Jones Beach back open for music

Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh recently re-opened just in time for the summer with a concert by country superstars Rascal Flatts.

Live Nation Entertainment, which operates the theater, announced a full concert schedule after the completion of a months-long, $20 million reconstruction project on the theater following Superstorm Sandy last October.

“It was a priority for Live Nation to work quickly to return this historic venue to working order,” said Michael Rapino, CEO and president of Live Nation Entertainment, which operates the facility  “Of course it was important to the artists who love to play at Jones Beach every summer and to the thousands of fans that come to a concert there. But it was also vital for the local community and the hundreds of employees who work at Jones Beach – so we actually started preparing for the potential clean-up and reconstruction efforts before the storm even arrived. It’s a testament to the single-mindedness and dedication of the entire reconstruction team that we were able to put Jones Beach back together in time for this summer’s great lineup of shows.”

Sandy generated a storm surge of eight to10 feet, and the ground floor, sub-structures and pathways under Jones Beach Theatre, which sits right on Zachs Bay, were submerged, according to release from Live Nation. Much of the 14,000 seat venue was impacted from the surge, from the stage to the seats, the backstage and concessions and VIP areas were all severely damaged.

But before construction could begin, more than 3 million gallons of sea water had to be pumped out of the venue, which then had to be cleaned from top to bottom. Hundreds of tons of debris and damaged structures and equipment had to be removed from the site.

It took an intense collaborative effort between Live Nation, insurer Zurich, architects EwingCole, construction company Skanska and the state Parks Department to get the required drawings, permits and other approvals in a very short time frame, according to Live Nation. 

The stage and boardwalk and their substructures had to be completely rebuilt from scratch. More than nine miles of special MCM cable had to be replaced in the tunnels and access ways below the venue. All the doors on the main level, more than 200 in total, had to be replaced.  Where possible the venue’s infrastructure was redesigned to mitigate any future damages (i.e. the main electrical system was relocated to the second floor, above the 100 year floodplain) and replacement appliances and equipment were upgraded to energy efficient models.  

The project created 225 jobs for local workers, contractors, vendors and union laborers in Nassau County. Many of those workers lived in the areas that were hardest hit by Sandy.

“It would be impossible for a project of this scope and under this kind time frame to succeed without the intense collaborative effort between all of the companies and government agencies involved,” said John Ahrens of Live Nation.  “It shows how much can be accomplished if everyone involved shares the same vision.”

In addition to the bringing the venue back online, Live Nation was also able to introduce many upgrades to the newly renovated facility. Included are:

• Brand new concessions operations

• Increased point of concession sales which were upgraded with latest technology to help speed transactions, resulting in lower wait times for fans

• Additional soda machine locations

• VIP area expanded by one third and was redesigned with brand new decking, updated furniture and renovated bathrooms.

• New artificial turf and brick walkways installed

• Brand new orchestra seating

• Upgraded Box Office 

Nikon at Jones Beach Theater was named the Top Amphitheater at Billboard Touring Conference in 2012 and has been recognized as a top venue by such publications as Rolling Stone and Complex. Jones Beach once again has a star-studded summer lineup for 2013: