Messina Touring is entering its 25th year of shaping the live music landscape, marking a journey that officially began on January 31, 2002, not as a corporate ambition, but as a belief in artists, relationships and doing things differently. In the two-plus decades since, what began as a trio of promoters betting on themselves has evolved into a juggernaut representing some of the biggest touring artists in the world: Taylor Swift, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Ed Sheeran, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, The Lumineers and more.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built over the past 25 years, and I’m even more excited about where we’re headed,” shares Louis Messina, founder and CEO of Messina Touring. “The future of this company is in great hands with leaders like President Mike Dugan and Nashville President Haley McCollister, who continue to push us forward while staying true to the values that have defined Messina Touring from day one.”
“From the beginning, Messina Touring has been about trust, relationships and long-term thinking,” adds Dugan. “What makes this moment special is that we’re continuing to build on that foundation alongside our partners at AEG Presents, while positioning the company for continued growth in an ever-evolving live music landscape.”
“Growing the Nashville office and watching it become such an integral part of Messina Touring’s future has been incredibly meaningful,” notes McCollister. “Being part of a company that prioritizes artists, collaboration and people makes this an exciting time to help lead the next chapter.”
The foundation of Messina Touring dates back to the late ‘90s, when Messina – alongside Rome McMahon and Kate DesEnfants McMahon, both still with the company today – worked on the George Strait Country Music Festival, then the first and only Country stadium tour. As the business expanded within the traditional local promoter model through buyouts and mergers, the team found that the spirit that drew them to live music was slowly being diluted, replaced by a more corporate, less artist-driven approach.
In response, Messina made the decision to go it alone, working out of his home office and betting on a tour with Chesney. The first show took place on January 31, 2002, officially launching Messina Touring in West Palm Beach with what at the time was a hugely successful 11,238 tickets on opening night. The tour ultimately saw Chesney play 98 dates that year, laying the groundwork for a company built on trust, long-term thinking and deep artist partnerships.
In the 25 years since, Messina Touring has helped shape the careers of the most influential artists in modern music. Early relationships with Strait and Chesney grew into a roster that reflects the company’s long-term philosophy – from meeting Swift when she opened for Strait, to later welcoming her own opening acts like Sheeran to the roster, along with Church, Shelton, The Lumineers, Old Dominion, Phoebe Bridgers, Ty Myers, Zac Brown Band and other longstanding collaborators.
Across its history, Messina Touring has produced some of the most successful tours in live music, including Swift’s Eras Tour, the biggest tour of all time. The global run sold out worldwide, spanning 149 shows in 50 cities across 19 countries and five continents, drawing more than 10 million fans. Longtime partner Chesney has played more than 200 stadium shows under the Messina Touring banner, in addition to 27 performances at Sphere in Las Vegas, while Strait has set numerous attendance records throughout his touring career, including landmark single-day and multi-show achievements.
Throughout its growth into such a dominant force in the live music industry, Messina Touring has remained intentionally relationship driven. As Messina himself often says, “I only want to work with people who want to work with me.” Foregoing short-term, headline-grabbing guarantees that can limit creative and touring flexibility, the company partners with artists who are ready to bet on themselves, take ownership of their careers and collaborate closely with a team that treats touring as a shared endeavor.
That philosophy extends internally as well. What began as a home-office operation has grown into a team of 38 full-time staff members across Austin and Nashville, with team members recognized among Billboard’s Power 100, Women in Music and Country Power Players; Forbes’s 30 Under 30; Pollstar’s Impact 50, Women of Live, Live Hall of Fame; and more.
As Messina Touring begins the year-long celebration of its 25th anniversary, the milestone coincides with a renewed focus on the future. With a newly unveiled brand identity plus a robust slate of tours underway and ahead in 2026 – from Sheeran’s 2026 Loop Tour playing stadiums across the globe to Chesney returning to Sphere in Las Vegas for year two of his residency – the company enters its next chapter grounded in the same principles that have guided it since the beginning: trust, collaboration and a belief that the best touring careers are built together.
