When is Pearl Jam coming back to L.A.?

PJammer4life

edibervan wrote:

Whats the name of that open air venue at the foot of the hill, right below the Griffith Observatory?
It looks like a magical place...

Greek Theatre..saw PJ play there back in 2000. I had just moved to LA and started working. I had friends going with me to the San Diego show a few days later..but thought I'd give it a shot since Pearl Jam were in my city. I drove up there, parked on some neighborhood side street, and walked a long way up to the venue.I lucked out and a really cool guy sold me a ticket at face, and I was able to see the show in the "Devil's Backyard". It was a hard rocking show..much different than the last time I had seen them in Montana in 1998. Awesome small venue...

edibervan

Thanks!
I´d love to see something there sometime...

Ernie Vedder

Well, hopefully they come back this year

ItIsAllAboutPJ

Ernie Vedder wrote:

Well, hopefully they come back this year

I want this.....

ForceofNature101

Ernie Vedder wrote:

kasedoug wrote:

I actually hope they never play there. I understand the notoriety and history of the venue, but the layout with boxes isn't really suited to rock shows. The 4 night run at Gibson was amazing. I also wouldn't mind multiple nights at the Forum again or even Staples Center now that they have a new sound system. Would rather have seating on the sides of an arena than ones that are beyond the box seats at HB.

Plus, Hollywood Bowl has their subscription and season ticket series which would complicate ticketing.

PJ212 wrote:

Someday they are going to play the Hollywood Bowl, right?

Anywhere but the Forum...

Really? The Forum has decent sound quality - a lot better than the Hollywood Bowl AND Staples

Staples is so big you get a lot of echo and it just becomes a wall of sound (in a bad way)
Hollywood Bowl has this weird "phasing" noise that occurs in a lot of sections in the back

I personally think that the Forum or Gibson are their best bet for sound quality

ItIsAllAboutPJ

I personally think that the Forum or Gibson are their best bet for sound quality

The Gibson had excellent sound quality and I think the size was good for multiple shows. First night we won lotto and had front row center , the second night we were in the back but the view & sound were still good.
The sound at The Forum for Sound Garden and Foo's was OK but the place is a dump.
That said, I would go anywhere to see them.

tdlftdaporch

Probably, after they go to Autrailia, Canada, the east coast again.

I hope that isn't true, but it seems if we're lucky the end of next year...iff

ItIsAllAboutPJ

tdlftdaporch wrote:

Probably, after they go to Autrailia, Canada, the east coast again.

I hope that isn't true, but it seems if we're lucky the end of next year...iff

I think you're right.

stickman81

they are playing in my backyard first...

ItIsAllAboutPJ

stickman81 wrote:

they are playing in my backyard first...

I'll be there... hook a girl up with an address.

norm

ForceofNature101 wrote:

Really? The Forum has decent sound quality - a lot better than the Hollywood Bowl AND Staples

Staples is so big you get a lot of echo and it just becomes a wall of sound (in a bad way)
Hollywood Bowl has this weird "phasing" noise that occurs in a lot of sections in the back

I personally think that the Forum or Gibson are their best bet for sound quality

this is all correct...why anyone would want to see anything at staples is beyond me...i've seen maybe 6 shows there and the sound just sucks...the place is a barn..there is no way you can ever get a good sound in that hole

the bowl is awesome as long as your in the garden boxes or closer other than that the sound is iffy

the forum is a legendary place to see a show...for an arena the sound is great...sure, it's worn and it's in inglewood but i love that place

i'm down for 4 more shows at the gibson...have 2 there, head down to san diego for a show and come back and do 2 more!

hopefully in the fall!!

Ernie Vedder

Forum sucks. I'll take the Gibson.

norm

awesome! don't think it will be ready for next year's tour but this looks promising

Forum owners plan to revive venue with $50-million renovation

In its glory days, the Forum was Southern California's preeminent entertainment venue, a behemoth with Roman columns where adoring fans came to see the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Wayne Gretzky and Bob Dylan.

But the famous round building fell on hard times. The Los Angeles Lakers and Kings moved downtown. Other venues in up-and-coming neighborhoods came along to nab the concert business. And, in the end, the Forum was bought by the Faithful Central Bible Church and all but forgotten.

Now, the owners of Madison Square Garden have come to the rescue with an ambitious plan to turn the faded Forum into a juggernaut. The East Coasters are looking to challenge the region's big arenas, including Staples Center and its owner, the politically connected AEG.

MSG, as the company is known, has paid $23.5 million for the Forum and will start work this year on a $50-million renovation. Details are to be released in the fall, but the makeover is intended to turn the Forum into a top-flight concert hall and will take at least a year, President Hank Ratner said.

"The addition of the Forum is a perfect complement to the Madison Square Garden arena — it now allows us to have world-class venues in both New York and Los Angeles, linking the top two entertainment markets in the country," he said.

A revitalized Forum would provide an economic lift to its Inglewood neighborhood. But it faces entrenched competition from the region's other entertainment hot spots amid a challenging climate in the concert business.

The owners of Staples Center said they don't fear a rivalry with the East Coast impresarios. They were quick to raise questions about the security of the neighborhood surrounding the Forum and dismissed it as a "class B" venue.

"We are very certain of our customer experience, their safety and the vibrancy of our campus," said Tim Leiweke, president of Los Angeles-based AEG. "We are going to vigorously protect our own town."

MSG brings a New York swagger to the task of reigniting the Forum. At Madison Square Garden, which MSG calls "The World's Most Famous Arena," the company is in the midst of a $1-billion upgrade, Ratner said.

