George’s Majestic Lounge has a history of hosting far-toobig-for-the-room acts at the quaint club space on Fayetteville’s Dickson Street.

Yonder Mountain String Band, for instance, a band that usually draws thousands of fans per show and headlines two festivals a year, will play the club, capacity 700 or so, on March 3.

But George’s stage was so small it could barely accommodate such acts, many of which tour with huge light displays and other effects.

“They have to leave half their toys on the bus,” says Brian Crowne, who has coowned and managed the club since 2004.

Not anymore, however.

Realizing a dream he first had about four years ago, Crowne and his partners recently completed an expansion and systems upgrade at the club, which is more than 80 years old. It’s the first such improvement in many years.

Plans for the expansion were postponed about two years ago when paid parking debuted in downtown Fayetteville, Crowne says. He wanted to see how the business responded to the change. George’s weathered the transition, and it further proved what’s been the case at the club for several years: While live music performances by locals are frequent and often well attended, it’s the national touring acts that pay the bills.

Bands got a lot more room to play around after the main construction project concluded on Dec. 28, just in time for a happy hour show by The Cate Brothers Band. Not only is the stage itself taller,allowing for better sightlines from the audience, but it’s also wider and deeper. And, importantly, it features more room between the stage and the venue’s ceiling, giving artists space for backdrops, light towers or other accouterments. Behind the scenes, an updated electrical system now supports plugand-play style connectors, speeding up the time it takes artists to install their equipment.

Additionally, the facility now has a dressing/green room and a private shower, replacing a detached trailer parked behind the venue for many years.

“These are all the littlethings that make a little venue more attractive to a bigger artist,” Crowne says.

Several acts have already been announced for the winter season at the club, including Yonder Mountain String Band, Big Gigantic, G Love and Special Sauce and reggae rockers Slightly Stoopid.

Crowne says he believes George’s will be the smallestvenue the latter band plays on its entire tour.

The size of the floor area and seating/standing configuration did not change, meaning the venue’s crowd capacity did not change. But the audience’s experience has been altered as well. Crowne points to the improved sightlines and a new central and heating and coolingsystem, which came as part of the expansion project but was completed much earlier than the stage itself.

Crowne doesn’t expect patrons to rush into the club to see the stage. Rather, he hopes fans who do visit will find an improved experience. That might mean that instead of coming once a year, they come four or five times. Between happy patrons and happy bands, Crowne hopes that translates to a bigger, better George’s.

“That expansion is an investment in a bunch of blue sky you hope pays off.

… George’s has earned a reputation in the industry. This should only help,” he says.

Whats Up, Pages 14 on 01/11/2013