IRVINE, CA (CelebrityAccess) — Live Nation is partnering with real estate developer FivePoint to propose a new, 12,000-seat outdoor music amphitheater adjacent to the Orange County Great Park with the objective of opening in time for the 2017 summer season.
Pending approval from the City of Irvine, the amphitheater would serve as an interim replacement for the 16,000-capacity Irvine Meadows, which is slated to close after its season ends in October.
"Since the early 1980s, music lovers in Orange County and beyond have made Irvine their summer home, coming to see some of the greatest musical talents of all time," said Emile Haddad, chairman and CEO, FivePoint, "We're determined to keep this tradition alive by working with Live Nation to develop the next-generation, outdoor music venue in Irvine. Music plays a major role in building community. It brings people together and breaks down barriers. Live, outdoor music is part of Orange County's heritage and it is essential to its future."
The interim amphitheater is planned to be similar to the America's Cup Pavilion in San Francisco, an outdoor facility Live Nation built in summer 2013 near the waterfront for concerts during the international sailing competition. The proposed Irvine facility will be located on the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro base.
The actual venue will be at the end of the southern runways at the former base and walking distance from the Irvine Transportation Center, a major mass transit hub for Metrolink passengers.
"Our longterm goal is to build another [permanent] amphitheater in the area,"Bret Gallagher, Live Nation’s president of North American concerts for Southern California told L.A. Weekly. "We have been having conversations with the City of Irvine for several years, but this is the first time we're getting real positive traction from fans, from the city [and] from FivePoint to really make our dream reality come true, so to speak." – Staff Writers