The Salt Shed is elevating the concert-going experience, thanks to a groundbreaking collaboration with Chicago cannabis company Green Thumb Industries.
On Friday, the partners will launch RISE at Salt Shed, an onsite shop selling hemp-derived THC Delta 9 products, including incredibles gummies and chocolates, Beboe gummies, and Señorita THC Margaritas, as well as some merchandise.
The retail store is reportedly the first of its kind in the country to operate within a music venue. Doors open, naturally, at 4:20 p.m., ahead of the sold-out Disco Lines show at 8 p.m.
Representatives from the companies said they were motivated to open the store due to consumer trends: They’ve noticed more people consuming cannabis, especially compared to alcohol, and there is a long tradition of music-lovers using the substance to enhance their experience at concerts.
“We’re super excited about being at the forefront of a very experiential marketing move between these two worlds of cannabis and music,” said Armon Vakili, vice president of partnerships at Green Thumb Industries, “and we see ourselves as a group that’s pioneered that before. So, this is just another step in that direction. We’re very excited to continue to push the envelope.”
Green Thumb Industries has partnered with music companies and artists on several initiatives, from sponsoring tours and shows to displaying branding in venues or on tour buses. The company has previously worked with the Salt Shed parent company, 16 on Center, on smaller marketing projects. And the Salt Shed recently added Señorita THC Margaritas to its bar menus.
“They’re very innovative in the music space,” said Natalie Labriola, director of business development and sponsorships at 16 On Center. “It was just a really good brand fit. I’m really excited. I’m hopeful that people come in and feel like it’s an additive experience to their concert attendance.”
While Green Thumb Industries has many RISE dispensaries in Illinois and other cities, Vakili stressed that the Salt Shed iteration is a retail hemp THC shop. The business sells hemp-derived THC products instead of cannabis-derived products, and thus regulated differently than a standard dispensary.
At Salt Shed, RISE fits in with other onsite stores, including vintage, guitar and vinyl shops. Labriola said those businesses are popular with the venue’s audience: 86% are 25 or older, 50% are married, and 65% are parents. In other words, they are discerning shoppers whom she expects to be just as savvy about cannabis.
“They’re going in and choosing products based off the brand, similar to how you would walk through a wine aisle,” she said.
Studies show that preference for marijuana over alcohol is increasing. In 2022, about 17.7 million people reported using marijuana daily or near-daily, while 14.7 million people reported drinking daily or near-daily, according to a 2024 report.
And though marijuana users may want to enjoy their products during concerts, Salt Shed will limit what they can bring inside from RISE to small amounts for personal consumption, Labriola said.
Customers will be encouraged to buy and pick up later, she added.
Vakili said Green Thumb Industries hopes to replicate RISE at Salt Shed in other venues in the future.
“Cannabis users are attending events, festivals and concerts all the time,” he said. “It’s not sold over the counter yet, but it’s still in there and it’s being utilized and it’s helping enhance people’s experience of live events. So, for us, it’s just a continued push to normalize those two things and bring those barriers down.”