MACON, Ga. — The Turnpike Troubadours concert on Saturday had the highest attendance so far this year, according to Mayor Lester Miller.
It's helped boost sales for some businesses nearby, like Amici, which is less than three miles away from the amphitheater. Co-owner Jon Joiner said they've been preparing to get ready for the shows.
"Already noticed an uptick in our business and our sales on the days of the events. The first one was ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd. we definitely saw more traffic coming in," Joiner said.
Amici is the official pizza sponsor of the amphitheater, which means they get to serve their food, like pizza and fries, to concert-goers inside the show.
"We're getting a lot of marketing behind that and obviously it's the talk of the town right now. So we're getting a lot of recognition, brand recognition," Joiner said.
The restaurant is also close by to two hotels, which Joiner said has helped bring in foot traffic. During April's Riley Green concert, which was on a Thursday, Joiner said it looked like a Saturday night crowd in the restaurant.
"We got a early dinner rush and the whole place just filled up," he said.
Gary Wheat is the President and CEO of Visit Macon. He said that was a big weekend for many other businesses as well.
"Riley Green did a little bit, right around $1.4 million in spending associated with the show," Wheat said.
He said ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd brought in about $1.3 million.
"Very significant impact on the venue; on our community. With the dollars that were left there. The average expenditure for someone going to Riley Green was right about $195," Wheat said.
He said those numbers come from their partnership with Atrium Health Amphitheater, and so far, they've seen a lot of out-of-towners come to Macon for the shows, including a couple he met from Indiana at the Turnpike Troubadours show.