Breathing New Life into the S.M. Civic Auditorium

[Ed Roach]

Seemed to me the consensus here agreed with my recent Rockaway Records post belonging here, even w/o a direct reference to The Boys.  They're overlooked in this article, too, but who can think of the Civic without remembering the T.A.M.I. show?  Not me, that's for sure!


Breathing new life into the Civic Auditorium

by Melody Hanatani

September 26, 2009

MAIN STREET — The glorious days of award shows and concerts featuring top-notch acts at the Civic Auditorium might not necessarily just be a thing of the past.

The aging facility that was once the home of the Academy Awards and drew talents like Elton John and Bob Dylan is set to see new management by the Nederlander Organization, which for the past 100 years has operated famous venues across the country, including several on Broadway, the Santa Barbara Bowl and the Pantages and Greek theatres.

The public/private partnership with the Los Angeles-based company is expected to breathe new life into a venue that many believe is in need of both a physical and programmatic makeover.

The City Council on Tuesday authorized City Manager Lamont Ewell to enter negotiations with the Nederlander Organization, which is known for its ability to secure top headline acts based on established relationships in the entertainment industry, its theaters hosting productions such as “The Lion King,” “Rent,” “Chicago” and “Avenue Q,” Jessica Cusick, the cultural affairs manager for City Hall, said in a staff report.

It was the only organization that responded when City Hall this summer began seeking companies interested in managing the Civic Auditorium. While it was the lone group to submit its qualifications, a review committee felt that Nederlander was more than capable, Cusick said.

“This is based on their years of experience, their financial capacity, their expertise in working with historic facilities,” Cusick told the council. “First and foremost in our minds was their national reputation for quality and breadth of the products they provide.”

The auditorium has long been considered overdue for improvements, needing significant upgrades to the building and technological equipment. The council in May voted to allocate approximately $25 million of Redevelopment Agency funding to pay for the renovations.

“Once the venue is retooled and renovated … both inside and outside, the civic will provide quite frankly the citizens of Santa Monica a better alternative to Los Angeles venues, bringing top flight entertainment but a lot closer to home,” said Adam Friedman, the CEO of Nederlander Concerts.

The Civic Auditorium was built in 1958, designed by renowned architect Welton Becket, who was also the man behind the Capitol Records building and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Over the past 51 years, it has hosted numerous sporting events, film festivals, exhibits and trade shows. Some of the well-known acts to have performed at the Civic include The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Prince.

In 1964, the Civic was the site of one of the most historic events in Academy Awards history when Sidney Poitier became the first African-American to receive an Oscar for his role in “Lilies in the Field.”

The venue has also played a role in the local arts community, hosting the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s annual Stairway to the Stars concert. It was also where the Santa Monica Symphony played its inaugural concert in 1958.

“This is an exciting and hopefully a historic opportunity for the city,” Councilman Richard Bloom said regarding the partnership with Nederlander. “If everything works out, (it will) create that cultural hub of the city that we have been talking about for so long, kind of recreate what’s already there.”

Bloom said he would like to see the general fund subsidy to the Civic Auditorium, which is about $1.1 to $1.3 million annually, be eliminated as a result of the public/private partnership, perhaps even bringing in a positive cash flow.

Councilwoman Gleam Davis suggested that Nederlander produce citywide events with other venues in the area including Barnum Hall at Santa Monica High School and the new Broad Stage at Santa Monica College.

“The prospect is something that would be really beneficial, creating synergy between the various venues,” she said.

http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2009-09-25-62542.113116_Breathing_new_life_into_the_Civic_Auditorium.html#print

[mikee]

I wish I had gotten to the TAMI awards and Dylan's 1979 shows here.  I did see the Kinks, a couple of Springsteen shows, Poco,  and Eric Clapton at the Civic at various times in the 1970s.  I never felt the acoustics were great or that it was all that intimate for a place that holds maybe 3,000 - but still, it has some charm, a relatively great location, and personally I have a soft spot for the "dump" in my heart .  I think it might be really good for GA (standing only) shows.  Hopefully they will, wisely, put some of the renovation money into the accoustics over fluff.

The fact that the iconic TAMI show was there and that the Civic was designed by Welton Becket, who designed the Capitol Records building, is good enough for me on BB content.    

