Just as the clock struck midnight, Irvine councilmembers decided against making any changes, just yet, to a proposed amphitheater in Great Park.
Instead, after almost six hours of debate and public comment, the City Council decided in a split vote during a special meeting on Tuesday that bled into Wednesday, Feb. 22, to continue negotiations with Live Nation for the Great Park amphitheater. That means city staffers, councilmembers and Live Nation representatives can go back to the drawing board on the specific details of the proposed concert venue.
Tuesday’s special meeting was announced on Friday evening, yet about 100 people spoke out about the proposed concert venue in Great Park.
Crazy Tomes strummed his guitar to sing his support for a proposed 14,000-seat concert venue. Oingo Boingo drummer Johnny Hernandez joined food and beverage union workers, carpenters, stagehands and some Irvine residents in voicing their excitement about how the larger venue would rival Irvine Meadows, with some sharing memories of bygone times spent at the former outdoor arena that closed in 2016.
Social media has also been buzzing with support for a 14,000-seat venue with Live Nation. Raquel Figlo, a music publicist based in Irvine, shared videos of Tommy Lee from Motley Crue, Rick Allen from Def Leppard, David Ellefson, formerly of Megadeth and even Wing Lam, co-founder of Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, all voicing support for the larger theater.
However, other Great Park residents voiced their concerns about a large venue. Instead, they spoke out about the benefits of a smaller space and how it can help mitigate concerns about noise and traffic. One Great Park resident shared, during public comment, an analysis of public comment that showed Irvine residents overwhelmingly supported a proposed smaller, 8,000-seat amphitheater.
In September, the City Council approved an agreement with Live Nation for the design, construction and operation of a permanent outdoor 14,000-seat…
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