For more information, visit MessinaTouring.com and follow @MessinaTouring on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Take Me To Texas: George Strait Adds In-The-Round Austin, Texas Performances
With stadium shows set for Clemson, SC and Lubbock, TX this year George Strait announces two additional shows at Moody Center in Austin, TX, in-the-round on Thursday, April 9, and Saturday, April 11, 2026 (tickets on sale on Friday, January 30 at 10 a.m. local time at georgestrait.com).
Fans can expect an intimate evening of timeless hits along with new favorites off Cowboys and Dreamers performed center stage, in the round. Opening both shows is fellow Texas native, newcomer William Beckmann.
With fewer shows a year, Strait’s one-off stadium shows in 2024 included A&M’s Kyle Field playing one of the largest single ticketed concerts in U.S. history with 110,905 fans in attendance for George Strait: The King at Kyle Field. He followed that record-breaking performance with only five live shows in 2025 with stops in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Foxboro and Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.
Of his stop at SoFi Stadium last summer Variety noted, “fans would maintain that the privilege of still having him kicking around is all theirs” while reflecting on what Strait does best, “pick great songs, sing even better and exude a quiet, uncocky confidence that would make anyone feel patriotic about country as a genre.”
The Boston Globe said of his stop at Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium last year, “Strait skipped the pyrotechnics and let his voice do the heavy lifting,” making it easy to see why Pollstar once opined, “Strait remains the most worthy inheritor of Merle Haggard or Willie Nelson’s mantle of country icon through the meaningful fluidity with which he moves through country’s various sub-strains with the same ease and enjoyment that marked both men’s Country Music Hall of Fame careers.”
In addition to his upcoming live performances at Austin, TX, Clemson, SC and Lubbock, TX, Strait was celebrated at the 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in December, recognizing his lifetime of contributions to American culture through the performing arts and next month he will be inducted into the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame this February, paying tribute to his enduring impact as both a performer and songwriter whose influence has shaped generations of country music.
It’s been 15 years since The New York Times praised Strait as “a country superstar in complete command of his gift,” and with the arrival of his 31st studio album for MCA last year, Cowboys And Dreamers, that statement rings just as true. Filled with classic country honky-tonkers about drinkin’ and not thinkin’ as well as sad songs and ballads about loss and cheatin’, listen to the album Cowboys & Indians Magazine notes is “a cornucopia of trad-country-arrangement beauty,” HERE.
The follow-up to Honky Tonk Time Machine, Strait’s 27th No. 1 Billboard Country album, Cowboys And Dreamers was named “album of the week” by Associated Press, and features 13 new songs, including “Three Drinks Behind,” “MIA Down in MIA,” “The Little Things,” the 2026 GRAMMY-nominated “Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame” featuring Chris Stapleton and Strait’s rendition of Waylon Jennings’ “Waymore’s Blues,” which all have made appearances in his live set.
About George Strait:
George Strait is the unambiguous "King of Country Music," with over 100 million RIAA certifications while earning more than 60 major entertainment industry awards as well as countless nominations and becoming the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over three decades. The Texas troubadour released his 31st career studio album Cowboys And Dreamers last year, following 2019’s best-selling Country album, Honky Tonk Time Machine, on MCA Nashville. The latter produced by Strait and Chuck Ainlay, the album quickly became Strait’s record-extending 27th No. 1 Billboard Country album. The Country Music Hall of Fame member earned his 100th entry on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with his single “The Weight of the Badge” from the project. Having already set an indoor ticketed attendance record in 2014 at AT&T Stadium on his Cowboy Rides Away Tour, in June 2024 with 104,793 fans in attendance, he bested his own attendance record with over 110,905 fans in attendance at his “King at Kyle Field” show in College Station. And Strait has proven himself as deft with a pen as he is commanding a stadium of thousands, co-writing some of his biggest hits such as fan favorites, “Here for a Good Time” and “Living for the Night,” as well as the powerful, heartfelt ballad “I Believe.” As generous as he is talented, Strait’s Vaqueros del Mar golf tournament and benefit concert has raised over $17 million for the Feherty’s Troops First Foundation and most recently his Strait To The Heart benefit raised over $7 million for those affected by the flooding in Texas. He and wife Norma also established the Jenifer Strait Foundation to preserve the memory of their daughter and have raised millions for children’s organizations. In addition, every time Strait takes the stage he is joined by Retired Lt. General Leroy Sisco to present a new home to a wounded hero, delivering his 127th home presentation last July in Los Angeles via Military Warriors Support Foundation’s Homes 4 Wounded Heroes Program.