[Ed Roach]

I wish I had gotten to the TAMI awards and Dylan's 1979 shows here....  

...a couple of Springsteen shows,     

Jeez, Mikee, what a memory to begin my day...  Dylan '79 - just about my best & worst concert memory,  & one that often pops in my head.
I was living way up in Topanga Canyon at the time, and an hour or two before the show, received a phone call from a 'friend' from Pacific Presentations.  They were the company that booked the Boys local shows back then.  She asked if I wanted to see Dylan, and told me there were a couple of Will Call tickets left at the box office in my name.  Having no idea Dylan was even playing that nite, and at that point having about an hour before he'd take the stage, and probably a 30 minute ride to the Civic, (even for me), I looked over at my cameras and decided to skip taking them - a tragic mistake.
Imagine my surprise when I opened the envelope, and the seats were row AA, dead center in the orchestra pit - same exact seats I'd shot Zappa from on more than one night.  (I could actually rest the heels of my cowboy boots on the foot of the stage!)  If you recall, this was his born-again period, and it was one of the most intense shows I've ever seen him do - and I've seen him many times through the years.  The band was incredible, (Steve Douglas was blowing sax with him!), he was lean & strong, and he was dressed head to toe in black; boots of Spanish leather & all.
Fantastic thing was, he was introducing most songs with parables, even classics of his, that he'd then do with whole new arrangements & intensity, all the time riffing underneath his speaking.  And, while I'm sure we all experience these types of things from time to time, he seemed to often be speaking directly at me...  Now, maybe if I was clicking away he'd have been purposely ignoring me, but it wouldn't have mattered; they'd still have been some of my greatest work ever.  As it is, I'm left with only having the memory of the shots if I close my eyes.

Springsteen I saw the first time he played there, with tickets Max had sent over to Dennis, along with a note of admiration for his appreciation of Dennis' drumming.  But that's another story...

[Dancing Bear]

Keep'em coming, Mr. Roach. Every time I see that bold text I know there's a new fine tale waiting to be read.

[Mr. Wilson]

GREAT PLACE TO SEE A CONCERT IN 70"S..!

[Mr. Wilson]

Some of the concerts i saw there..Bonnie Raitt + Jackson Browne..Montrose + Dave Mason...Aerosmith + Mott The Hoople..Dickie Betts W/Vassar Clements..Fleetwood Mac Thanksgiving nite 75..Kinks 74 Preservation acts 1 + 2...Billy Cobbham band + Weather Report.... Rasberries + Roy Woods Wizard..ELO..Among the many shows i saw there..I used to laugh that the Police station was right next door + the civic was a CLOUD of pot smoke..Everywhere..People passin hash oil joints etc..I saw Tim Buckley open a show there + i was so stoned that i had to run SCREAMING from the hall cause he started doin this weird chant yodeling kinda thing + it drove me INSANE..!!..Worst noise i ever heard..LOL..!

[Ed Roach]

I used to laugh that the Police station was right next door + the civic was a CLOUD of pot smoke..Everywhere..People passin hash oil joints etc..I saw Tim Buckley open a show there + i was so stoned that i had to run SCREAMING from the hall cause he started doin this weird chant...

Santa Monica, all the way through the seventies, had to have been one of the coolest, most free places in the country, if not the world.  It's one of the reasons Dennis was adamant about Brother Studios being there, when all of the other guys were opting for more secluded places.  For better or worse, (and it did turn out to be worse for him), it blew my mind, the way he would drive around in convertibles, drinking & smoking.  There was a feeling that the cops were there to keep all of us safe, rather than be concerned with our behavior.  (Of course, it couldn't have hurt that Gov. Reagan's daughter Patti was renting an apartment from me at the time...) 

[Mr. Wilson]

Yea Ed..Santa Monica Was really cool then..We used to drive from Glendale Ca.to Santa Monica + stay all weekend + sleep under neath the life guard tower at the beach..Surf near the pier from600am till 1000am..Then spend the rest of the day chasin Surfer Girls..This would be from late 60"s to late 70"s..cheers..!!

[Alex]

So what happened to the venue after the 70s? Did it fall into disrepair or something?

[jonathan anderle]

i saw my bloody valentine at the civic (a year ago today, actually); i had a smile when "don't go near the water" popped up as one of the songs played before they went on.