN CONNER HILL
When musicians Lauren Daigle, James Taylor and more hit the stage at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville’s MidCity district this spring and summer, they will do so after experiencing an opening act that starts with the venue itself.
As event-goers we are familiar by now with the one of a kind, Grecian-style Orion, an 8000-capacity amphitheater. It’s managed and operated by “the venue group” known as TVG Hospitality (headed by Ben Lovett of the band Mumford & Sons) and was designed by David M. Schwarz Architects to be a major attraction in the city.
Fans flock to the front of the house. But the venue’s private inner sanctum plays a role of its own: serving as a front door to Huntsville for famous headliners and the people who tour with them.
“That’s always the goal—that after each show, Huntsville as a destination is as loved as the venue,” Alex Hendrix, Hospitality Manager for the Orion Amphitheater (the coolest job you’ve never heard of) said.
She conducts the orchestrated production of artist hospitality– and she’s giving visiting artists an experience that’s oh-so-Huntsville, even before their set begins.
Think of it like entertaining the entertainers. Hendrix’s role includes welcoming artists, ensuring their time at the Orion and visiting the city is spot-on, and more. She says the positive and satisfying artist experience at the Orion is “fundamental” to helping the performers do their best work for us from the stage.
“When these artists and bands are on the road, everything becomes kind of a copy-and-paste version of itself after a while,” Hendrix said. “We want to give them something that stands out. We also want to show them why playing in this city is as unique an experience for them as it is for the audience.”
The TVG team worked hard to make sure the venue’s artist dressing rooms and dining areas, outdoor backstage area, balconies and patios truly felt like a home away from home for performers and their crews— like an overture to a great night. The interiors, designed by London-based firm 3Stories, are an art form all their own. The suites and furnishings bring into focus Huntsville’s quirky side, along with its roots in aerospace and the Muscle Shoals sound.
“A lot of the pieces back-of-house are actually former NASA pieces that we were able to get our hands on,” Hendrix said, referring to office furniture from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center at Redstone Arsenal (a short drive from the venue) the team is repurposing at the Orion. “It’s something I get excited about; sharing that history.”
What is show-stopping and distinctive about these rooms isn’t just the nods to the past—it is how the team is bringing the feel of the Huntsville we love, today, into the space. Everywhere they look, Hendrix says, guests will find Easter eggs referencing the smart (and sometimes off-center) side of the Rocket City. Think: vintage board games and domino sets, “weird” books, statement art and space-themed trinkets. It all works together to give our favorite entertainers a taste of Huntsville, even if they do not have time to leave the building.
“Everything is that late ‘60’s early ‘70’s, vibey, mid-century modern goodness,” Hendrix said. “It’s fun. In Huntsville, we do big things—but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We want to bring out that playfulness and levity.”
Futuristic and retro, these spaces are a mix of contemporary and vintage that feels warm and inviting. Far from the underground tunnels that artists frequent when playing at arenas and concert halls, the Orion’s floor-to-ceiling windows join bold colors on the walls for plenty of light. Hendrix said the hospitality areas put people in a positive headspace to shine both on-stage, and off.
“It’s almost like a treasure hunt being inside the dressing rooms, and I see something new all the time,” Hendrix said. “It’s all in the details.” And those details are clearly designed with the artist’s experience in mind.
Talking to Hendrix is like getting a masterclass in Huntsville’s coolness. (“I get to be a right-brained creative in a city of rocket scientists, this is the dream!” she’ll say.) She’s the ultimate ambassador; boundlessly enthusiastic about the Orion’s “vibes”, the Huntsville community and this new era of music in Huntsville. Already, it’s striking a chord.
“We’ve had great feedback, even from the stage! I’ve had artists specifically say, ‘Can we stay here? Can we live here?’” she said. “We have even had crews arrive and tell us, ‘We’ve heard about this venue,’ already! This is chill-bump-inducing for me, that people are already spreading the word about the Orion.”
That word-of-mouth is powerful; it could draw even more performers you know and love to the Orion Amphitheater and Huntsville.
Music is a high note in the opus of Huntsville tourism, something city leaders knew when they commissioned a music audit in 2018 with consulting firm Sound Diplomacy. Since, officials have deliberately incorporated the growth of our music scene into the city’s development. Huntsville has maintained a Music Board since 2020, carrying out that vision, and its Music Office (of course, there’s a music office!) maintains a thriving music “sector” of sorts, in the community.
For Hendrix, the Orion is part of that tempo. She said all the work going into creating a good time for crowds and artists alike in the Rocket City can inspire many an encore.
“The goal is that they come to Huntsville, fall in love with it, and maybe they come back on their own,” Hendrix said.
this article was first published in the spring 2023 print issue of huntsville magazine.
