An illustration of the venue, slated to open this fall.
Knoxville Harley-Davidson West broke ground May 13 on a new live-music concert venue located adjacent to the Knox County motorcycle dealership. The small ceremony included Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett. Construction of the venue, called Back Porch on the Creek, should begin in early June, with the first performances planned for autumn.
“It’s very possible we could open a little earlier, depending upon weather conditions and other factors,” noted the dealership’s marketing and event director Thane Johnson. “We’re confident, though, that we’ll be able to stage concerts by fall.”
Back Porch on the Creek operators plan to bring in country and Southern rock acts.
The venue, according to Johnson, has not yet been scaled precisely to seating capacity and there will be no fixed seating. Back Porch on the Creek will be able to seat several thousand on an open-air concrete pad. The total project is currently contracted at about $1 million.
“The stage will be state of the art,” said James Copeland, one of the principals of DBJ Entertainment LLC, which does business as Copper Moon Entertainment Group and serves in conjunction with Harley-Davidson West as the new venue’s management and operations firm. “It is going to be roughly 80 feet wide by 60 feet deep and covered. Ten feet on each side will be for audio-visual equipment.”
Copper Moon Entertainment Group is a four-person partnership, all of whom have Knoxville, Tenn., ties and three of whom became acquainted through working in various capacities with country music superstar act Brooks & Dunn. Copeland previously managed the motorsports program for the country duo.
Copper Moon’s David Haney is an audio engineer and production manager with more than three decades of experience working with “A” level events and artists like Dolly Parton and Brooks & Dunn. He is currently an account executive and general manager for SGPS/Showrig Nashville and audio engineer and production manager for the country music group Alabama.
The organization’s Randy Fletcher is production manager for Keith Urban and has worked with the likes of ZZ Top and Randy Travis during 40 years in the industry. Entertainment attorney Barry Selvidge was brought into the operation at a later date.
Back Porch on the Creek’s planned steel structure will be enclosed on three sides and have a load-bearing roof with 5-foot centers and 50,000-pound load-bearing capacity, according to Haney. The structure’s audio/video bays are planned to bear loads of 10,000 pounds and call for two three-phase 400-amp services and two three-phase 200-amp services, one upstage left and one upstage right. Lighting will be handled on a per-event basis according to a specific contract rider.
Back Porch on the Creek concert goers will be able to bring their own seating or stand on the viewer platform, which could accommodate the use of a large tent for inclement weather.
“The platform where concertgoers can sit will be constructed of prestressed concrete and will be something like 20 feet wide and 30 feet long,” said Copeland. “Each section of the floor will have a nut that will allow a tent or other temporary structure to be erected.”
Copeland indicated that parking for the venue’s events will be available not only in the Harley-Davidson West parking lot at 605 Lovell Road but also at Modern Supply Co. located behind the Harley dealership, thanks to a planned lease arrangement between the two companies. Modern Supply Co. is on a private street so concertgoers using the lot won’t have to worry about crossing traffic. Copper Moon has also bought a trolley car to use as a shuttle bus for those parking in other spots in the area.
Copeland said Copper Moon Entertainment Group is currently in negotiations with a local restaurant chain to provide food and beer sales for the new venue.
Harley-Davidson West’s Johnson indicated that the dealership is devoted to providing its customers the means to express their freedom through a lifestyle. “You swing a leg over a Harley and you can be somebody else for the weekend. It’s a means to express your freedom,” said Johnson. “Whether it’s on a motorcycle, or by putting Harley-Davidson apparel on your back, or going to a bike night that you enjoy, it’s a means to express your freedom through a lifestyle. What better extension of that than to go to a concert at a Harley-Davidson dealership.”
Harley-Davidson West will be devoting some space in the interior of the dealership for Back Porch on the Creek-branded items like T shirts, shot glasses and various memorabilia, according to Johnson.
“Three years ago we entered into a discussion with a member of [what is now] Copper Moon Entertainment,” said Johnson. “It was apparent that this group, who collectively have more than 100 years of music industry experience, were our fitting partners and that it was time to do this. Copper Moon can manage it, promote it and bring in the large acts.”
Interviewed for this story: James Copeland, (865) 368-9200; David Haney, (615) 943-8006; Thane Johnson, (865) 804-3959