Hundreds of music fans dressed in red "Save Live Music Irvine" t-shirts waited for the council's decision regarding the future of outdoor music in the city.

By Irvine City New staff

The Irvine City Council tonight unanimously approved a plan to build an interim amphitheater next to the Orange County Great Park. The new outdoor music venue is expected to be ready in time for the summer concert season.
 
Music fans wearing red “Save Live Music Irvine” t-shirts made a strong statement to the council that they wanted the amphitheater to be approved. Speakers in support of the plan took their turns at the podium to urge the council to approve the temporary venue, but also to move ahead with plans to approve and build a permanent outdoor music venue near the Cultural Terrace.  

Councilmember Lynn Schott raised concerns about the completion of roadways in the area in time for the amphitheater opening and Councilmember Jeff Lalloway proposed conditions to be attached to the approval. Schott conceded and Lalloway then withdrew his proposed conditions. 

Ultimately the council unanimously approved the plan. The 5-0 vote in favor of the interim amphitheater brought cheers and applause from the overflowing crowd.
 
“This is a win for all live music lovers and especially the nearly 35,000 fans who offered their voices to the Save Live Music Irvine initiative,” said Emile Haddad, chairman and CEO, FivePoint in a statement. “The cornerstone of how we build communities is connectivity. We believe what makes communities great is diversity and inclusivity. I don’t believe there is a better place to find that than a live music venue and that’s why this decision is important. We’re excited because when you add music to sports, education, jobs and housing you enhance the experience for everyone and that’s how a community is built.
 
“I only hope that soon we will be celebrating the approval of the permanent amphitheater at the Great Park  to insure live music in Irvine continues for many generations to come,” Haddad added.
 
The newly approved venue replaces the now-closed Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, a site that brought music fans together each summer for the past 35 years to hear music legends of rock, country, jazz and more.

FivePoint and Live Nation had proposed building and operating the interim outdoor venue on 45 acres of property at the end of the runways next to the Great Park. The collaborative effort is a three-year commitment.
 
Live Nation says it hopes to bring its first concert to the new location by late summer.
 

By Irvine City News staff

The people of Irvine and surrounding cities have made it clear that they want to see a venue for outdoor music to replace the now-closed Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. Now the decision is in the hands of the Irvine City Council. It will decide at its next council meeting on March 14 whether or not to approve construction of a proposed interim amphitheater. If approved, the new venue could be open in time for the 2017 summer concert season.
 
The proposed interim amphitheater would be built on 45 acres of land in the Great Park, on the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro military base. The 12,000-seat amphitheater is a collaborative effort between developer FivePoint and Live Nation. It will be located roughly two miles from the former Irvine Meadows, at the end of the runways and close to the Irvine Train Station.
 
The Save Live Music Irvine campaign, a grassroots effort to keep the music playing, has attracted some 35,000 outdoor music enthusiasts. As Irvine Meadows’ final season came to a close, the movement gained traction and it continues to grow online at savelivemusicirvine.com. Hundreds of supporters are expected to attend the March 14 council session to celebrate the approval of the proposed interim amphitheater and the return of outdoor music to Irvine.
 
City officials, including Irvine Mayor Don Wagner, have called for its approval and business and community leaders have also voiced their wishes to see the project move forward.

By Irvine City News staff

​The Irvine community has made it clear it wants a new outdoor concert venue at the Great Park Cultural Terrace. Several hundred residents attended the city of Irvine’s special session last month, where they were able to share their wish lists with city officials. And now, a survey conducted by the educational nonprofit Irvine Cares, shows that an amphitheater and concert-venue lake top the list of wants.
 
The online survey of more than 1,000, conducted by Irvine Cares over a two week period in late February, found that a concert amphitheater with lake complex was a priority for survey respondents (74%), followed by an Olympic swimming facility to host USA Water Polo events (56%).  Other amenities ranked included a BMX skateboard park (31%), a water park (26%) and botanical gardens (23%).
 
Survey respondents indicated they wanted area developers to pay for the amenities (51%), with some saying they would support other financing strategies that would combine developer funding, property tax increases and sales tax increases (39%).
 
Irvine Mayor Don Wagner, during is Feb. 14 State of the City Address, committed to bringing to a close the 14-year planning process. To date, more than $250 million, including $7 million for public outreach, has been spent.
 
Retired State Senator Dick Ackerman, chair of Irvine Cares, said in a statement: “We hope the poll results assist the city council to quickly develop the plans and finally deliver the Cultural Terrace to Orange County’s residents. I believe this is an action-oriented city council that wants to deliver on the promise.”
 
The city council will consider the proposed interim temporary concert venue to be located near the Irvine train station at the March 14 city council meeting.
 
Survey respondents were asked to rank the following amenities in order of preference:
 
▪Concert venue to replace the closed Irvine Meadows Amphitheater
▪Lake and family picnic area near the concert venue
▪Children’s Museum
▪World class Olympic swimming facility to host USA Water Polo
▪Botanical gardens
▪Skateboard and BMX facility
▪Library
▪Golf course
▪Water Park
▪Other (unaided with option to name self-identified use)

​What is your opinion?