By 2026, top music stars could be booming their hits into the wide open air of Collin County for cheering crowds of up to 20,000—thanks to a collaboration between the city of McKinney and a Colorado hospitality and music venue company.
Colorado City-based Notes Live is slated to break ground late this year on the $220 million Sunset Amphitheater, to be located on a 46-acre site just northeast of U.S. 75 and S.H. 121. The open-air concert venue aims to be “a prime touring destination for the biggest national acts coming through the South, and it will also set a new standard for what Texas music venues can be,” Notes Live says.
The project is estimated to bring over 1,300 direct and indirect jobs and create over $3 billion of regional and local economic activity in its first 10 years of operation, the city of McKinney said. Bringing the “world-class venue” to McKinney was a joint effort by the city, the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, and the McKinney Community Development Corporation.
250 luxury fire pit suites, a landscaped grass berm, gourmet food, and more
McKinney’s planned $220M Sunset Amphitheater [Rendering: Notes Live]
The Sunset Amphitheater will feature over 250 luxury fire pit suites, traditionally reserved seating in its middle and lower bowl, a landscaped grass berm, all under an “iconic roof structure.” Custom-built Owners Club suites will also be on tap.
Notes Live is modeling the McKinney venue after its food and music center in Colorado Springs, and says that at its new, largest-yet venue, “every seat will be comfortable with a direct sightline to the stage, the sound will be crystal clear, the food and drinks will be gourmet (not your typical concert fare), and the views when the sun is setting over the stage will be breathtaking.”
The Colorado company says McKinney is an ideal fit for its business model of constructing amphitheaters “in growing cities that have almost everything except grand-scale outdoor live music venues.”
“They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and for the Sunset Amphitheater in McKinney, that was our guiding principle—bigger, and better,” Notes Live Founder and CEO JW Roth said in a statement. “McKinney is an incredible community, and we can’t wait to build the most over-the-top venue on earth.”
Chad Hennings, a three-time Super Bowl winner as a Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle, is on the Notes Live board of directors, and called it “an amazing honor” to bring the amphitheater to Texas.
“Between JW’s tenacity and vision, and McKinney’s entertainment spirit, we’re not just building a music venue, we’re building a music destination,” Hennings added.
A ‘game-changer’ for McKinney
McKinney Mayor George Fuller called the Sunset Amphitheater a “game-changer for our entertainment offerings in McKinney” and “a boon for our economic growth and tourism sector.”
“With a state-of-the-art venue of this size, we can draw some of the largest musical acts to the city and attract fans from across Texas and the surrounding states,” Fuller said in a statement. “This new addition to our community will bring even more life and energy to our already thriving arts scene and undoubtedly continue to set McKinney apart as an entertainment and cultural hub in the region.”
Notes Live aims to go public—and has several other venues lined up
Notes Live has several other venues lined up in its sights. In the last 12 months, it’s opened a new venue in Gainesville, Georgia, and announced new music and entertainment complexes in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; and Oklahoma City. The company’s “state-of-the-art” open-air Sunset 3 Amphitheater in Colorado Springs is set for a grand opening on August 9, featuring three-time Grammy winner Ryan Tedder and his Grammy-nominated band, OneRepublic.
Notes Live has announced plans to go public in the coming months under the ticker VENU and plans to operate venues in a dozen markets by 2028.
Construction on the Sunset Amphitheater is anticipated to be complete in time for the 2026 touring season, the company said.
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