S.J. Primps Civic Auditorium

San Jose, Calif., has passed a multimillion-dollar redevelopment project that includes $10 million in upgrades to the aging San Jose Civic Auditorium – which could increase activity in a 3,000-capacity venue that is roughly 50 miles down the San Francisco peninsula from The Fillmore and The Warfield.

The Civic Center is an open building with Live Nation, Another Planet and several smaller promoters bringing in the bulk of the concerts, but it is 75 years old.

"A report commissioned by the City in 2005 indicated that a restored Civic Auditorium would have appeal as a 3,000 seat, high quality, intimate concert venue that could nicely complement the HP Pavilion," Mayor Chuck Reed said in his Redevelopment Agency Capital Budget report.

The Civic Auditorium is expected to stay open as improvements are made through next year.

Venue spokesman Bill Fisher told Pollstar the cash injection will likely go to FOH improvements, rigging, lighting and unsexy items like internal wiring. Meanwhile, the building remains active, bringing in acts like The Doodlebops and Switchfoot and recently added S.F. microbrewer Gordon Biersch as a concessionaire.

San Jose may be near San Francisco in mileage, but – like many metropolitan areas – traffic and topography make it a separate market much like Orange County is to Los Angeles.

Still, a new-and-improved auditorium could make it a viable choice in an area that includes Live Nation’s Fillmore and The Warfield, which is expected to become an AEG venue in 2008.