Good morning, Memphis! ☀️
Quick history quiz: what do the Beatles, Elvis, and Jerry Lawler have in common?
Answer: They all rocked the Mid-South Coliseum.
Today, exactly 60 years after the Beatles played it, the old arena is making some comeback noise of it’s own.
But it's not alone:
The trolleys are plotting a return to Main Street after two quiet years
Malco's movie seats are learning to shake, rattle, and roll
A $5 music festival is taking over South Main on Saturday
And the comeback we care about most: a 42-pound shelter pup named Plum, working her way from a kennel to your couch.
Let's get into it.
Good News
🏟️ Investors Say They're Ready to Help Revive the Mid-South Coliseum
The Mid-South Coliseum in 2023. Photo by Mark Fleischer
The Mid-South Coliseum has sat quiet for 20 years — but the group fighting to bring it back says help may finally be on the way.
🎤 Comeback tour. The Roundhouse closed in 2006, but conservancy president Corey Strong says private investors are willing to help revive the arena, and that pledges from dozens of people have covered 30% to 40% of the group's goal.
More than music. The Beatles played here exactly 60 years ago today (Aug. 19, 1966), and Jerry The King Lawler piledrove Andy Kaufman here in 1982.
Strong says City Council members back a revival, and the next step is getting city administrators on board.
Read the full story here.
Movies
🎬 Malco Is Adding Seats That Move With the Movie
Malco Paradiso
Malco Theatres is bringing D-BOX motion seats to the Memphis area: recliners that tilt, shake, and rumble in sync with what's on screen.
🎥 Shake, rattle, and roll credits. The Memphis-based chain is installing D-BOX in 13 auditoriums across four theaters — including three at the Paradiso and four at Malco Collierville, with the other six at two Arkansas locations. The seats sync motion and vibrations to the action in the movie.
🦃 Just in time for the holidays. Installation starts in late September, and Malco says all 13 auditoriums will be ready by Thanksgiving, right when the holiday blockbusters roll in. No word yet on ticket prices for the motion seats.
Read more from FOX13 here.
Transit
🚋 Ding Ding: MATA Says the Trolleys Will Return Downtown This Fall
Photo via Downtown Memphis Commission
After two years of quiet tracks, MATA says trolleys could roll down Main Street again this fall.
🚃 Four cars, one comeback. MATA plans to put four trolleys back on the Main Street Line this fall. The brake tests passed, system testing is underway, and the required 180-day notice is filed with the state.
⏳ Two years in the shop. The trolleys went quiet in August 2024 over brake problems. And if you're keeping score, this is comeback No. 2. After the 2014 fires, it took nearly four years to get back on Main Street. This time, it only took about two.
Read more from the Memphis Flyer here.
Music
🎶 A $5 Music Festival Hits South Main This Saturday
Analog Fest 2026
Analog Fest takes over Ghost River Brewing on South Main this Saturday, Aug. 22, from 3 to 10 p.m.
🎧 New faces, new sounds. The lineup is all about up-and-coming Memphis talent: Foreign Sinatra and David Alxander headline, with dav!d, ADUBB, Juanpre, Liam Elliott, and more on the bill.
💸 Festival fun, minus festival prices. Early bird tickets are just $5 ($15 at the door) for seven hours of live music, plus food vendors and beer from Ghost River at 827 S. Main St.
Grab tickets here.
Today’s Picks
🗞️ Other News Around the 901
🍅 You say tomato, we say Saturday. Quick reminder: the Edgy Tomato Festival hits the Edge District this Saturday, and the food list is getting weird in the best way. New reveals include a roasted tomato and goat cheese popsicle, a smoked green-tomato cocktail, tomato lemonade, a 30+ vendor art market, and an all-red car show. See the full lineup.
🔥 Amazing Flavor. HungryAF Kitchen opened this month at 3364 Poplar Ave. Husband-and-wife owners Kimberly and Davarius Jones started selling plates from home in 2020, and now they've got a dine-in spot serving Strawberry Henny Wings, a Tropical Rum Salmon Philly, and an oxtail grilled cheese with jerk tomato basil soup. Check out the menu.
🎨 New hobby, who dis? The Dixon's Hobby Kick-Start series is offering one-night intro classes for anyone who wants to try something new. No experience needed, no semester-long commitment. Past topics include chess, phone photography, and self-defense. Fair warning: they fill up fast. Tomorrow night's flavored-syrup class sold out before we could even tell you about it. Keep an eye on the Dixon's calendar so you can beat the crowd to the next one.
🛍️ Who sent you? Jaye did. This Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m., the Jaye Sent Me Marketplace fills Bartlett's Taylor Made Event Center with Black-owned businesses — and browsing is free. Want more? $20 gets you into the paint-and-sip with Travis "the Paint Man" Hunter, plus a $5 shopping token for the vendors.
🎥 Memphis makes movies. Elijah Peel, a new redemption drama about a rock star and a terminally ill young girl, was shot entirely in Memphis in just 13 days — and it's now playing in more than 500 theaters nationwide, including Malco. The cast features Kevin Sorbo, and Duck Dynasty's Willie and Korie Robertson executive produced. Read more here.
🤫 Shhh… it's happy hour. Loflin Loves Readers returns to Loflin Yard tomorrow from 4 to 7 p.m. It’s a silent reading party where you BYO-book, settle into the Coachhouse or patio, and enjoy lo-fi beats and happy hour prices. Zero book-club homework required.
🏐 Bump, set, bash. Memphis volleyball hosts Tennessee State in an exhibition this Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The theme is Back to School Bash, and your last chance to see the Tigers at home before the season opens Aug. 28 in Nashville. Check ticket details here.
🏃 Earn your snow cone. The Summer Sizzler hits Shelby Farms this Sunday with a 7 a.m. start — pick a 1-miler, 5K, 10K, or 15K. Every finisher gets free Kona Ice, and kids 12 and under run the 5K or 10K for just $17. Register here.
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Adoptable Pet of the Week
🐾 Meet Plum, a 42-Pound Bundle of Lab Love
Meet Plum, a 2-and-a-half-year-old Lab mix waiting for her person at the Bartlett Animal Shelter.
🍑 Plum perfect. Plum is a 42-pound black Lab mix with amber eyes and a world-class head tilt. She's already house trained and spayed, so she's ready to settle right in.
🐶 Dog-approved. She's good with other dogs, which makes her a great fit for a home that already has a pup — or for a family picking out their very first.
Apply to adopt Plum here.
P.S. - Some happy news: Blanche, last week's adoptable pet, has officially been adopted. 🎉
That's it for today!
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Have a great Wednesday, Memphis. We'll see you tomorrow.
— 901 Today
