Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre was officially named what from 2000 to 2015?
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre ( formerly known as Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre ) was an amphitheatre located in Irvine , California . The establishment was built in 1980 by Irvine Meadows Partnership ( with 4 local investors ) and it opened in 1981 . In 2016 the amphitheatre was closed and demolished . It was the largest amphitheatre in Orange County , with 10,418 reserved seats and 5,667 on the lawn . The architect was Gin Wong Associates of Los Angeles . The unique design of this venue is that it was built on a hillside so the seats have a steep slope toward the stage . History . The site was previously part of the Lion Country Safari , one of seven such parks located in the United States . The owner of the safari park held a 29-year lease , and subleased a portion to the owners of the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in 1981 . The safari park closed in 1984 , with the owner still holding 13 years on the lease , which he then subleased to the operators of the Wild Rivers water park and the Camp Frasier ( later Camp James ) summer camp , which became the neighbors of the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre . The water park and summer camp closed in 2011 , with the land turned into a housing development by the Irvine Company . Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were the first rock act to perform there , on September 18 , 1981 . They were joined onstage by surprise guest Stevie Nicks , who performed Stop Draggin My Heart Around with the band . Since 1987 , the establishment has been the summer home of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra , as well as the annual KROQ Weenie Roast . The amphitheatre was famous for hosting popular music festivals , which includes : Area2 Festival , Fishfest , Gigantour , Lilith Fair , Lollapalooza , Projekt Revolution and Uproar Festival , a benefit concert for the recently deceased Social Distortion guitarist Dennis Danell . Ozzy Osbourne recorded a performance called Speak of the Devil at the venue on June 12 , 1982 , for home video release in Japan ; said video was eventually released on DVD in the US in 2012 . Pop superstar Michael Jackson performed three concerts at the amphitheatre November 7-9 , 1988 during his Bad Tour . Phish performed two single-night engagements there in 1999 and 2000 . Oingo Boingo would play its annual Halloween concerts here from 1986 through 1991 , and one final time in 1993 , before moving the remaining 1994 and 1995 shows to Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles . Live Nation ( formerly SFX Entertainment ) bought the lease on the Amphitheatre in 1998 . Rush performed here on June 29 , 1990 for the band’s Presto tour . Tangerine Dream performed on June 6 , 1986 recorded on bootleg Sonambulistic Imagery . The Smiths performed on August 28 , 1986 on the bands The Queen is Dead tour . The Grateful Dead performed at the amphitheatre fifteen times from 1983 through 1989 . Because of the 1993 opening of the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim ( now Honda Center ) , Irvine Meadows became increasingly an alternative to the much larger Pond , in addition to being a venue for amphitheater tours . The Eagles performed six consecutive nights from May 27–June 1 , 1994 , for their reunion tour entitled ‘Hell Freezes Over’ . Prince and The New Power Generation performed at the amphitheatre during the Jam of the Year Tour on October 12 , 1997 . Kelly Clarkson performed at the amphitheatre on August 1 , 2006 , during her Addicted Tour . Once the show was over she wrote Irvine , a hidden track off her 2007 album My December , there at the venue . Miley Cyrus performed at the amphitheatre in October 2008 for the promotional show of the series Hannah Montana . Fall Out Boy performed on March 26 on their Winter is Coming Tour in 2016 . Bernie Sanders hosted a political rally here on May 22 , 2016 . The Amphitheatre was renamed to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in April 2000 . The 7 year sponsorship deal between Verizon Wireless and SFX Entertainment , then owner of the amphitheatre , was a multimillion-dollar contract . Verizon renewed this contract for another 7 years , extending it to 2014 . It did not opt to renew a second time and the name reverted to its original Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in 2015 . Gwen Stefani was the last performer for the venue on October 29 and 30 , 2016 . The Irvine Company had informed the operators of the amphitheatre that the land lease would not be renewed after 2016 , so the amphitheatre was closed and demolition started in November 2016 , shortly after the final concert . The Irvine Company chose to build housing on the terrain , such that the entire space of the original Irvine-based Lion Country Safari Park would become a 3,700-unit housing development . Live Nation and FivePoint built a temporary amphitheatre at the Orange County Great Park named FivePoint Amphitheater in 2017 , for a limited term of 3 years , based on the Conditional Use Permit process .