Brookhaven Shed Reprieve

A longtime concert venue in Farmingville, N.Y., was facing an uncertain future because of an ongoing shortfall but city officials worked out a deal to keep the music flowing this summer.

The 7,000-capacity Brookhaven Amphitheatre has operated millions of dollars in the hole for several years because of declining ticket sales and escalating costs to run the venue and book acts, which prompted Brookhaven Town officials to consider closing it for good.

However, officials approved Feb. 26 an agreement with promoter Jim Faith, who has managed the shed since 2003, so that the 30-year-old amphitheatre will host three major concerts as well as be rented out for other events, according to the Times Beacon Record.

Faith told council members he’s spent several years working to re-establish the venue’s reputation because of bad management that preceded his arrival and he’s already secured commitments for several events.

He also said improvements to the site include new dressing rooms, box office and implementing Ticketmaster for sales.

Brookhaven Amphitheatre has hosted a variety of acts in the last two years including Blondie, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Dave Brubeck, Kenny Rankin, The Smithereens, Keller Williams and Jean-Luc Ponty, to name a few.

The shed went through a bad period in the 1990s when city officials hired a promoter named Eddie Fall, who reportedly booked several high-profile concerts that never happened along with bounced checks and missed payments, according to Newsday.

Fall pleaded guilty to petty larceny in 1993 and was sentenced to three years’ probation.