Mystic Lake lands high-end music venue for Super Bowl

Promoter booking armory shows strikes deal for second pop-up venue

September 20, 2017 at 1:41PM

The company that brought Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift to the Houston Super Bowl has landed a deal with Mystic Lake Casino for four nights of entertainment during Super Bowl LII.

Nomadic Entertainment Group, the traveling concert and party producers, will build a second pop-up venue for 9,000 fans at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake for high-end concerts.

It had previously announced club space under construction in the former Minneapolis Armory near U.S. Bank Stadium, where the Super Bowl will be played Feb. 4.

Nomadic calls events in its venues "white-glove" experiences. Concerts at the Prior Lake venue, called "Club Nomadic," begin Feb. 1 and run through game day. The 64,000-square-foot building will feature tiered seating designed to get viewers close to the performers.

The Super Bowl in Houston featured a Nomadic pop-up venue for the first time. Besides Mars and Swift, that venue featured performances by the Chainsmokers and Sam Hunt as well as a surprise appearance by Snoop Dogg. Nomadic venues include extensive VIP spaces with tickets that cost at least $175.

The Houston club also had a strict dress code: no sneakers or T-shirts.

While reviews of the music were overwhelmingly positive for the Houston shows, fans complained about lines that lasted 20 minutes for drinks and three times as long to catch rides home after the shows.

Jack Murphy, Nomadic Entertainment president, said in a statement that in the two Twin Cities venues, he aims to "exceed" the "vigor" of the Houston concerts. The company brands itself as "personal, premium, elevated."

Nomadic spokeswoman Danielle Grado said the two Minnesota venues will feature different acts catering to different demographics. She didn't elaborate.

The Nomadic shows in Houston provided prime celebrity gawking opportunities, especially in the capacious VIP areas where retired quarterback Peyton Manning, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman and rapper Common were spotted among numerous current and former NFL players.

Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee spokeswoman Andrea Mokros said Super Bowl events will bring numerous entertainment options for residents and visitors. "We're planning 10 days of fun with opportunities for everyone to see headliners, celebrities, and make memories of a lifetime," she said.

Like Houston, there will also be daily slates of free, big-name concerts at Super Bowl Live on Nicollet Mall. Musicians at the free concerts in Houston included Solange Knowles, Gary Clark Jr., Leon Bridges and ZZ Top.

The 300,000-square-foot "nightclub" for Nomadic Live already is under construction in the Minneapolis Armory. Tiered seating will be featured in that space as well with some 35,000 spectators expected during three nights of performances, Feb. 1-3.

The Nomadic Live event at the armory will cap an 18-month renovation of the space that in recent years served as a dusty parking ramp.

Construction of both pop-up venues is expected to be complete by December. Super Bowl events start in late January.

Staff Writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747


Club NOMADIC, a traveling night life experience that was in Houston last year, will call Mystic Lake Casino Hotel home for four days of performances (shown in renderings) leading into and after the Super Bowl, February 1-4.
Club NOMADIC, a traveling night life experience that was in Houston last year, will call Mystic Lake Casino Hotel home for four days of performances (shown in renderings) leading into and after the Super Bowl, February 1-4. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Club NOMADIC, a traveling night life experience that was in Houston last year, will call Mystic Lake Casino Hotel home for four days of performances (shown in renderings) leading into and after the Super Bowl, February 1-4.
Club NOMADIC, a traveling night life experience that was in Houston last year, will call Mystic Lake Casino Hotel home for four days of performances (shown in renderings) leading into and after the Super Bowl, February 1-4. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Club NOMADIC, a traveling night life experience that was in Houston last year, will call Mystic Lake Casino Hotel home for four days of performances (shown in renderings) leading into and after the Super Bowl, February 1-4.
Club NOMADIC, a traveling night life experience that was in Houston last year, will call Mystic Lake Casino Hotel home for four days of performances (shown in renderings) leading into and after the Super Bowl, February 1-4. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Rochelle Olson

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Rochelle Olson is a reporter on the politics and government team.

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