More at GeorgeStrait.com and online @georgestrait.
About William Beckmann:
Making modern country music with a refined edge, emerging artist William Beckmann embodies timeless, sophisticated swagger, with songs built for the mainstream, but also built to last. With his album, Whiskey Lies & Alibis, the young Texas native joins a retro revival in the modern format’s core, and pushes it further down the road. A student of the classics – from classic country to classic pop, classic rock, and even classic mariachi – Beckmann grew up in the border town of Del Rio, Texas, enamored with the classic cool of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and Frank Sinatra, plus the Eagles, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Strait, and the traditional Mexican music of his bilingual roots. Developing a deep, dark-honey baritone with natural vibrato, he first found a foothold on the Texas tour circuit, dressed to kill and with a timeless sound to match. After catching the attention of hometown hero Radney Foster (who helped dial in his classically-charged songwriting), and Randy Rogers (who took the young artist on tour, helping craft a stately stage magnetism), two self-styled EPs and a 2023 Opry debut built Beckmann’s buzz, along with tours with Parker McCollum, Charley Crockett, and more. Co-writing eight of 12 songs with elite hit makers such as Jessie Jo Dillion, Jesse Frasure, and Rhett Akins, Beckmann’s neo-classic signature is clear on Whiskey Lies & Alibis. With an organic sound defined by dusky baritone guitars and pedal steel, plus a rumbling, resonate vocal, it captures the vast loneliness of a windblown desert landscape, and the throbbing pulse of a honky tonk with equal power. And central to each track, lies the bitter sting of lost love. After playing more than 100 shows a year in 2022 and 2023, Beckmann now returns to the road with a bold mission in mind: Not just to cosplay the classic country style, but to bring its values back, with head held high.
Announcing ZBB’s Love & Fear Tour presented by Margaritaville at Sea
Messina Touring Unveils New Logo and Brand Identity
Messina Touring, a leader in live entertainment, unveils a new logo and refreshed brand identity that reflects the company’s forward-looking approach to live music and its unwavering commitment to artists.
Founded by legendary promoter Louis Messina, Messina Touring has spent decades at the forefront of touring innovation, building record-setting tours for some of the world’s most celebrated performers, including George Strait, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney, The Lumineers, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Ty Myers, Old Dominion, Phoebe Bridgers and Zac Brown Band.
The updated branding reflects Messina Touring’s continued commitment to leading the way in live entertainment, challenging industry norms by creating enhanced artist partnerships and redefining an artist-first approach to touring. Messina Touring continues to break records and elevate artist success while reshaping the touring landscape, empowering artists with ownership of their fan data while providing the tools to meaningfully engage and strengthen those relationships.
As Messina Touring reveals its refreshed logo, the company reinforces its core belief that a more transparent, collaborative and tech-forward approach benefits artists, fans and the future of live entertainment.
Messina Touring Group Elevates Rachel Powers to Vice President
Messina Touring Group (MTG) has elevated Rachel Powers from Vice President of Marketing to Vice President, reflecting her expanding role within the company and her continued impact on the live entertainment industry.
“It’s an absolute honor to continue growing with a company known for its unwavering commitment to artists, always putting them and their best interests first,” shares Powers. “I’m fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented professionals in the business, many of whom have helped pave the way for me. It’s been a privilege to support some of the best artists and their incredible teams. I’m especially grateful to Louis for his mentorship and for believing in me – this opportunity means the world.”
