Live Nation Acquires Santa Ana Observatory, San Diego North Park Venues

Courtesy Live Nation – Observatory
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After announcing in December it would exclusively book The Observatory in Santa Ana and Observatory North Park in San Diego, Live Nation announced it will acquire both Southern California venues through its rapidly expanding Clubs & Theatres division.

“We are proud to bring both of these popular music halls into our family of great venues throughout Southern California and the country,” said Ron Bension, president of Live Nation Clubs & Theaters. “Both observatories have a strong fan base in their respective markets and offer great musical experiences. We’re looking forward to continuing that tradition.”

Last year, the 1,000-capacity Santa Ana Observatory produced a combined 540 shows in its two rooms (including the 200-capacity Constellation room), while the 1,100-capacity San Diego North Park staged 200 performances. The Observatory North Park also features the West Coast Tavern restaurant.

“We’re pleased with Live Nation’s plans for these two amazing venues,” said Courtney Dubar, Observatory managing partner. “Great buildings with great fan bases in two extraordinary musical markets. They’re in good hands.”

Formerly known as the Galaxy, new ownership took over the rundown Santa Ana venue in 2011 and rechristened it the Observatory, overhauling everything from the interior’s aesthetic to the sound and lighting rigs. A second, 300-capacity venue, the Constellation Room, was also added within the Observatory. The 1,000-capacity Observatory has become a favorite stop for rising hip-hop acts, with Joey Bada$$ and Juice WRLD selling out the venue with grosses of $25,000 and $40,000 in May and July, respectively.

The Orange County Observatory has long been known as an indie-music staple, with programming from the likes of Burger Records based in Fullerton, Calif.  Burger Records co-founder Sean Bohrman told Pollstar the label had stopped working with the venue in recent years but is now in talks with Live Nation.

In 2015, the Observatory team acquired North Park Theatre, built in 1929, revamped the venue and renamed it Observatory North Park. The establishment, which usually holds 1,100 but can be scaled down to a 550-capacity seated configuration, has been successful: In September, Greta Van Fleet grossed $43,450 with a sellout, while Queens of the Stone Age raked in $121,000 across two sold-out nights in March.

Live Nation also recently  announced an exclusive booking deal with the Majestic Ventura Theater in Ventura, California. Together with the Observatory agreements, Live Nation’s Clubs & Theatres division greatly increased its presence in Southern California in a matter of days — which is part of a larger strategy.

“To give you some perspective, in the last year alone, we’ve added 10 venues, which is just an incredible number,” Bension previously told Pollstar. “I think we’ve kind of reinvented the service aspect of this business. We really have focused our energies on not only building the best-in-class venues but providing the best-in-class fan and band service.”