Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
 | |
| Former names | Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre (1981-2001) |
|---|---|
| Address | 8808 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, California, United States |
| Location | Irvine, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°39′41.3″N 117°45′5.6″W / 33.661472°N 117.751556°W |
| Type | Amphitheatre |
| Seating type | Reserved seating, lawn seating |
| Capacity | 16,085 |
| Opened | August 21, 1981 |
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (formerly Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre) is an amphitheater, located in Irvine, California. Built as Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in the 1980s and opened in 1981,[1] the name was changed to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in 2001. Since 1987, it has been the summer home of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.[2] It is home to the annual KROQ Weenie Roast, except in 2000.
The amphitheatre is currently Orange County's largest amphitheater. Until the opening of the Irvine Spectrum entertainment center and the nearby Quail Hill development, the amphitheater was located closer to neighborhoods and shopping centers in nearby Lake Forest and Laguna Hills than it was to neighborhoods and retail activity in the city of Irvine. The amphitheater is located at 8808 Irvine Center Drive, just to the southwest of the El Toro Y, where I-5 meets I-405. The land the amphitheater occupies is owned by the Irvine Company.
The amphitheatre has played host to music festivals, including The Uproar Festival, The Area2 Festival, The Gigantour, Projekt Revolution, Lollapalooza and Lilith Fair. A benefit concert for then-recently deceased Social Distortion guitarist Dennis Danell, dubbed "When the Angels Sing", took place here on May 6, 2000.[3] On the bill were The Offspring, Pennywise, X, T.S.O.L. and Social Distortion.[4][5] The benefit concert also marked Social Distortion's first show with Danell's permanent replacement Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham. Ozzy Osbourne recorded a performance at the venue on June 12, 1982, for home video release, though it has been available only in Japan to this point. It is scheduled for US release on DVD on July 17, 2012 from Eagle Rock Entertainment.[6]
Pop superstar Michael Jackson performed three concerts at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on November 7, 8 and 9, 1988 during his Bad Tour.[7]
SFX Entertainment (now Live Nation) bought the Amphitheatre in 1998. It is scheduled to close in 2017 when Live Nation's lease expires.
See also
References
- ^ Boehm, Mike (August 22, 1991). "Oh, What a Difference an Amphitheater Makes". The Los Angeles Times.
{{cite news}}: External link in|title= - ^ Chute, James (February 28, 1988). "Finale for a conductor; Pacific Symphony's ambition finally outgrew Keith Clark". The Orange County Register.
- ^ http://www.sxdx.com/news.html
- ^ http://www.offspring.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Offspring.woa/wa/tourArchive?year=2000
- ^ http://www.sxdx.com/TOURS/2000.html
- ^ Ozzy Osbourne’s 1982 ‘Speak of the Devil’ Concert Film Headed to DVD http://ultimateclassicrock.com/ozzy-osbourne-speak-of-the-devil-dvd/
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Tour