MINNEAPOLIS - A historic Minneapolis venue is in the process of becoming a focal point for Super Bowl nightlife.
The Minneapolis Armory is 18 months into an extensive renovation project and on Thursday, Nomadic Entertainment Group announced plans to transform the space into "Nomadic Live at the Armory" for four days of high-profile concerts on Super Bowl weekend.
Jack Murphy, president of Nomadic Entertainment, says the list of artists and corporate partners has yet to be announced, but he has an extensive history throwing some of the biggest parties at Super Bowl cities.
During the Super Bowl in Houston, the company built a massive warehouse/nightclub space called Club Nomadic, in order to throw parties for EA Sports, Pepsi and AT&T. The concerts included artists like Chainsmokers, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift.
“The level of talent that’s going to be running into the room that week is going to be over the top," Murphy said. “The type of program I produce belongs in this venue.”
Though his parties usually occupy temporary spaces, Murphy says Minneapolis developer Ned Abdul was willing to work with him to accommodate the party before it becomes a permanent special events venue.
“Although it needs to work with us for our program, we also understand that he’s got to operate this for years to come,” Murphy said. “This thing is staying and it’s going to be one of the hottest entertainment venues you’re going to see in the country.”
Murphy says he worked with Abdul to design bathrooms, suites, kitchens and bar spaces.
“You’ve got 200 feet of bars here. You’re going to have 30 bartenders per side, just on this level," Murphy said. “The main stage is down on one side and then we’ll have a DJ performance stage (on the other).”
The Super Bowl concerts will include special hospitality and VIP tickets through various corporate partners, but Murphy says they will also sell general admission tickets, which usually range between $150-$200 per night.
Beyond the Super Bowl, Murphy says he's already talking to Abdul about bringing in additional events, and he says the developer is planning to utilize curtains and other features to modify the size of the space based on other special events.
“When you have a venue like this that is so unique, you’re going to see a lot more programming coming in," Murphy said. "There’s a lot of talk about this size room.”