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Universal Amphitheatre (later known as Gibson Amphitheatre) was an indoor
amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
located in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...
within Universal City. It was built as an outdoor venue, opening in the summer of 1972 with a production of ''
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
.'' It was remodeled and converted into an indoor theatre in 1982 to improve acoustics. The amphitheater closed on September 6, 2013 and was demolished for '' The Wizarding World of Harry Potter'' attraction at
Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. About 70% of the studio lies within the unincorporated county island known as Universal City while the rest lies ...
.


Early history

The Amphitheatre was built as a daytime arena where patrons of the Universal Studios Studio Tour could watch stuntmen perform a western-themed stunt show and shootout. Construction began in 1969. By 1970, the stage was completed and three old west facades were constructed for the show. The arena was completed in 1971. Because it was empty at night, a young studio tour guide suggested that the arena be used to hold rock concerts. On June 28, 1972, the venue hosted its first concert, a production of the Broadway rock musical ''
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
''. The show was a hit and was extended until cold weather forced its closure. During its early years, the stunt show was performed during the day while at night the venue hosted concerts. The theatre proved to be so popular that it regularly filled to 98% capacity. After one year, the studio expanded it to seat 5,200 patrons. In 1980, the venue closed for two years for a major renovation. A roof was constructed to enable year-round entertainment. Acoustics were improved and seating was expanded again to 6,251 seats. On September 15, 1987 singer Tony Melendez sang ''Never Be The Same'' while playing the guitar with his feet in a special performance for Pope
John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
as part of the pope's two day visit to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. The Universal Amphitheatre hosted the ''
Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production compan ...
'' 8th Anniversary Special in 1990. In May 1993, Universal added the
Universal CityWalk Universal CityWalk is the name shared by the entertainment and retail districts located adjacent to the theme parks of Universal Parks & Resorts. CityWalk began as an expansion of Universal's first park, Universal Studios Hollywood, and serves as ...
shopping and dining district around the entrance to the theatre, allowing patrons to seek refreshments before and after concerts. On July 29 and 30, 1999, pop/R&B singer
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...
gave her last two North American concerts at the theatre on her
My Love Is Your Love World Tour The My Love Is Your Love World Tour (advertised as World Tour 1999) was the eighth concert tour by American recording artist Whitney Houston. The tour was in support of her fourth album, '' My Love Is Your Love'' (1998). Beginning in the summer o ...
. Houston would go on to have one more world tour in 2010, but did not tour North America again. During its forty-year history, the venue hosted concerts by high-profile touring artists such as
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the wh ...
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, Toto,
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, Slipknot,
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and
Gloria Trevi Gloria de los Ángeles Treviño Ruiz (born February 15, 1968), known as Gloria Trevi (), is a Mexican singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, television hostess, music video director and businesswoman known as "The Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop". ...
. Pop/Folk star
John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...
recorded An Evening With John Denver there over several nights in 1974.Joni Mitchell recorded most of Miles of Aisles there August 14 to 17, 1974. The venue also hosted musicals such as ''
The Who's Tommy ''The Who's Tommy'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff. It is based on the 1969 rock opera '' Tommy'' by The Who. Productions The musical opened at La Jolla Playhouse in San Die ...
'' and major recurring events, including the
MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editio ...
, the
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
and the
Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...
.


Name change

The theatre was known as the Universal Amphitheatre from its inception until early 2005, when
naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of ...
were acquired by the
Gibson Guitar Corporation Gibson Brands, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation) is an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was forme ...
as part of a partnership between Gibson, Universal and
House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at H ...
.


Closure

On December 6, 2011, it was announced that Universal Amphitheatre would close and would be demolished to make way for '' The Wizarding World of Harry Potter'' theme park area at
Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. About 70% of the studio lies within the unincorporated county island known as Universal City while the rest lies ...
. Although the venue had events scheduled until October 2013, it officially closed in September of that year.Gibson Amphitheatre to close, make room for Harry Potter attraction
Retrieved April 24, 2013
The final performance held at the Gibson Amphitheatre was
Pepe Aguilar José Antonio Aguilar Jiménez (born August 7, 1968), better known as Pepe Aguilar, is an American singer. - Accessed on June 17, 2011. From a young age, Aguilar accompanied his parents, Mexican singer-actors Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre ...
on September 6, 2013. At the time of its closure, it was the third largest mid-sized venue in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...
, behind the Nokia Theatre and the
Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, and ...
- two other
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
venues. The amphitheatre was demolished on September 25, 2013.


See also

*
List of contemporary amphitheatres This is a list of amphitheatres in use today. }) , , align="right", 3,000 , - , Rhode Island , Providence , Waterplace Park Amphitheatre , Not covered , , - , rowspan=2 , South Carolina , Simpsonville , Heritage Park Amphitheatre , , alig ...


References


External links

*
Gibson Amphitheatre on Live NationGibson AmphitheatreHome movies showing the arena with the original Wild West stunt show in 1971
{{Authority control Amphitheaters in California Music venues in Los Angeles Universal City, California Buildings and structures in the San Fernando Valley Landmarks in Los Angeles Theatres in Hollywood, Los Angeles Music venues completed in 1972 Theatres completed in 1972 1972 establishments in California 2013 disestablishments in California Demolished buildings and structures in Los Angeles Buildings and structures demolished in 2013