Grayscale Marketing client TempleLive announced that the Masonic Auditorium, recently purchased by Mike Brown, will become part of Live Nations’ expanding portfolio of mid-west properties it now books and operates.
Combined with Live Nation’s operation of the House of Blues, Jacobs Pavilion and Blossom Music Center, Live Nation plans to attract an increasingly robust roster of performers to Northeast Ohio and is now gearing up for a new fall schedule with dates starting as soon as November.
Live Nation Club & Theatre, a division of Live Nation, owns, operates and books landmark clubs and theaters throughout the United States, including The Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles and The Tabernacle in Atlanta as well as the House of Blues and Fillmore venues. The company produces more than 15,000 events – including concerts, special events, private event rentals, club nights and more – in 100 venues nationwide.
“The Masonic was the next logical move for us in Cleveland. It is a vibrant music market with a very large population base that we think is underserved at the theater level,” said Ben Weeden, COO of Live Nation Club & Theatre division, which will oversee The Masonic. “We look forward to establishing the Masonic as the must-play, 2,000-capacity venue in Cleveland.”
“We are proud to have The Masonic Auditorium as part of Live Nation’s portfolio of properties,” said Mike Brown of TempleLive, which recently purchased the property. “This agreement with Live Nation will enhance the concertgoers experience at the Masonic, while propelling Cleveland more aggressively into this very competitive music market.
Built in 1921, the Masonic Temple Auditorium originally housed the Cleveland Orchestra. With its renovated acoustics, the venue has been home to various performing arts productions and live music events over the years. More recently a variety of national touring acts, comedians and rising stars have performed such as MGMT, Bastille, Fitz and the Tantrums, The 1975, Pixies, Kirk Franklin, Joe Rogan, Ghost, Leon Bridges and Sturgill Simpson.
Located in downtown Cleveland, the venue is just east of Playhouse Square near the campus of Cleveland State University.
“Creating great fan experiences with great musical performers is something we work very hard at,” said Weeden. “The Masonic Auditorium is an amazing venue with an extraordinary history. Its future is going to be even brighter.”