US promoting giant secures site for arena
Live Nation has purchased a tired cold storage facility to repurpose as an arena.
The Northbridge Music Hall, as it will be known, will replace the European Food Wholesalers factory at 77-85 Francis Street.
The Beverly Hill based promoting giant paid the family owners of the Re Store delicatessen business $9.65 million ex-GST.
A $20m revamp is planned; Arkhefield has penned the redevelopment.
With a focus on live music, comedy, theatre and corporate functions, it will contain two rooms – one with a maximum standing room capacity of 3000, the other, a clubroom, for up to 600.
Razing the roof
The Northbridge site spreads 2292 square metres zoned City Centre adjoining Northbridge Piazza.
Live Nation will raze the roof but keep original walls and façade; the rest will be gutted.
Northbridge Music Hall is expected to open at the start of summer 2026 and host 120 events the year after.
Burgess Rawson’s Luke Randazzo, who brokered the off-market deal, said the project would be transformative for the city.
“The venue will attract first class international acts whilst supporting and promoting the West Australian entertainment, performing arts and cultural industries,” he added.
Live Nation grows Australian footprint
The Francis Street deal comes two years since we reported Live Nation bought the leasehold of Melbourne’s Festival Hall from Hillsong.
The promoter had not long earlier secured a similar agreement for St Kilda’s Palais Theatre.
It also rented a local headquarters – a swank warehouse converted office that had just been vacated by Swisse Wellness, in Collingwood.
A campaign to sell the state’s Falls Festival site and two adjoining lots for $4m, relaunched earlier this year for $2.5m, has failed to yield a buyer.
Other venues in Live Nation’s portfolio include in Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall and The Triffid, Adelaide’s Hindley Street Music Hall and Anita’s Theatre Thirroul in Wollongong.
Outside of Australia it operates in 56 countries.
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