Latest news with #OakViewGroup
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Man behind the music Tim Leiweke hits all the right notes
Inside Co-op Live the stage is set. As I arrive, the finishing touches are being put to the Bruce Springsteen gig – the first of three shows 'The Boss' is performing at Europe's largest indoor entertainment arena. Sniffer dogs weave along the myriad rows of the 23,500-seater stadium – a timely reminder of the essential security measures that mass-event organisers routinely take following the suicide bombing of the nearby Manchester Arena eight years ago that killed 22 concertgoers. But for Tim Leiweke this is more than just another day in the office. The American boss of Oak View Group, the entertainment giant that runs Co-op Live, is revelling in the news that the venue has just been voted the top arena in the UK and Europe, selling over one million tickets and grossing £87 million in its first, eventful year. It's a far cry from the chaotic launch of Co-op Live, which was dogged by technical delays and safety concerns that led to a slew of performances from the likes of comedian Peter Kay and singer Olivia Rodrigo being cancelled at the last minute. PR Week magazine called it one of the biggest corporate communications disasters of the year. 'Everyone was wondering whether we were going to get it open or not,' Leiweke recalls. After a month of setbacks the troubled arena, which cost £450 million to build, finally opened with hometown band Elbow headlining. He says he kept telling the band's lead singer Guy Garvey: 'It's going to be ready, trust me!' Leiweke adds: 'He ignored the headlines and came. It turned out that was kind of the line in the sand. Everything got easier after that.' Garvey wasn't the only one to help him out during the crisis. 'Paul McCartney did us a favour and played two nights in December,' the Missouri-born entertainment mogul says in his deep southern drawl. And Springsteen, who was booked for the opening, also re-scheduled after Leiweke persuaded him to play 'the best acoustics arena in the world'. Leiweke, 68, was able to pull these strings because he is very well connected – and not just in the music industry. He was dubbed David Beckham's 'American mentor' after luring the former Manchester Utd and England footballer from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy, which was owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) he ran at the time. He still speaks to Beckham 'every week'. Leiweke's vast experience and contacts served him well during the Co-op Live launch drama. 'When you're in the business for 45 years the good news is you develop a lot of good relationships,' he reflects. 'If you treat people well, if you honour your word, and if you build the greatest acoustical arena ever built artists will want to play here.' Co-op Live is the 20th entertainment venue he has built, including London's O2 Arena, which as head of AEG he transformed from the ailing Millennium Dome. 'I've done more of these projects than anyone on the face of the Earth. It ultimately teaches you to learn to be patient,' he adds. Leiweke points out that 'there's never been a perfect' launch and cites Tottenham and Wembley football grounds as examples of other delayed openings. He also praises the patience and perspective of Co-op Live's backers, including the deep-pocketed Abu Dhabi-based owners of neighbouring Manchester City, who put up half the money for the arena. Leiweke, who founded Oak View Group in 2015, told them to trust him and 'they hung in there with us'. He adds: 'We built this arena for 50 years, not 30 days.' It's a lesson that won't be lost on the Co-op as the retailer, which owns the naming rights to the arena, grapples with the fallout from a recent cyberattack. Part of Leiweke's confidence that it would be all right on the night stems from his faith in the arena itself. A unique acoustical bowl minimises background noise with all advertising and signage inside removed. 'It's a black box, like it's a theatre. It means you can have 24,000 people here and Bruce can sit on stage and feel like he can touch every one of them. We've built the perfect environment,' he gushes. Backstage it's like a five-star hotel with 13 hospitality lounges – or 'clubs' – 14 dressing rooms, a gym, even a recording studio. Leiweke says: 'It's a city back there.' It's certainly gone down well with artists. Opera legend Andrea Bocelli told Leiweke Co-op Live was 'the best sound check he'd ever heard' while Liam Gallagher of Oasis said the only comparable arena in the world was Madison Square Garden in New York. 'We knew we had something special,' Leiweke says. 'We knew that would shine through. We just had to get people and artists in here.' Co-op Live has also given the local economy a £1.3 billion boost as concert-goers spent money in Manchester's bars, clubs, and restaurants. Leiweke is proud that the arena – and a new 460-room hotel that will come on stream nearby next year – have been built without a penny of taxpayer subsidy. As for his next project, Leiweke is eyeing an even bigger arena in London to rival the 20,000-seater 02. He points out that New York and Los Angeles each have four such venues whereas London has only one. But for now, his focus is on Co-op Live, where there are still a few 'nicks and nacks' to sort out before that night's extravaganza. Muhammad Ali once told him that the mark of a great champion was not the boxer who's never been knocked down – it's the boxer who gets knocked down and keeps on getting up. 'That advice was perfect for this building,' says Leiweke. 'When you get knocked down, get back up and keep on fighting.'
