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Verizon’s End On The Horizon

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, Calif., – which opened in 1981 as Irvine Meadows – faces the wrecking ball with the end of its current lease but may have a second, if smaller, life in a new location.

The city of Irvine is looking to build a 10,000-capacity shed at Orange County’s Great Park to replace the 15,000-cap Verizon Wireless venue, which will give way to homes when its land lease ends in 2017.

 
“We are developing a request for proposals (to select a private-sector partner) for an amphitheatre that we expect to bring to the board for approval,” park spokesman Marcus Ginnaty told the Orange County Register.
 
The venue lease was purchased by Live Nation in 1998 from The Irvine Co.
 
Irvine Co. spokesman Mike Lyter confirmed to the Register that the lease on Verizon will not be renewed, adding the developer plans to build apartments in its place.The amphitheatre was always intended as a temporary use, Lyster told the paper. It was originally subleased from Lion Country Safari, a drive-through wild animal park that closed in 1984.
 
In downsizing the proposed venue to 8,000 fixed seats and a 2,000 capacity on the lawn, city officials cited studies showing a 10,000-capacity amphitheatre is more realistic in a time of shrinking fan bases for newer artists.
 
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