House of Blues founder celebrates music venue groundbreaking

The city’s musical community celebrated Thursday, as ground was broken for Trueline, a live music venue coming to the city’s West End.

Jackhammers, celebrity drop-ins and (of course) live music highlighted Thursday’s festivities at the future home of Trueline, 401 Rhett St. The music venue is the brainchild of Michael Grozier, who also co-founded the legendary House of Blues concert venues and is currently an executive at the entertainment giant Live Nation.

Grozier said Greenville’s welcoming nature convinced him of the venue’s potential. “I came to Greenville and as everybody knows, you fall in love with Greenville right away,” he said. “The most amazing thing is the kindness in this town, the patience, the love for people.”

Anticipated to open in April 2025, Trueline will feature two performance spaces, a 1,700-seat main room and a 400-seat “more intimate” space. That smaller room, Grozier said, will be named “The Handlebar,” a tribute to the long-time music venue that shaped the city’s live music scene until it closed its doors in 2014.

Groundbreaking attendees included nationally-known recording artists, such as Greenville natives and blues artists Marcus King and Mac Arnold, as well as South Carolina’s country music standout Josh Turner.

Greenville Mayor Knox White said the project is a testament to the city’s commitment to economic and community growth. “We’re not a bunch of naysayers who look for reasons not to do something,” he said, “We look for reasons to do it.”