NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Webster Hall, the iconic New York City concert space, officially re-opens on Friday, with a show featuring Jay-Z’s first performance in the East Village venue.
Webster Hall, which has operated as a venue in various capacities since 1886, has undergone several transformations throughout the past century. The most recent such transformation came in 2017 after AEG’s regional partner Bowery Presents and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment’s BSE Global acquired the rights to the venue.
Webster Hall went dark in August 2017 for a major refurb with structural upgrades that include a new entry on E. 11th Street, and new lounge in the place of what used to be the Marlin Room, as well as new elevators, bathrooms and dressing rooms.
In the Grand Ballroom, the original stage remains, while the room’s acoustics were upgraded to provide a better concert experience as well as a brand new state-of-the-art lighting rig and sound system.
The refurbed Webster also includes new features such as central air conditioning, expanded restrooms, additional stairwells for better crowd flow, and a new elevator system for people with disabilities and to provide for faster load-in and load-outs for shows.
Backstage, the upgrades at the Webster include a new “artist compound” with upgraded amenities and direct access to the Ballroom stage, as well as upgrades dressing room and artist hospitality areas.
The venue’s basement level, formerly known as The Studio at Webster Hall, will also return, with more details to be announced at a later date.
“In renovating one of New York’s most historic and iconic venues, our goals were simple and straightforward; maintain the integrity of the space, modernize it to create an incredible concert experience for fans and performers, and book a dynamic mix of artists in music today,” said Jay Marciano, Chairman and CEO, AEG Presents. “Today’s announcement of JAY-Z to open Webster Hall, along with an eclectic line-up of artists throughout its opening month, achieves all of those goals positioning the venue to continue its success for decades to come.”
Additional musical acts confirmed to perform at the re-opened Webster Hall’s debut weekend include Dillon Francis, and Rosalia, which are already sold out.
Other upcoming shows include Patti Smith and Her Band, MGMT, Empire of the Sun, Sigrid, TroyBoi, Old Dominion, Sharon Van Etten, Broken Social Scene, Real Estate, Chromeo, Big Thief and more, which, at press time, are also largely standing room only.
Club nights are scheduled to return to the Webster in September, BSE Global said.