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Entertainment Firms Oak View, Legends Face DOJ Antitrust Probe
The US Justice Department has been investigating whether live entertainment companies Oak View Group LLC and Legends colluded over bidding to develop a large arena in Texas, according to people familiar with the matter. The criminal antitrust probe is focused on whether the companies illegally coordinated on the bidding to develop and operate the Moody Center, a $338 million arena at the University of Texas at Austin, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a confidential investigation. Oak View ultimately won the contract in 2018 and the venue opened in 2022. Legends isn't involved in the project.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mobile Arena construction begins, once complete could host top-tier entertainment
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — City officials gathered on Wednesday to break ground at the construction site of the Mobile Arena. Morgan Wallen's 'Sand In My Boots' music festival: crime drops, travel breaks records 'It's really never stopped once demolition stopped; I mean, the other contract started moving in, getting ready to do what they need to do,' Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. Construction on the $237 million arena is now underway to replace the former civic center. 'It will knock your socks off with what this thing will look like,' Stimpson said. Stimpson said the new arena will help the city generate money, leaving him confident in the new mayoral administration. 'You will have people coming from out of town coming to Mobile because of what's being booked here,' Stimpson said. The facility will be home to concerts, sporting events and other entertainment. Oak View Group Co-Chairman Peter Luukko said the arena will bring top-tier artists to Mobile. 'The Eagles, Bon Jovi, maybe if Beyonce plays indoors,' Luukko said. The search for a professional hockey team is still ongoing, but Stimpson said they have a few leads. Meanwhile, OVG plans to have fun with fans as time leads up to announcing who it will be. 'We're going to let the fans pick the name,' Luukko said. Taco Bell employee arrested after spitting in woman's food, according to Milton police Construction is expected to be completed in time for Mardi Gras 2027. Vertical construction should begin in late August. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘I am full of joy': Africatown Welcome Center breaks ground
AFRICATOWN, Ala. (WKRG) — After years of planning and preparation, community leaders broke ground Monday on a new Africatown Welcome Center. City of Mobile, Oak View Group set groundbreaking for new arena 'Right now, I am full of joy,' community leader Cleon Jones said. The new welcome center will sit on Bay Bridge Cutoff Road just off Africatown Boulevard. 'A project of this size and this magnitude that encompasses the beliefs of everybody in the area brings about a feeling of hope and new beginnings,' Mobile City Councilman William Carroll said. This project costs $5.1 million and is funded completely through the RESTORE Act. The welcome center will be a starting place for visitors to learn about the Freedom Town created by the 110 slaves brought to Mobile Bay on the Clotilda, 50 years after the international slave trade was abolished in the U.S. The center will have meeting rooms, exhibition spaces and outdoor areas for festivals and other performances. 'We have a story to tell and an obligation to tell that story,' Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. The building will also kick off tours like the Africatown Freedom tour group. 'This is what you call world history, so by being world history, people need to know this little part of history needs to be told to the whole world,' Africatown Freedom tour organizer Chiquitta Clemons-Howard said. October London coming to Mobile Saenger Theatre Construction is expected to take about a year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Mobile, Oak View Group set groundbreaking for new arena
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Officials with the City of Mobile and Oak View Group will begin construction this week of Mobile Arena. LifeSouth, Dean Waite set Mobile blood drive featuring Chick-fil-A coupons, gift cards and prizes A groundbreaking is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, at the future site of Mobile Arena, located at 401 Civic Center Drive. The event signifies the beginning of the construction of the $237 million facility, which will be a 10,000-seat venue that is a 298,000 square foot arena on a 22-acre property. The city wants to host concerts, sporting events, Mardi Gras balls and other major entertainment acts to the new arena, which replaces the 60-year-old Mobile Civic Center. City officials said in a news release that renderings of the arena's exterior and interior will also be released. October London coming to Mobile Saenger Theatre Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, Mobile City Councilman William Carroll, Oak View Group Co-Chairman Peter Luukko and Oak View Group Venue Management President Greg O'Dell will be in attendance for the groundbreaking. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