The company earlier renovated New York's 83-year-old Beacon Theatre and famed Radio City Music Hall. It also owns the venerable Chicago Theatre and is the booker for the historic Wang Theatre in Boston.

"We will bring the same attention to detail to our renovation of the Forum, resulting in a world-class venue that will be the place for music in Los Angeles," said Ratner, whose company has worked since late 2010 to wrap up the Forum deal, delayed by the intricacies of aligning business and political interests.

Leaders of Faithful Central Bible Church had hoped to use the Forum for its services and to build a family entertainment center that would generate jobs, but the operation became a financial albatross. Senior pastor Kenneth C. Ulmer said MSG had assured the church about "having a positive impact on our community."

A Forum comeback would be a financial and psychological boost for Inglewood, which suffered when its pro sports teams moved out in 1999, Mayor James T. Butts said.

"When the Kings and Lakers departed for Staples, it was a crushing economic blow and a big blow to community pride," he said. The city lost annual income of $800,000 from property, ticket and other taxes, along with the money that Forum visitors spent with local merchants.

MSG has guaranteed Inglewood that it will receive a minimum of $675,000 in ticket, parking and concession taxes annually from the Forum, a number based on the sale of 300,000 tickets. If sales fall below that number, MSG must pay Inglewood the difference.

For its part, Inglewood will give MSG an $18-million commercial rehabilitation loan — with strings attached. If MSG doesn't spend the promised $50 million on Forum improvements, it won't get the $18 million.

News of the Forum's return has boosted long-shelved plans by another developer for a $2-billion real estate project that would replace the nearby Hollywood Park racetrack with a large planned community, Butts said.

Work on that project, called Hollywood Park Tomorrow, will begin early next year, he said. The community is to include 3,000 residential units, stores, theaters, restaurants, a hotel and a casino.

MSG's investment comes at a challenging time in the concert business, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the industry-tracking publication Pollstar.

"Anecdotally, it appears the overall volume of shows is down from last year," he said. "Everybody is trying to be a little more conservative."

One advantage Bongiovanni sees for the Forum against its downtown L.A. competitor is that Staples Center has many nights committed to professional basketball and hockey.

"Staples has so many sports tenants that it's very difficult to get in there and have a concert," he said.

AEG's Leiweke said Staples is booked for up to 250 events a year, most of them athletic contests. It hosts up to 40 concerts a year and promotes about half of them through its live entertainment division.

"If we go from doing 250 to 240 events a year we'll be just fine," he said.

Even after the planned Forum upgrades, Leiweke said, "it's not about competing with us, it's about competing with other B venues in town," such as the Hollywood Bowl, the Long Beach Arena and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

But the Forum has its charms, said Jim Guerinot, who manages musical acts including Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, the Offspring and Nine Inch Nails.

"The Forum was built at a time pre-luxury box, so it's positively cozy compared to most major arenas these days," Guerinot said. Its wide-open calendar will also make it attractive to those in the music business.

"You need to find a place that's available," he said, "and the Forum is a major arena in the No. 2 market in the country."

The Forum has history in its favor, said David Brooks, managing editor at industry trade publication Venues Today.

Many of the top performers from the 1960s to the 1990s played at the Forum, including the Rolling Stones, the Jackson Five, Madonna, Van Halen, the Foo Fighters and Coldplay.

"When some of today's artists were kids they would go see concerts at the Forum, the marquee venue in Los Angeles County," Brooks said. "It's an aspirational mood that they would want to come back. The Forum's got rock 'n' roll spirit."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-f ... full.story

ItIsAllAboutPJ

This gives me chills...

I just heard Max & Marcellus on ESPN radio talking about it but they didn't give any details.
Thank you so much for posting this article.

I've seen many show at The Forum thought out the years and it was a great place but when I saw
the Foo's I thought that would be the last time I would ever go again unless PJ played.
The place has gone to seed but it's a classic building and it deserves to be re-born. :clap:

Ernie Vedder

Looks nice but i still take the Gibson or Staples.

ItIsAllAboutPJ

Ernie Vedder wrote:

Looks nice but i still take the Gibson or Staples.

Gibson was great... I haven't been to Staples yet but will be seeing The Chili Peppers there in August.
I hope the new sound system is all it's cracked up to be.

norm

ItIsAllAboutPJ wrote:

Ernie Vedder wrote:

Looks nice but i still take the Gibson or Staples.

Gibson was great... I haven't been to Staples yet but will be seeing The Chili Peppers there in August.
I hope the new sound system is all it's cracked up to be.

it doesn't matter what sound system they put in that shithole, the sound will still blow...but enjoy the peppers

ItIsAllAboutPJ

norm wrote:

ItIsAllAboutPJ wrote:

Ernie Vedder wrote:

Looks nice but i still take the Gibson or Staples.

Gibson was great... I haven't been to Staples yet but will be seeing The Chili Peppers there in August.
I hope the new sound system is all it's cracked up to be.

it doesn't matter what sound system they put in that shithole, the sound will still blow...but enjoy the peppers

That's what I'm afraid of plus it's so big. We have a good seat location so I hope that helps.
The Forum has a very intimate feeling despite having a large capacity, I can't wait.

LeatherMosquitoMan

I saw the 2 PJ LA shows there in 2006, which were awesome, and Green Day in 2009, and all 3 were amazing. I think the revitalization will be fabulous for that arena, and will def. try to catch a show there in the future.

I've seen Incubus at Hollywood Bowl, and that was incredible because we had close box seating, and i've seen Gaga (don't ask) at Staples, and while we had shit seats, it was incredible too. I can't really say i've had a bad concert experience in LA, in all honesty.

usamamasan1

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