For those Irvine and OC Resident who still remember the great live music shows at Irvine Meadows hoping for a new option at the Great Park, Great Park Live just isn’t doing it. The venue, which opened last year, is on a course to cost Irvine Taxpayers millions of dollars through 2027. The question becomes, would you rather have a venue that delivers some profit to the city or one that loses money for the city?
With a special election next week and three new members of the city council, it just might be time to bring LiveNation back into the picture by negotiating a much better deal than the 2022 agreement because when it comes to booking great talent, no company is better than LiveNation.
The 2024 lineup at GreatParkLive was 32 shows; five quality Pacific Symphony Concerts (where the symphony performed rent-free) and 27 second and third tier acts that were mostly cover bands. Good thing Johnny Mathis just announced he’s no longer touring. More than half of the 45,000 tickets offered for performances were comp’d to put butts in seats. I’ve started to refer to the site as GreatParkDead.
Consider the capital costs of GreatParkLive was about $9.6 million and the operational loss for 2024 was $5.1 million last year. Projected operational losses through 2027 total $13.8 million (estimated). And while the LiveNation deal originally approved by the city wasn’t fair, access to talent, artists and bands would almost certainly sell out shows and offer profits instead of losses.
Regardless of which candidate wins the District 5 seat, the new city council should start new negotiations with LiveNation on a more equitable agreement for the city. The documents from a PRA are attached at the bottom of this post and there’s a recap on Live Music venues in Irvine below that dates back to 1981.
ISSUE RECAP
- Irvine Meadows operated from 1981 – 2016. Live Nation assumed the Irvine Company lease from SFX in around 2010 and operated the venue through is closure.
- Five Point Communities partnered with Live Nation to develop a temporary bridge venue with the goal of Irvine developing a permanent venue. It opened in 2017, closed Oct. 21, 2023 (venue dark in 2020, reduced shows 2021 due to COVID) due to Five Point needed the property to develop.
- Permanent Irvine Amp – 9/28/2022 Irvine enters into agreement with Live Nation to design and operate permanent venue. City builds (appx. $130mm). Yes votes: Khan, Carroll, Kuo, Kim. No: Agran
- https://www.ocregister.com/2022/09/28/irvine-council-live-nation-ink-deal-for-permanent-concert-venue-at-great-park/
- July 2023 – City kills Live Nation market rate deal (LN offered $30mm + $3.5mm rent for 30 years) on 3-2 vote. Kim, Agran, Treseder to kill. Khan and Carroll voted to keep Live Nation. Sources tell TheLiberalOC that former council member Tammy Kim had been secretly negotiating with ASM Global – Live Nation competitor – and her biggest request were more K-Pop shows.
- https://voiceofoc.org/2023/07/irvine-kills-negotiations-with-live-nation-wants-amphitheater-to-generate-city-revenue/
- February 27, 2024 – City council votes (5-0) to temporary concert, branded “Great Park Live” venue (5,000 seat) as bridge to permanent facility slated to open in 2027.
- https://www.cityofirvine.org/news-media/news-article/city-irvine-preserves-live-music-great-park
- Great Park Live opens for 2024 season. All cover bands + 5 Pacific Symphony shows. FYI … Pacific Symphony pays no rent under the deal.
Why are you shilling for Live Nation? Do you work for the evil Patrick Strader now? A MAGA mongrel cultist? Strader stands to pick up a major finder’s fee if he can get Live Nation this gig.
LiveNation is the industry’s number one entertainment venue leader; their client list is tier 1. The initial deal with the city was not fair at all which is why the city turned it down. GreatParkLive is more fully in the city’s control but the acts booked, with the exception fo the Pacific Symphony, are just not up to snuff and its costing us millions. Time to get back to the table with LiveNation and negotiate a better deal for Irvine taxpayers and better music option for the public.
A MAGA Mongrel cultist? What could that even mean?
I have no idea. I’d like a profitable live music venue that brings in tier 1 talent.
You are spot on Hector
Irvine is a Potemkin city populated by people that felt a need to escape from the unwashed masses. Planned and engineered down to the plants in the street median by pointy head urban planners who promised a refuge from the peasantry and a safe environment for your children to grow up, free from the troublesome influence of “Those People… the ones we don’t like..” It is sterile and cold with an aesthetic appeal enforced by governing bodies of people who tell you what color to paint your house and where to park your car. A city where you are an unpaid employee forced to meticulously sort your garbage down to the last banana peel in order to save the world . A city that violently opposes having to host any county wide infrastructure other than the minimum security jail shoved out in the boondocks and strawberry fields. A city that couldn’t even demonstrate respect for US Military Veterans and their families by allowing a dignified location for a Veterans Cemetery. A city filled with soccer moms and soccer dads who would never dream of letting their sons play full contact football. A city filled with people that have a chip on their shoulder because they don’t live near the Ocean.. with all the riff raff. A city of people that whine about an entertainment venue. A city where you can’t find a gas station or retail outlet because they are all hidden out of site. A city where a “Great Park” becomes a decades long exercise in political corruption and incompetence. Fvck Irvine.
How in the world do you write this article without mentioning Live Nation former lobbyist, Patrick Strader? And your summary of the 2023 Live Nation proposed exclusivity deal with Irvine leaves out just how terrible that deal would have been for Irvine. It was insultingly bad. Doug Elliott at Watchdog highlighted how bad that deal was. Live Nation will not negotiate with little ole Irvine in good faith because they are a ruthless right winger corporatist monopoly. I’m now almost convinced Strader wrote the bulk of this article and he is paying you to run this PR propaganda piece for him.
The article is about GreatParkLive. I’m suggesting the city re-enter negotiations with LiveNation with more favorable terms. LiveNation has more consultants than Mr. Strader.
Sorry, Strader has nothing to do with this story. Have not spoken with him about it
I don’t consider it a worthwhile use of my time
I could give 2 shits about anything that happens in the Potemkin City. I was simply pointing out the absurdity of the characterization of a company as a “ruthless right winger corporatist monopoly” As is Left wing corporations are not as ruthless and monopolistic.
I guess you need to replace Live Nation with a kind , left wing , socialist org that cares about the people, puppies and the environment . lol. Maybe some Grateful Dead tribute bands, phish, The indigo girls, Melissa Ethriidge, The LA Gay Men’s Chorus, shit like that right?
We live in America. It’s about money.
LiveNation already is a woke company; you ought to do your research here Bob.