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It’s official: Live Nation has taken over
the old Jackie Gleason Theater. Photos by Jacqueline
Carini/ Jacquelinecariniphotography.com |
Flashes
popped in a blinding frenzy as a swarm of press and paparazzi
flirted with smiling Latin pop star Ricky Martin, pushing for
that perfect pose.
“Ricky, look left!” they
cried. “Ricky, mira a la izquierda!”
“Bienvenidos al Fillmore
Miami Beach,” Martin shouted to the reporters gathered the
afternoon of Oct. 10. Martin, off his “Black & White Tour,”
played three shows for the grand opening of the Fillmore Miami
Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater.
“We’re going to bring that
same grand production into this intimate location,” Martin said.
The newly renovated and renamed theater has 2,600 seats. During
the rest of his tour, Martin had played to crowds of 30,000,
including a sold-out show at the American Airlines Arena in the
spring and an Oct. 14 show at Madison Square Garden in New York.
If the hoopla and apparent
success surrounding its grand opening is any indication of the
future, then the Miami Beach City Commission may have made the
right choice in allowing Live Nation to take the reigns of the
theater formerly known as Jackie Gleason. All three shows were
at or near capacity, with ticket prices ranging from $39.50 to
$151.50. When Spectacor Management Group ran the venue, the city
lost money year after year. In fact, the Gleason was in the red
to the tune of about $1.5 million per year for some years, even
before many of its bread and butter acts, like the Miami City
Ballet, bailed for the new Carnival Center for the Performing
Arts last fall.
The deal with Live Nation,
which commissioners approved in June, plugs the money drain and
guarantees the city $1 million the first year, with minimum 2
percent increases each year thereafter. The other part of the
contract included a $3.5 million upgrade to the theater, which
was closed for about three months for those renovations.
When the throngs of media
were finally allowed in last week, the changes were immediately
obvious.
“This is definitely not the
Jackie Gleason you’re used to,” said public relations consultant
Woody Graber.
Hanging above the front door
is a photo of legendary concert promoter Bill Graham, who in
1965 turned the Majestic Hall at the corner of Fillmore and
Geary in San Francisco into the Fillmore West. The venue hosted
groups like Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix,
Santana, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Janis Joplin, and is
considered a mecca of the 1960s psychedelic music scene.
The task of capturing that
unique Fillmore style was the job of architectural and design
firm ADD Inc. The changes include three new orchestra levels,
VIP lounges with 12-foot-high murals, 11 bars and an upgraded
stage. Live Nation also is building a TV and sound production
studio in the theater to instantly broadcast shows and burn live
DVDs and CDs.
“We have incorporated the
legendary Fillmore brand to fit the music theater style,”
explained Jonathan Cardello, principal and director of the Miami
office of ADD Inc.
During the Ricky Martin
shows, the elaborate stage was decked out with a giant video
screen with light shows. Sexy dancers shook and gyrated around
Ricky as he worked the crowd with his voice, his smile and his
moves. The nearly full house of city officials and VIPs was on
its feet most of the show, moving right along with the Latin pop
star. Even the normally reserved Commissioner Richard Steinberg
waved his hands in the air and shook his bon-bon to the beat.
All of the attendees were
given Ricky Martin at the Fillmore Miami Beach posters after the
show, a tradition that started at the original Fillmore West.
They quickly became collectors’ items.
“As we build our history here
in Miami Beach, we’ll have posters of Miami Beach shows,” said
Live Nation Senior Vice President A.J. Wasson.
Another Bill Graham tradition
is a putting a barrel of apples at the entrance.
The theater, called the Miami
Beach Auditorium when it was built in the early 1950s, has had
an important history in bringing stars and attention to Miami
Beach. It hosted tapings of such iconic programs as The Dick
Clark and Ed Sullivan Shows and, from 1964 to 1971,
was the studio for The Jackie Gleason Show. The
facility’s name was changed to the Jackie Gleason Theater of the
Performing Arts in 1987.
In the early years, big names
like Frank Sinatra, Cab Calloway, Bob Hope and Jack Benny graced
the theater’s halls to watch productions and boxing matches.
Broadway shows played an important role in the theater’s history
and, in recent years, it was home to The Miami City Ballet and
hosted events like the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the
MTV Video Music Awards and The Source awards.
In 2004, developer Jorge
Perez of The Related Group approached City Manager Jorge
Gonzalez and Beach Commissioner Simon Cruz with representatives
of Cirque du Soleil about the possibility of making Miami Beach
one of its permanent homes. The deal became unpopular with many
voters after it was announced that it would require the city to
invest $50 to $80 million in tax money and allow The Related
Group to build hotels, spas and restaurants within the complex.
By July 2006, The Related
Group pulled out of the deal, leaving the city to negotiate a
new deal with Cirque du Soleil that just focused on the theater.
But after AEG Live expressed interest in running the theater
without any public money, the City Commission opened up the
theater to bidders. AEG Live and Live Nation, entertainment
companies from Los Angeles, both expressed interest in taking
over the Jackie Gleason.
Three months later, Cirque
withdrew its proposal, citing political obstacles and other
uncertainties. After the circus left town, AEG Live and Live
Nation were left to duke out a deal. Obviously, Live Nation
fought a better fight. On Oct. 18, 2006, the Miami Beach City
Commission picked Live Nation to run the famed theater.
Spun off of Clear Channel
Entertainment in December 2005, Live Nation is the world’s
largest live music company. It produces a slew of big-name acts
like The Rolling Stones, The Police, Coldplay, U2 and Madonna.
Just last week, The Associated Press announced that “The
Material Girl” plans to leave her longtime record label, Warner
Music Group, to sign a $120 million deal with Live Nation. If
both parties sign on the dotted line, the company would gain the
rights to sell Madonna merchandise and license her name. Maybe
she’ll even perform at the Fillmore Miami Beach someday.
For tonight, however, Kid
Rock will take the stage.
Throughout the rest of the
year, he will be followed by performers like Sarah Silverman,
Widespread Panic, Morrissey and Debbie Harry — live acts that
people used to travel to Broward or Palm Beach to experience.
The Fillmore Miami Beach at
the Jackie Gleason Theater is located at 1700 Washington Ave.
For tickets and concert information visit
www.livenation.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
More
information on upcoming shows can be found at www.myspace.com/fillmoremiamibeach.
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