In addition to prior responsibilities of co-leading the marketing department and overseeing tour marketing for Blake Shelton, Eric Church and Zac Brown Band, this new role expands Powers’ focus beyond marketing to include broader oversight and more deeply involved in high-level decision-making, cross-functional leadership and driving overall growth for the business
Powers has been a driving force behind some of country music’s most successful tours. Since 2017, she has overseen tour marketing for Shelton, from his Doing It to Country Songs Tour to his upcoming 2026 Live in Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum.
She leads marketing for Church’s highly anticipated Free the Machine Tour launching this weekend, following her work on his The Gather Again Tour, which sold over 860,000 tickets, grossed $100 million, and earned Top Country Tour at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards and Church’s record-breaking Double Down Tour in 2019, which sold more than 770,000 tickets, grossed nearly $72 million and made history as the first solo headliner at Nissan Stadium.
Her contributions have been widely recognized throughout the industry. She has been named to Billboard’s Country Power Players list (2024, 2025) and Women in Music Executive list (2023, 2025). She was selected for the second cohort of the Country Music Association’s Women’s Leadership Academy, recognized as an inaugural honoree on Pollstar’s Impact: NextGen list in 2019, and invited to join the first class of the American Express Women in Music Leadership Academy.
Photo Credit: Chris Zebo
Messina Touring Group Announces Promotions Driving Digital Strategy, Operations, Partnerships and More
Messina Touring Group (MTG), a leader in live entertainment promotion, has announced a series of strategic promotions that reflect the company’s commitment to innovation, data-driven insights and artist empowerment in the touring industry.
“It thrills me to see our MTG team grow as each of these individuals are incredible at what they do,” shares CEO Louis Messina. “Watching them achieve new heights makes me so happy. The success of the entire team and everything they touch is my proudest accomplishment.”
Nick Ayoub has been promoted to Head of Digital Strategy and Operations, leading MTG’s overall digital operations, streamlining internal processes and data strategies to improve efficiency, innovation and long-term growth across the business. As the youngest honoree on Billboard’s 2024 40 Under 40 list and a 2024 POLLSTAR Impact: NextGen recipient, Ayoub also leads digital strategy for record-breaking stadium tours, including those by Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, The Lumineers and Phoebe Bridgers. His expanded role will involve overseeing the company’s technology, data systems and cross-functional operations, ensuring artists not only have access to their touring data but also the tools to leverage it effectively. This new role reflects MTG’s commitment to modernizing the touring landscape by breaking down barriers that have long limited artists’ access to their own touring data.
Kara Smoak has been elevated to Director of Digital Marketing, where she will continue to lead digital marketing and creative strategy for all MTG country artists, including George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Old Dominion and Zac Brown Band. A 2023 Nashville Briefing 30 Under 30 honoree, Smoak has helped drive the success of 100+ stadium shows with highlights including Strait’s record-breaking The King at Kyle Field (with 110,905 in attendance). With a deep passion for elevating artists’ careers and expanding their fan bases, she develops and executes innovative digital campaigns across all tour phases – focusing on digital partnerships, content creation, paid media and data-driven insights to ensure each tour’s digital presence is as dynamic and impactful as the performances themselves.
Meesha Kosciolek has been promoted to Director of Production, MTG Nashville, recognizing his five years of dedication to the company. As a production promoter representative, Kosciolek has worked on major tours for artists including George Strait, Blake Shelton, and Eric Church. In his expanded role, Kosciolek will continue to ensure seamless production execution and support the growth of MTG’s production capabilities across its artist roster.
Alvin Abshire has been elevated to Digital Operations Manager, bringing his extensive background in leading and scaling operations teams to the role. In his time at MTG, Abshire has played a pivotal role in the creative strategy and digital operations for some of the world’s largest tours, including those by George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and The Lumineers. In this new position, he will focus on driving forward the company’s evolving digital initiatives, streamline cross-functional processes and improve efficiency and support the digital innovation and long-term growth across the business.
