North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre is an amphitheatre in Chula Vista, California. It is one of the larger concert venues in the San Diego area.[1] The venue is currently owned and operated by Live Nation.[2]
 Interior of the amphitheatre before a concert in 2024 | |
 | |
| Former names | Coors Amphitheatre (1998-2008) Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre (2008-12) Sleep Train Amphitheatre (2012-17) Mattress Firm Amphitheatre (2017-18) |
|---|---|
| Address | 2050 Entertainment Cir Chula Vista, CA 91911 |
| Location | Greater San Diego |
| Coordinates | 32°35′16″N 117°00′23″W / 32.587778°N 117.006389°W |
| Owner | Live Nation Entertainment |
| Type | Amphitheatre |
| Capacity | 20,500 |
| Opened | July 21, 1998 |
History
editArea around the amphitheatre had previously been open fields and at one time been part of a large dairy farm. At one point, the 72 acres where the amphitheater sits was a fully developed industrial park with terraced lots and utilities in place. The site had been abandoned for a number of years when Universal Concerts approached the city of Chula Vista and won approval to build the amphitheatre. The industrial park was bulldozed and the site graded to build the amphitheatre.
In the late 1990s, a development plan was created, and a water park and concert venue were planned for the area. White Water Canyon (now Sesame Place San Diego) opened in 1997, while the amphitheatre, then Coors Amphitheatre, opened on July 21, 1998, the first venue of its kind in San Diego County. On August 21, 1998, the venue hosted its first sell-out concert with the English pop girl group Spice Girls. [3]
All of the Universal Concerts facilities, including Coors Amphitheatre, were purchased by House of Blues in late 1999. Live Nation Entertainment purchased House of Blues, including eight amphitheaters and 11 clubs, in July 2006. In April 2008, the venue was renamed Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre after naming rights were purchased by Cricket Wireless. In January 2013, the venue was renamed to Sleep Train Amphitheatre after the naming rights were purchased by Sleep Train,[4] as part a five-year naming rights deal with Live Nation. On February 16, 2017, Sleep Train Amphitheatre was renamed to Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, to coincide with its acquisition by Mattress Firm.[5] On November 1, 2018, the venue was renamed to North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, as the naming rights were purchased by Live Nation. It was in part of a ten-year name-in-title sponsorship deal with North Island Credit Union of San Diego.[6]
Venue
edit
The venue features 9,468 chair-back seats and 10,024 lawn seats. During the spring, summer and fall months it is used mostly for first-tier concert tours, due primarily to its capacity.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "6 huge live music venues in San Diego". xSDtoday. 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "Amphitheatre". California Credit Union and North Island Credit Union. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Chula Vista". Chula Vista Theater. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Chula Vista concert venue renamed Sleep Train Amphitheater - CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News Station - KFMB Channel 8". KFMB-TV. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ SoundDiego Staff. "Sleep Train Amphitheatre Gets New Name". KNSD. San Diego. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- ^ Varga, George. "North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre replaces Mattress Firm Amphitheatre in new, 10-year naming deal". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre (NICU)". Live Nation. Retrieved 2024-04-02.