Earlier this year, an investment group headed by Hayes Permar purchased the assets of the Rialto Theatre with plans to revamp the space and add live music back to its lineup, like it once offered decades ago. And we have good news, live performances are coming back this fall at the Five Points theater.

The changing of hands came after longtime owner Bill Peebles announced his retirement from the historic theater in 2022. Hayes was a perfect fit for the transfer as he grew up in the City of Oaks watching films on the Rialto’s big screen.

“We’d love to find the 2023 version of Tori Amos, Fishbone, or whoever it is,” Hayes told RALtoday earlier this year on his plans to add live entertainment. “And there’s a lot of staple local bands who played here in the '90s, who still sell out shows, that we’d love to have come perform as well.”

The theater made its soft return in July to host Women's World Cup watch parties. Now the Raleigh staple has released a concert series lineup starting with country singer Will Hoge on Nov. 3.

This will be the first time live music will echo through the historic theater since the early 2000s.

The performance list includes multiple genres like bluegrass, R&B, and a classical holiday show with the Durham Symphony on Dec. 15.

Stay tuned for ticket information on the Rialto website and on its new Instagram page.