Greenville’s Radio Room reopens bigger, better after long wait

The whispers have been building for months now: “What the heck is going on with the new Radio Room?”

The Greenville venue spent much of the last decade becoming one of the most popular and respected spots on the Upstate music scene, bringing in exciting national acts such as Will Hoge, Chatham County Line and Saliva while supporting local acts of all stripes, from folk-rock (Darby Wilcox) to metal (NeverFall).

But the former location on Poinsett Highway, which held a little over 200 people, closed for good back in April. A move to a much larger spot on Liberty Drive was on the horizon, and artists like Shovels & Rope, King’s X, and The Verve Pipe were booked to play the new room.

Radio Room photo by Tim Kimzey

Then there were the delays, which often happen in these projects — construction delays, inspection delays, equipment delays, renovation delays and more. Weeks stretched into months, and as booked shows were farmed out to other local venues, people started to wonder what was happening.

Now the wait is over for owners Geoff Cannada, David Raghib and Wes Gilliam, and for local fans of live music.

The new Radio Room finally opens on Tuesday, July 30, with a performance from acclaimed veteran Americana rockers The New Pornographers.

An upgrade in size also meant an upgrade in equipment, since the Radio Room’s capacity is now more than double the previous location.

Radio Room photo by Tim Kimzey

“The capacity is 539,” said Gilliam, who also handles booking for the venue, “which means we can sell roughly twice as many tickets as we could at our previous location. The new stage is 24 feet wide and 18 feet long, which leaves us room for a drum riser and stage real estate for various production elements that come with larger touring packages.”

But it’s not just about the sound, Cannada added.

“The room is larger and more wide open with great site lines from everywhere,” Cannada said. “And the bathrooms are brand new, and much more spacious.”

As excited as the three owners are about finally opening the doors, they freely admit to wondering if that was ever going to happen.

“I have to admit that the unexpected delays mounting every single month became pretty demoralizing,” Raghib said. “But then the prospect of being open in this space got me excited again.”

Cannada said he was sure it would eventually happen, “but none of us thought it would be this challenging. It was frustrating to not be able to answer everyone’s questions. But we are very close now.”

Radio Room photo by Tim Kimzey

In fact, many members of the Radio Room staff and local supporters came on board to help in any way they could — from moving equipment and cleaning to building an outdoor back deck on the property.

“It’s always humbling when people want to help, especially with the multitude of friends and even acquaintances offering to help in any way possible,” Gilliam said. “It’s not something we’ll ever take for granted.”

With shows from American Aquarium, Black Flag, Gaelic Storm and Sixpence None the Richer on the horizon, things finally seem set for the Radio Room to take a giant leap.

Radio Room photo by Tim KimzeyAfter the last few months, Gilliam admitted he is still a little nervous.

“For me, it won’t be real until after the first show in the new building,” Gilliam said. “But it is gratifying to see it finally looking like not only an awesome and competitive music venue, but also a place I’d want to go to and check out because it looks cool and has a good vibe.”

Radio Room photo by Tim Kimzey

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