Live at the Garden benefiting Memphis Botanic Garden

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Olivia Wall, Director of Marketing and Communications with Memphis Botanic Garden, along with Jamison Totten, Director of Live at the Garden and Radians Amphitheater, who both highlight Memphis Botanic Garden and its Live at the Garden concert series, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

During the interview, Olivia describes the garden as an oasis in the city with 30 specialty gardens, a children's area, and diverse programming for all ages. Jamison shares how the Live at the Garden series has become the garden's biggest revenue contributor, supporting educational programs and maintenance. The series has evolved from its original location to a permanent stage, significantly impacting the garden's operations and community outreach.

Olivia and Jamison explain the logistics of Live at the Garden, highlighting the table renewal system with a 400-person waitlist and 312 tables, accommodating about 2,700 people. They talk about the planning process for the series and then how long it takes to set up for each show, taking about 4 days to complete, while takedown is much quicker at half a day. They discuss some of the changes for this year, like the decision to open gates at 5:30 PM instead of 6:00 PM to help manage the lines and improve attendee experience, especially on Saturdays, which has proven effective.

Jamison discusses the process of creating the lineup for Live at the Garden. He explains that they start with a wish list but have to balance it with budget constraints as a nonprofit versus the cost of talent, then artist availability, production requirements, and other factors. Olivia emphasizes the importance of the overall experience, including the community atmosphere and the beautiful setting, which helps attract a who's who group of attendees who enjoy attending as much for the people around them as the entertainment.

Olivia and Jamison discuss the upcoming concert lineup at the venue, highlighting performances by Parker McCollum on July 18, Darius Rucker on August 23, ZZ Top on September 6, and Steve Miller Band on September 19. She expresses excitement about the local band Joy Bomb opening for Third Eye Blind recently and mentions special guests for some of the shows. Jamison talks about the relationship with Darius Rucker, and confirms this will be his third time performing at the venue as a solo artist, praising his and his crew's friendliness and professionalism and highlighting his popularity with the Live at the Garden audience.

Jamison and Olivia then each share a memorable moment from Live at the Garden concerts at Memphis Botanic Garden. Jamison recalls Lionel Richie's graciousness towards his nephew, while Olivia mentions Earth, Wind & Fire's performance and the overall positive experiences with musicians. They encourage people to visit the Memphis Botanic Garden website (membg.org) for concert information, memberships, and daily visits.

Visit https://membg.org to learn more about Memphis Botanic Garden and Live at the Garden.