"With Crosstown Arts' Green Room and Theater, the Hi Tone just two blocks away and now Satellite, the Crosstown neighborhood is transforming into a live music entertainment district with concerts almost every night." Crosstown Concourse CEO Todd Richardson said that in a May 2026 announcement, months before the venue opened.
Two changes in the past seven weeks have tested that line. On Friday, Aug. 21, Crosstown Concourse began charging for parking in all its lots and its garage from 6 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. About two weeks later, Satellite Music Hall opened at Autumn Avenue and North Claybrook Street. WREG described it as a 35,000-square-foot venue that holds 1,300 people and plans about 100 events a year. More people now come to Crosstown at night, and the evening hours are now the paid hours. The cheapest and simplest show night usually starts with dinner inside the Concourse, because that is where you get free parking.
What changed at the gate on Aug. 21
Crosstown teamed up with Metropolis, a parking company, to run the new system. According to the Concourse's parking page, the rules work like this:
- Parking is free daily from 4:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- From 6 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., every surface lot and the garage are paid.
- Convenience spaces along Concourse Avenue, Concourse Way, and on the garage's first floor are free for 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the sign.
- Every business inside the Concourse, including the brewery, offers free parking validation. You get one validation code per visit, and it has to be applied to your Metropolis account before you leave the property.
- Validation codes don't work in the 30-minute or 2-hour convenience spaces.
- Parking is free for all public community events, except in the signed convenience spaces.
The validation rule matters most on a show night. A meal at a Concourse business gets you a code, and the Concourse page says the code means free parking. Nothing we found says a Satellite ticket gets the same code. Crosstown's validation language covers codes handed out by its businesses and doesn't mention concert tickets.
Not everyone liked the change. The Memphis Flyer reported that transit advocates started a petition asking the city and Crosstown's leadership to make getting there by bus, bike, and on foot a priority. The petition points to how few MATA routes stop within a reasonable walk of the building.
Three ways to park for a Satellite show
Satellite sits across from the Concourse garage. For most shows, parking works the same as anywhere else on the property. The exception is a lot dedicated to Premier Parking. Here is how the options compare.
| Option | How it works | Reported cost | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concourse garage, drive-up | Pay through the Metropolis app | Free up to 2 hours, $5 up to 3, $10 up to 4, $15 up to 5, $20 up to 6, $25 up to a full day | Metropolis says drive-up rates can differ from reservation rates, and the listing doesn't say whether these tiers apply only in the evening |
| Concourse garage, validated | Eat or drink at a Concourse business, then apply its code before you leave | Free, per Crosstown | One code per visit, and codes don't work in the convenience spaces |
| Premier Parking lot | Add it to your ticket under "amenities" on Satellite's site | $30, per a guide written before opening | Lot access starts two hours before doors |
The garage rates come from Metropolis's listing for the Crosstown Concourse Garage. Crosstown's own rate chart is posted as an image, so check it on site. The $30 Premier figure comes from a Memphis Travel guide published before Satellite opened, so check the price when you buy tickets.
Here's a rough example using the drive-up tiers as listed. Park at 6:30 p.m. for a show with doors around 7, leave at 11:30 p.m., and you're at five hours, or $15. With a validated dinner, the same evening costs nothing to park. If you'd planned to eat out anyway, eating at the Concourse covers the parking.
Which Concourse kitchen is open on your show night
The trouble is that the Concourse's dinner options keep different hours, and Satellite books shows every night of the week. These are the evening hours on the Concourse food-and-drink listing, last updated in May 2026, so confirm before you go.
- Art Bar: 5 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
- Bao Toan Kitchen and Bar: dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday
- Briza: until 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- Crosstown Brewing Co.: until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, until 8 p.m. Sunday
- Farm Burger: until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday
- Global Café: until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday
Now line those up against Satellite's fall calendar on Live Nation's venue page.
