The size of a new amphitheater in Irvine’s Great Park is in flux, as the city council moved Feb. 14 to postpone a vote on the issue until the end of February.
The city last September approved a $130 million agreement with music and venue management company Live Nation for a 14,000-seat amphitheater, where the city would pay $110 million and Live Nation, $20 million. The new venue would replace the temporary FivePoint Amphitheater currently at the location.
But according to Irvine City Manager Oliver Chi, Live Nation is trying to reconfigure the deal in a variety of ways and costs have now increased by $20 million for the project, which, he said, “would shift significant increased costs and amphitheater design responsibilities to the city.”
In response, city staff created a new proposal for a smaller amphitheater which would seat up to 8,000 with a projected cost of $80 to $90 million.
After nearly 100 spoke on the issue during public comment, however, the council voted to postpone a vote on the issue until Feb. 28 at the request of councilmember Mike Carroll citing a scheduling conflict.
Some of the requested changes Live Nation is seeking, according to Chi, are daily operating hours as late as 11 p.m., booking more events at the amphitheater than initially agreed upon, and not consenting to a noise level limitation, since doing such would limit some acts.
An accounting of how the project had risen in costs was not disclosed.
Public comment on the issue, from Irvine and Orange County residents, concert fans, union representatives from the music and hospitality industries and construction workers went on for nearly three hours, with some for the larger-sized venue and others the scaled-down version.
Some commenters said they preferred the larger venue.
“Great Park deserves a great concert venue,” one man said. “Let’s get the most out of the Great Park and keep the jobs, in fact [the] dollars, local.”
But others supported the smaller option.
A member of the Great Park Residents Council Camair Ohadi said he was against the larger venue, citing traffic and noise concerns. He also earlier said in an opinion piece in the local blog Irvinewatchdog, he had concerns about the city being in business with Live Nation.
“Live Nation, which is mired in anti-trust, safety, and security investigations, does not align with Irvine’s reputation as one of the best suburbs to live, work and play in,” Ohadi wrote in the piece, which published Feb. 13.
Branda Lin, who ran unsuccessfully for Irvine mayor in 2022, also spoke in opposition to the partnership, citing an investigation the music company is undergoing for potential abuse of its power in the multibillion-dollar live music industry.
“Live Nation has been accused for several years of being anti-competitive, a monopoly, and they’re under investigation by the Department of Justice,” she said. “Is this a corporation that our city wants to partner up with?”
In a request for comment on such an investigation, Live Nation pointed to a lengthy statement on its website, including: “As we have stated many times in the past, Live Nation takes its responsibilities under the antitrust laws seriously and does not engage in behaviors that could justify antitrust litigation.”
The company additionally provided the Irvine City Council information on Feb. 14 that it said clarifies its current proposal.
“We’re confident the 14,000 capacity amphitheater could be built within the initial $130 million budget that was previously approved, while continuing to attract top tier talent that the community will enjoy for decades,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.
According to city staff, a sound consultant determined that a 14,000-seat amphitheater would produce volume and bass levels beyond what could be muted with buffer walls or barriers.
Additionally, they said, a smaller venue would reduce traffic by 40 to 60 percent, and require less parking.
During the meeting, the council also voted to postpone a request by Councilmember Kathleen Treseder to consider withdrawing from the Orange County Power Authority also to Feb. 28.
