The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
{{Short description|Music venue in San Diego, California}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
| nickname =
| logo_image =
| logo_size =
| logo_alt =
| logo_caption =
| image = Symphony in Rady Shell at Jacobs Park 2.png
| image_alt = Rady Shell lit in red at night
| caption = San Diego Symphony performing at the Rady Shell in 2022
| pushpin_map = United States San Diego
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| address = 222 Marina Park Way
| city = San Diego, California
| country = US
| location = Embarcadero Marina Park South
| coordinates = {{Coord|32.70493072363166|-117.16575802946254|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| publictransit = {{rint|sandiego|Trolley}} San Diego Trolley {{rint|sandiego|Green}} Green Line at Convention Center
| owner =
| operator = San Diego Symphony
| type = Outdoor concert shell
| seating_type =
| capacity = 10,000
| record_attendance =
| dimensions =
| broke_ground = August 29, 2019
| built =
| opened = {{Start date|2021|08|05}}
| cost =
| architect = Tucker Sadler Architects
| structural engineer = Coffman Engineers
| services engineer =
| general_contractor = Rudolph and Sletten
| website = {{URL|www.theshell.org}}
}}
The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is an open-air music venue in San Diego, California. It first opened in 2021, and is operated by the San Diego Symphony on the grounds of Embarcadero Marina Park South, which the symphony leases from the Port of San Diego.{{cite web |title=Port of San Diego Grants Lease for Symphony's Bayside Performance Park |date=July 25, 2019 |website=Fox 5 San Diego |agency=City News Service |url=https://fox5sandiego.com/news/port-of-san-diego-grants-lease-for-symphonys-bayside-performance-park/ |access-date=October 31, 2022}} The site is located on San Diego Bay in the Marina district of downtown San Diego.
Design and construction
Prior to construction of the Rady Shell, the San Diego Symphony had held summertime concerts at the same location for 15 years using temporary structures.{{cite web |url=https://coronadotimes.com/news/2019/08/30/port-of-san-diego-and-san-diego-symphony-celebrate-groundbreaking-for-bayside-performance-park/ |title=Port of San Diego and San Diego Symphony Celebrate Groundbreaking for Bayside Performance Park |date=August 30, 2019 |website=The Coronado Times |access-date=October 31, 2022}} The new permanent venue, initially called the Bayside Performance Park, broke ground on August 29, 2019,{{cite web |url=https://fox5sandiego.com/news/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-symphonys-bayside-performance-park/ |title=Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Symphony's Bayside Performance Park |date=August 29, 2019 |website=Fox 5 San Diego |access-date=October 31, 2022}} and was designed by Tucker Sadler Architects. The central Performance Shell was designed by the London company Soundforms.{{cite web |url=https://www.soundforms.co.uk/press-release-award-winning-open-air-concert-stage-combines-the-worlds-most-innovative-sound-technology/ |title=Press Release: Award-winning Open-air Concert Stage Combines the World's Most Innovative Sound Technology |website=Soundforms |date=March 29, 2023 |access-date=November 28, 2023}} Rudolph and Sletten was the general contractor and Coffman Engineers provided the structural engineering.{{cite magazine |title=2022 California Best Projects: Best Sports/Entertainment: Rady Shell at Jacobs Park |first=Greg |last=Aragon |date=October 17, 2022 |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/55013-best-sports-entertainment-rady-shell-at-jacobs-park |magazine=Engineering News-Record |access-date=October 31, 2022}}
The symphony originally planned to invest $45 million in construction of the venue and associated improvements to the park, such as new lighting and public restrooms. The new facilities were planned to open in July 2020.{{cite news |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2021-07-31/san-diego-symphony-starts-new-era-with-friday-opening-of-85-million-rady-shell-at-jacobs-park-concert-venue |title=San Diego Symphony Starts New Era with Friday Opening of $85 Million Rady Shell at Jacobs Park Concert Venue |first=George |last=Varga |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=July 31, 2021 |access-date=October 31, 2022}} However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the opening for 13 months.{{cite news |title=San Diego Symphony Fine-tunes The Shell, Its New $85 Bayside Venue, and Prepares to Launch Concerts |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2021-04-02/san-diego-symphony-fine-tunes-its-84-million-bayside-venue-the-shell-and-prepares-to-launch-concerts |first=George |last=Varga |date=April 2, 2021 |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date=October 31, 2022}} The symphony decided to use the extra time to add features to the project, resulting in a final budget of $85 million. More than 99% of the funds were raised from private donations.
In May 2021, the symphony announced that the venue would be named "The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park" in honor of some of its major donors: Ernest and Evelyn Rady gave $15 million for the project, and Joan and Irwin Jacobs donated $11 million.{{cite web |url=https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/san-diego-symphony-unveils-name-of-new-outdoor-venue/ |title=San Diego Symphony Unveils Name of New Outdoor Venue |date=May 14, 2021 |website=Fox 5 San Diego |access-date=October 31, 2022}} Other major donors included the Conrad Prebys Foundation ($12 million) and Una Davis ($10 million). The facility was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 5, 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.kpbs.org/news/arts-culture/2021/08/05/port-san-diego-symphony-rady-shell-jacobs-park |title=Port, San Diego Symphony Open Rady Shell At Jacobs Park Concert Venue |first=Melissa |last=Mae |agency=City News Service |date=August 5, 2021 |website=KPBS |access-date=October 31, 2022}} A six-course dinner and a fireworks display accompanied the following evening's opening San Diego Symphony performance of music by Mozart, Gershwin, Saint-Saëns, and Stravinsky.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/10/arts/music/san-diego-rady-shell.html |title=San Diego Gets Its Answer to the Hollywood Bowl, Just in Time |first=Adam |last=Nagourney |author-link=Adam Nagourney |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 10, 2021 |access-date=October 31, 2022}}
Facilities
A {{convert|3,865|sqfoot}} covered stage supports both symphonies and pop music performances. A sloping lawn covered with artificial turf provides variable amounts of seating for 2,000 to 10,000 guests. Only temporary seating is used so that the lawn can be open for public use on non-concert days. A typical performance in 2021 was configured for 3,500 seats; this was expanded to over 4,700 seats for 2022.{{cite news |title=Jennifer Hudson, Common, Elvis Costello and Flying Lotus Top The Rady Shell 2022 Season Lineup |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2022-03-13/jennifer-hudson-common-elvis-costello-and-flying-lotus-top-the-rady-shell-at-jacobs-park-2022-season-lineup |first=George |last=Varga |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=March 13, 2022 |access-date=October 31, 2022}} The number of performances is limited to ensure public access to the park, and no more than six events per year can use the maximum seating capacity.
Performances
Artists who have performed at the Rady Shell include Sting, Boyz II Men, Leon Bridges, Stewart Copeland, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Smokey Robinson, Olivia Rodrigo, Ben Platt, Charlie Puth, Lea Salonga, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and Brian Wilson.{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/willmcgough/2022/08/22/the-countrys-coolest-new-concert-venue-is-in-california/?sh=5a27d6903929 |title=The Country's Coolest New Concert Venue Is In California |first=Will |last=McGough |date=August 22, 2022 |newspaper=Forbes |access-date=October 31, 2022}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category inline|The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park}}
- {{Official|https://www.theshell.org/}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rady Shell at Jacobs Park}}
Category:Event venues established in 2021