Monday, Oct. 12, Modest Mouse. Global Café is closed on Mondays. Bao Toan, Farm Burger, Crosstown Brewing, Briza, and Art Bar are all on the list for Monday evenings.
Sunday, Oct. 18, Mastodon. This is the hardest night on the calendar for a pre-show meal. Bao Toan and Farm Burger are closed Sundays, and Global Café closes at 3 p.m. That leaves Crosstown Brewing until 8 p.m. and Art Bar from 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, Iron & Wine. Every kitchen on the list has Tuesday evening hours, so you can take your pick.
Saturday, Nov. 7, Fetty Wap: Nostalgia Tour. Saturday gives you the longest hours of the week. Briza runs until 9:30 p.m., and Art Bar stays open until 1 a.m. if you want something after the show.
The daytime spots are on the same list: French Truck Coffee, Lucy J's Bakery, The Juice Joint, The Mad Grocer & Deli, The Scoop, MEMPopS, and Pop-A-Roos. Their listed hours mostly end in the daytime or early evening, so they're better for a matinee or an early arrival.
Testing "almost every night" against the calendar
Richardson's claim depends on more than one stage, and the October and November calendars mostly bear it out. Satellite's October listings include The Renaissance Orchestra on Oct. 9, Motionless In White on Oct. 10, Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen on Oct. 13, and KevOnStage's one-man show "Grief Sucks" on Oct. 16. They also include Trap Karaoke on Oct. 17, We Came As Romans on Oct. 23, The Emo Night Tour on Oct. 24, the Gasolina Reggaetón Party on Oct. 30, and Love in the Club on Halloween. November has Prof on Nov. 4, Bowling for Soup on Nov. 9, King's X on Nov. 10, Medium Build on Nov. 12, Hunxho on Nov. 15, and Josh Meloy on Nov. 20.
This Friday and Saturday show what Richardson meant:
- Friday, Oct. 9: The Renaissance Orchestra at Satellite, Caroline Davis: Solo at the Crosstown Arts Green Room, and Headcannon, The Narrows, and Joybomb plus Ronaldo Mercado & friends at the Hi Tone.
- Saturday, Oct. 10: Motionless In White at Satellite, Folk All Y'all with Roberta Lea at the Green Room, and Cowboy Fly Presents at the Hi Tone.
Nov. 7 has two shows as well. Victory Boyd, with opener Doll McCoy, plays the Green Room the same night Fetty Wap is at Satellite. The Green Room also has John Németh on Oct. 8 and Deb Swiney on Oct. 16, and the Hi Tone has The Surfrajettes and Turnstyles on Nov. 17. Crosstown Theater is showing films this season, not concerts, including "Cure" on Oct. 13 and "The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975" on Nov. 12.
Parking ties all of this together. On a night with three stages running, everyone driving in is competing for the same paid hours. And a validation code from Art Bar or Crosstown Brewing works the same whether you're headed to Satellite or the Green Room.
A few details from Satellite's own pages
Satellite's visitor FAQ allows bags up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches and doesn't allow backpacks or drawstring bags. Bags are searched, and bags that aren't clear get an extra search. The box office opens two hours before doors on show days. If you're taking a rideshare, the venue's accessibility page says drop-off at the front of the building is the easiest and quickest way in. Memphis Travel also suggests setting up your Metropolis account at app.metropolis.io before you arrive so you don't hold things up at the gate. Questions about the garage go to [email protected].
Mayor Paul Young said at the opening that Satellite will bring "new energy and investment into the heart of our city." No outlet has reported yet on actual show-night traffic or parking around Crosstown, so this first fall season is the first real test.
When I talk with people about a part of town, I want to know how it works on a Tuesday night, and this is the kind of detail I mean. If you're thinking about how close you'd like to be to Crosstown, Midtown, or anywhere else in the Memphis area, Christopher Farm will give you a straight answer and get back to you quickly. Let's Connect.
