Jam Affiliate Buys Riviera

A Jam Productions affiliate purchased Chicago’s Riviera Theatre for $3 million in March, property records show.

Crain’s reported July 26th that the purchase was made by Riviera Entertainment Properties LLC, which is managed by Jam chiefs Jerry Mickelson and Arny Granat. The company’s address is the same as Jam’s.

Jam has regularly promoted shows and had lease agreements at the Riviera for a number of years. The company also owns the city’s Park West and Vic Theatre.

Live Nation‘s recent purchase of House of Blues gave the concert giant a long-sought-after piece of the Chicago club market. The city’s 1,300-capacity HoB is the main competitor with Jam’s venues.

The 2,300-capacity Riviera hosted sold-out shows by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Motion City Soundtrack in April, but has not had much activity since then. The theatre has no shows booked until September, with Massive Attack, Sufjan Stevens, and Snow Patrol on the calendar.

The venue was previously owned by Riviera Theater II LLC, according to Crain’s. Pollstar‘s efforts to reach Mickelson and Granat were unsuccessful.