No summer concerts at FedExForum? Here's why the Memphis arena has been quiet since May

While it’s been a busy season of concerts and events in Memphis, FedExForum has been quiet for much of the summer.

That’s because the Downtown arena — home to the Memphis Grizzlies, University of Memphis Tigers basketball, and a host of major concerts — is in the midst of a complete overhaul of its rigging and sound systems. The venue did not reveal the estimated costs of the upgrades, but they are unrelated to the bigger arena renovation project that is planned.

According to a spokesperson for FedExForum, renovations at the venue started following the end of the Grizzlies season and its last scheduled concert (a sold-out May 30 show featuring Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla). Work at FedExForum is set to be completed in time for the start of the NBA preseason, as well as a run of fall events that include a concert by Grammy-winning R&B star Maxwell, in mid-October.

FedExForum’s decision to update its rigging grid — a system of equipment utilized to secure lights, curtains, audio equipment, or other elements of a production — is designed to make it “quicker, easier and more cost-effective for concerts and shows to load in and load out,” according to the venue.

The existing grid sits in the domed portion of FedExForum. The new grid will sit flush across the ceiling of arena. “The difference will be visually evident to guests once FedExForum hosts its first event in the fall," a spokesperson for the venue said.

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The spokesperson noted that the old rigging system added a “complexity and cost for staging shows, particularly those of significant scale." The updated system will bring the building “in line with industry standards and best practices in large part by allowing for a more expeditious load-in and load-out for shows moving forward.”

Once the grid is in place, FedExForum will also install a new sound system in the arena bowl. Like the rigging system, the current sound system is original to FedExForum, which opened in 2004.

The new sound system will be compliant with NBA guidelines and will be used for all Grizzlies and Tigers games as well as other special events (touring musical acts typically bring in their own sound systems).

The next concert scheduled at the venue is the Maxwell show on Oct. 16. Other fall concerts include the Kirk Franklin-led gospel package The Reunion Tour on Oct. 19, Christian collective Maverick City Music on Nov. 19, and a homecoming show for Memphis-born pop star Justin Timberlake on Nov. 23.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why FedExForum in Memphis has no summer concerts scheduled in 2024