Lucy Freeman has been promoted to Digital Marketing Manager, driving innovative digital strategies for record-breaking arena and stadium tours, including Ed Sheeran, George Strait, and Kenny Chesney. Since joining MTG in 2022, Freeman has been instrumental in marketing over 450 shows, leading paid and organic media campaigns, providing data-driven insights and overseeing creative project management. In her new role, she will continue to tailor strategies to the unique identity of each artist and fan base, ensuring that no two tours are approached the same way.
Madison Machen has been elevated to Manager, Partnerships and Branding, spearheading partnership strategies for major pop and country tours including those by Blake Shelton, Ed Sheeran, George Strait, Kenny Chesney and The Lumineers. With over eight years in the music industry, Machen specializes in innovative tour marketing, managing key relationships with streaming platforms, content creators and influencers to boost live event visibility, ensuring each tour maximizes visibility by integrating music, technology and social media.
These promotions reflect MTG’s continued commitment to leading the way in live entertainment, challenging industry norms by creating enhanced artist partnerships and redefining an artist-first approach to touring. Under this new structure, MTG is taking the opposite approach of most promoters, empowering artists with ownership of their fan data and equipping them with the tools to use it meaningfully in service to the relationship between artists and their fans. As MTG continues to break records and elevate artist success, these leadership advancements ensure the company remains at the forefront of digital innovation and strategic touring execution, underscoring MTG’s core belief that a more transparent, collaborative, and tech-forward approach benefits artists, fans and the future of live entertainment.
Top L to R: Nick Ayoub, Kara Smoak, Meesha Kosciolek
Bottom L to R: Alvin Abshire, Lucy Freeman, Madison Machen
Messina Touring Group Ups Three to VP: Lauren Caire, Keena Cheatham & LeeAnn Rotondo
Messina Touring Group is synonymous with the biggest names in music including: Blake Shelton, Ed Sheeran, Eric Church, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift and The Lumineers. Today, the preeminent group announces the elevation of three key team members to vice president roles as Lauren Cairerises from Director of Finance to VP of Finance, Keena Cheatham rises from Promoter Rep to VP of Touring and LeeAnn Rotondo rises from Director of Ticketing to VP of Ticketing.
“It thrills me to see our MTG team grow – these individuals are just another example of the incredible MTG team,” shares CEO Louis Messina. “Watching them grow and achieve makes me so happy; the success of our team is my biggest accomplishment.”
Caire first joined MTG in 2015 as a Senior Accountant and has since managed finances for the company and all of its tours, including a marquee year in 2023 anchored by Taylor Swift’s headline-dominating Eras Tour, Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics World Tour which broke attendance record in over half of the 21 NFL stadiums he played, George Strait’s record-breaking stadium run and more. Additionally, Caire managed the design and opening of MTG’s first office outside of its Austin homebase in 2019, expanding the promoter’s presence into Nashville with a permanent footprint in her native city, and she is currently overseeing MTG Nashville’s upcoming move to Nashville Yards.
Cheatham, a 2023 Music Row Magazine Next Big Thing honoree who joined MTG in 2013 as a Promoter Rep on Swift’s Red Tour, has had a role in over half of the MTG roster in both the pop and country music sectors. Cheatham leads the charge for some of the promoter’s biggest clients, including serving as the point person for Sheeran since 2014 and playing an instrumental part in Eric Church’s The Gather Again Tour which reported over 860,000 in ticket sales, grossed over $100 million and took home the award for Top Country Tour at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.
Rotondo joined MTG in 2015 as a Ticket Manager, primarily to assist with ticketing for Swift’s 1989 Tour. Nine years later, she spearheads all ticketing for Swift’s tours, as well as many other MTG clients including Church, Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton. Under her direction, ticketing at MTG has evolved from an isolated process led by each touring team into an innovative model with a centralized department that leads all tours at the forefront of the quickly-evolving ticketing industry.
Congratulate Caire via lauren@messinatouring.com, Cheatham via keena@messinatouring.com and Rotondo via leeann@messinatouring.com.
L to R: Lauren Caire, Keena Cheatham, LeeAnn Rotondo