Gautier, Miss., is getting a new 6,500-seat amphitheater, with backers saying it’ll begin bringing top acts to a site 45 minutes from downtown Mobile starting in spring of next year.

Earlier this week, backers and local officials held a groundbreaking for The Sound Amphitheater, a venue that they say will deliver an economic impact in the range of $13 million to $15 million per year.

“When planning, we focused on the amphitheater itself and the on-site revenue, but that just scratches the surface of the actual impact,” said Gautier Mayor Casey Vaughan. “The entire region will be significantly impacted as it relates to hotels, restaurants, bars and gas stations.”

The venue is part of Gautier’s $8 million Town Commons Park project. The city partnered with 46 Entertainment, an event production company whose president, Nathan Baugh, is a native of the Mobile area and a partner in the major Cullman festival Rock the South.

“We were looking for one word that represents both our area and our purpose in this amphitheater,” said Paula Yancey, Gautier City Manager, said in a new release issued after the groundbreaking. “As you know, we are located on the Mississippi Sound, and now you will hear the sounds of major performers coming from this beautiful amphitheater, named The Sound.”

“In one short year, The Sound will bring the nation’s best country, rock, R&B, and blues acts to thousands of people every week,” Baugh said in the announcement. “With an estimated economic impact of $13-15 million per year, this project will truly change this city and the region.”

46 Entertainment was involved in producing a November 2021 Morgan Wallen concert that drew an unprecedented 31,000 people to Mobile’s fairgrounds. At the show, Shane Quick of Premier Productions, co-owner and co-producer of Rock the South, took the stage to thank Mobile officials for the hospitality. “Maybe we should do a festival like this in Mobile,” he said.

Interviewed after the Wallen show, Baugh said he had plans to move from Nashville back to Baldwin County. He suggested he sensed opportunity in the area, adding that “there is no question we’re far from done.”

The announcement of The Sound may not be the last news on that front. But the arrival of a venue positioned to draw patrons in from the Ocean Springs/Biloxi and Mobile markets is significant, especially if it is able to present a slate of noteworthy artists. Booking those acts is something 46 Entertainment has a track record of doing.

46 Entertainment “is in the process of meeting with local industry leaders, businesses, and individuals to connect the dots on premium seating options, corporate boxes, and naming rights for The Sound,” according to the announcement. It also said that the venue’s design will include “delivering an excellent backstage environment with well-appointed dressing rooms, green rooms, promotion and tour offices, catering kitchen, and other features, all of which are needed to attract top national artists.”

The Sound will be roughly 45 minutes from downtown Mobile via I-10 and U.S. 90. The next closest large open-air amphitheater is the 10,000-seat Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach. A casino north of Mobile, Wind Creek Atmore, presents shows in an amphitheater that seats about 2,500.

For updates on the project, visit enjoythesound.com.