Author Archives: Melissa Smith

Levitt Shell and Levitt Arlington Summer Season 2014

You just know that summer’s right around the corner when the free concert season at the Levitt is announced! While some sneak peeks of shows were unveiled this past March, Levitt Shell Memphis and Levitt Arlington just released their full summer concert series, both jam packed with revered, award-winning musicians as well as local favorites. Continue reading

Behind every great show at the Levitt is an equally great audio engineer like John Rupp. John is the man behind the control board night after night at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pa., ensuring that the concerts sound their best.

“The most rewarding thing about my job,” John says, smiling, “is watching people have a good time.” When he’s not at the Levitt, John is on the road touring in one of his many bands.

Learn more about John in this new Faces of Levitt video!

big-star-nothing-can-hurt-meLevitt Shell Memphis recently provided a sneak peek of their free summer concert series to local alt-weekly, Commercial Appeal. Kicking off the summer series on May 23 will be a special all-star symphonic performance of Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers led by the band’s sole original living member, Jody Stephens.

And at this point, you may be asking yourself, “who?” You’re not alone.

Big Star may arguably be the most important band you’ve never heard of. The Memphis-based power pop group released three studio albums in the 1970s—#1 Record, Radio City and Third—to commercial disappointment yet enormous critical praise.  Continue reading

cat-parkInaugural Levitt National Cat Park Tour will feature a Keyboard Cat tribute band 

A cat at a Levitt venue in greater Los Angeles. In his natural habitat, a cat is free to enjoy green space, picnic scraps and behind-the-ear scratching, just like his dog counterparts.

A cat at a Levitt venue in greater Los Angeles. In his natural habitat, a cat is free to enjoy green space, picnic scraps and behind-the-ear scratching, just like his dog counterparts.

Inspired by visionary leader Amy Schumer’s passionate plea for cats and cat owners everywhere, Levitt Pavilions will be opening up cat parks across the country through an unprecedented $20 million initiative.

40 sites across the country will each receive an initial $500,000 of seed funding to build a cat park in a local community. The sites will be chosen through a groundbreaking system of online voting, one which is only accessible by cat paw recognition software. This will ensure that only cat owners and the cats themselves can vote in the initial selection process. Continue reading


When sisters Ann Ward and Ruthie Johnson check out free, live music at Levitt Shell Memphis, they see a lawn filled with “everyone having a good time like one big happy family.” And when they talk about the great music, food and lots of fun on the Levitt lawn, we’re sure it’ll help you look forward to summer even more!

Hear more from Ann and Ruthie in this new video from our Faces of Levitt series.

A sketch of the new Levitt Pavilion Houston at Willow Waterhole Conservation Reserve.

A sketch of the new Levitt Pavilion Houston at Willow Waterhole Conservation Reserve.

Levitt venue to open in 2021

Levitt’s vision for an America filled with thriving public spaces is one step closer to reality with recently announced plans to bring the Levitt program to Houston!

Houstonians will soon have a unique place in their city to experience free music under the stars. Levitt Pavilion Houston will be the first Levitt venue on a site dedicated to natural resource conservation. The new music venue will be part of the city’s 280-acre Willow Waterhole Conservation Reserve, a public park that provides needed flood relief, offers recreational amenities and, with the establishment of the Levitt program, will provide free access to the performing arts for all. Continue reading

LA MarathonThere’s something really special about a marathon.

When they’re held in cities, marathons take runners to places where they sometimes might not be able to go and might not usually be welcome. This partly explains why joggers love heading out in the early morning when the streets are quiet and a solitary sunrise awaits: the alternative, attempting a run during rush hour in Chicago’s loop, Paris’ Champs-Élysées or pretty much anywhere in Manhattan, is like a maddening live-action video game for everyone involved. Continue reading