The Irvine City Council voted Feb. 21 to continue forward with a 14,000-seat amphitheater for its Great Park rather than a scaled-down version.
The decision was finalized in a 3–2 vote in a special meeting after the city briefly considered an 8,000 city-controlled seat venue, when its partner, concert promoter Live Nation, requested it provide an additional $20 million outlay for the project.
The city last September approved a $130 million agreement with 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 the possibility of smaller venue came into play earlier this month after Irvine City Manager Oliver Chi indicated Live Nation wanted to reconfigure the deal in a variety of ways and requested the additional funding. In response, city staff presented the idea of the scaled-down version, according to Chi, which was estimated at a cost between $80 million and $90 million.
Councilmembers Larry Agran and Kathleen Treseder cast the dissenting votes.
The meeting on the issue lasted for over five hours including about 100 public commenters.
One Irvine Resident provided an analysis of public comment from two previous meetings on the issue, which he said indicated those that have spoken don’t want an ampitheater at all, and if push came to shove, only a smaller one at that.
“Please listen to Irvine residents,” he said.
But others speaking at the meeting—many of whom identified themselves as music lovers, union workers, and employed in the hospitality industry—said they are thrilled at the idea and support a larger venue.
“We strongly believe that a larger theater provides the kind of jobs that are a viable opportunity for people,” Unite Here Local 11 union member Austin Lynch said during the meeting.
Johnny “Vatos” Hernandez, a drummer from the popular rock band Oingo Boingo also voiced support for a larger amphitheater.
“There’s nothing more exciting than fans having an incredible time while listening to … music,” he said. “A larger venue gives an opportunity for more fans to experience concerts.”
The vote means the city will continue in its negotiations with Live Nation.
Previously, Chi, the city manager, told the council the concert promoter was looking to have later operating hours, booking more events at the amphitheater than initially agreed upon and not consenting to a noise level limitation, since doing so would limit some acts.
But during the meeting this week, representatives for the company said everything is still preliminary, after Councilwoman Kathleen Treseder questioned the changes.
“That was just a first draft that we had seen as a jumping-off point for negotiations,” Live Nation legal representative Jon Bauman said.
He said the framework documents, like the council approved, are also usually agreed upon before “design [and] construction issues have [been] dealt with.”
But, he said, Live Nation would be willing to take on any unexpected costs.
“We’re agreeing to take on certain additional costs that initially we thought … [were] more appropriate for the city. So both sides are working towards getting somewhere they can both live with,” he said.
