Jam Shed Loses Lawn

The Prairie Creek Amphitheatre near Chicago is expected to break ground soon, with an opening concert planned for Memorial Day weekend 2007, Jam Productions‘ Jerry Mickelson announced October 9th.

The shed will be located near the Northwest Tollway in Hoffman Estates, less than a mile from the site of the former Poplar Creek Music Theater which closed in 1994.

Prairie Creek will have one very striking difference from Poplar Creek – no lawn seats. Jam originally expected to have a small lawn area with a 2,000 capacity; the shed would be 10,000 capacity in toto. The capacity has dropped, with final plans showing a 70-foot steel canopy that will cover 8,900 seats, according to Chicago’s Daily Herald.

“We’re very excited … to build something that follows the legacy of Poplar Creek – one of the best amphitheatres ever built in this country,” Mickelson told the Hoffman Estates village board, according to the Herald. “This is something we think you’ll be very proud of once it’s developed in this community.”

The facility has an operations agreement with the adjacent Sears Centre, and the two venues are expected to work in tandem and share parking facilities.

Trustee Rodney Rusakiewicz said the renderings bring back “some very vivid memories of Poplar Creek.”

Mickelson and Jam co-CEO Arny Granat were unavailable for comment at press time.