Morgan Dudley, director of the MSU Riley Center, welcomes guests Monday as she announces the center’s new fall-winter performing arts series. Photo by Thomas Howard

Meridian residents congregated at the MSU Riley Center Monday as the venue announced the lineup for its upcoming fall-winter performing arts series.

 

Riley Center Director Morgan Dudley said the center had been offering a series that lasted the majority of the year, but feedback from attendees pointed to a fall-winter series being the more popular option.

 

“So we went back to what you wanted, which was this fall-winter, and then we’re going to introduce the spring-summer series next year,” she said. “So we’ve got six shows starting in August, going through January.”

 

Dudley said the series lineup offers a diverse range of talent to offer something for everyone.

 

This season includes:

— The Marshall Tucker Band, Thursday, Aug. 14

— Leela James, Saturday, Aug. 23

— Randy Travis, Thursday, Sept. 25

— Straight No Chaser, Thursday, Oct. 23

— Leslie Odom Jr., Tuesday, Dec. 16

— Kansas, Friday, Jan. 30

 

Also returning this year is the ability to build custom show packages, Dudley said. The Riley Center got away from custom packages for several years, she said, but the fans have spoken.

 

“For a couple of years, we’ve only done mini-packs, set mini-packs, where we pick the shows that we put in there, and you didn’t like that either,” she said, laughing. “So, we can’t sell these packs online, but what we do best is a white glove experience. So you can come here at 9 a.m. on the 23rd, and you can build a pack.”

 

Season ticket holders can go ahead and renew their membership, Dudley said, with the box office opening on June 23. Tickets will go on sale to the public beginning June 30.

 

Members of the public will be able to purchase tickets at msurileycenter.com, which is the only official place to purchase Riley Center tickets online, Dudley said.