Mobile’s new downtown arena has its first announced performer — and the city’s long wait to see what a modern entertainment venue can actually book is beginning to produce answers.
Comedian Matt Mathews will bring his “Not What I Ordered” World Tour to Regions Arena on Saturday, March 6, 2027, as part of the grand opening celebration for the Port City’s most anticipated new building in a generation. Tickets go on sale Thursday, July 16.
“We’re thrilled to announce Alabama native Matt Mathews as the first entertainment announcement for Regions Arena’s Grand Opening Celebration,” said Erik Hudson, general manager of Regions Arena. “This is a major milestone for our venue and our community, and it’s just the beginning of an incredible lineup we’ll be unveiling over the coming months.”
Who Matt Mathews Is
Mathews is a Birmingham native who first drew national attention during the pandemic with viral “farm chore” videos — unfiltered, rapid-fire storytelling built around everyday rural chaos. He has since built an audience of more than 15 million followers and generated over a billion views across platforms.
Promotional materials describe him as “a comedian, singer/songwriter and unapologetic trailblazer whose raw honesty, razor-sharp wit and unmistakable Southern charm have made him one of comedy’s fastest-rising stars.”
He is, in short, an Alabama act opening an Alabama building — which is a reasonable piece of programming instinct for a venue trying to establish that it belongs to this city.
Not the Grand Opening Act
One important clarification, and it comes directly from the venue’s operator. Mathews is not the arena’s official grand opening act.
“The Grand Opening Celebration refers to a series of events taking place throughout the first several months after Regions Arena opens,” said Oak View Group spokeswoman Hannah Pierce. “Matt Mathews is one of the events that will be part of those celebrations, and we’ll have more announcements to come, including our official Grand Opening act.”
In other words: the headline booking is still being held back. Expect more announcements in the coming months.
The Building Itself
Regions Arena is a 298,000-square-foot venue rising on the site of the former Mobile Civic Center — the building that hosted this city’s concerts, Mardi Gras balls and events for half a century before it was demolished.
The arena is scheduled to open in January 2027 once construction is complete — putting it in the building ahead of Mardi Gras. It is planned as one of the city’s largest venues for concerts, performances, city events and Mardi Gras balls.
Writing in his daily newsletter, Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis said the arena remains on track to open in time for Mardi Gras 2027.
“I can’t wait to cut the ribbon on what will be the best mid-sized arena in the country when it’s completed,” Cheriogotis wrote.
Why the Timeline Is Built Around Mardi Gras
The choice to target Mardi Gras 2027 is not incidental. Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in America, and the mystic societies’ ball season is the single busiest, highest-demand stretch on the city’s event calendar. The old Civic Center was the physical home of much of that tradition, and its loss left the societies scrambling for venues.
An arena that opens in time to host ball season is an arena that immediately proves its purpose. One that misses it waits a full year for another shot.
What a Mid-Sized Arena Changes
For decades, touring acts routing through the Gulf South have had a straightforward calculation to make: Mobile, or drive past it to New Orleans, Biloxi or Pensacola. Without a modern venue with competitive capacity, load-in facilities and revenue potential, the answer was frequently to skip the city.
A purpose-built mid-sized arena changes that math — not for stadium-scale acts, but for exactly the tier of touring comedians, musicians and family shows that fill a building like this one 100-plus nights a year. Whether Regions Arena delivers on that promise is the question the next 18 months will answer.
Update: Mathews Responds to Online Backlash Over the Booking
Comedian and Alabama native Matt Mathews has responded publicly after facing online criticism over his announcement as the first act booked for Regions Arena’s grand opening. “It’s been brought to my attention that some people in Mobile aren’t too happy that I was the first artist announced for the new Regions Arena,” Mathews wrote in a social media post. “Well… stay mad, because I can’t wait to bring all this ‘gay and raunchy’ comedy straight to your city.”
Mathews leaned into the criticism rather than shying away from it. “The good news is, since I’m apparently such a nobody who won’t sell it out… there should be plenty of parking. See y’all there,” he wrote. Tickets for the March 6, 2027 show went on sale Thursday, July 16, at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.