VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The final countdown is on ahead of the opening of the new Virginia Beach Dome.
The Dome music hall sits on the corner of 20th Street and Arctic Avenue at the Oceanfront and is set to open May 4 with 70s-era rock band Three Dog Night taking the stage.
The same band was the final performance at the the Alan B. Shepard Convention Center, of which the new venue pays homage too. The former, which sat in nearly the same spot from 1958-1994, became known as “the dome” because of the geodesic roof.
Thursday, members of the media were able to get their first look inside the city of Virginia Beach’s nearly $55 million investment.
While nothing about the design resembles the the old venue, there is hope it’ll draw the same high-caliber entertainers.
The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles all played at the former dome.
More than 20 acts are already booked for the new dome’s inaugural season including Alison Krauss and Union Station, Melissa Etheridge and Chicago.
The venue will be operated by the Oak View Group, with Live Nation managing the programming.
Tabatha Webster, who currently manages the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach for Live Nation, will also help oversee The Dome.
“It’s exciting, and we’re really looking forward to it,” Webster said. “Personally, I’m thrilled that we’re actually bringing this back.”
The venue has the capacity for 3,500, or 2,400 if the main floor has all its fixed seating according to Webster.
There are two levels of overlooks for box seat ticket holders, as well as 420 fixed seats in a balcony directly opposite the stage.
A VIP lounge and regular lounge will be on the second and third floors respectively.
Then there are the doors.
“So the hangar doors … open up to the outdoor space,” Webster said. “Its [design on the doors will be] a nod to our military community. And there’s nothing like it on the East Coast.”
The outdoor space will be able to accommodate an additional 1,500 people standing who will have a view directly into the venue.
Unlike the 20,000 seat amphitheater, there will be no LED screens recording the performers. Webster said they want to preserve the intimacy of the space.
Webster said the seating arrangements available will depend on the show.
“The flexibility of this space really allows us to bring artists back to the Oceanfront that may have missed our market altogether,” Webster said.
There will be several bars and restaurants inside the venue as well as unique design elements.
Those attending a show will walk into the lobby down a long hallway with a parametric wall.
“So we were talking about … what made the dome of the past special, [and it] was really its architecture,” Webster said. “And we’ve really tried to bring that back to life in the new version of the dome. So the parametric walls is really fluid and mimics the waves of the ocean that is two blocks away from us.”
The Dome is just one of the anchors of Atlantic Park, a mixed-use $350 million development covering 12 acres between 18th and 20th streets between Pacific and Baltic avenues at the Oceanfront.
Aside from The Dome, a 2.68-acre surf lagoon, 300 apartments, a boutique hotel, shops, restaurants and two parking garages are aimed to elevate the energy at Virginia Beach’s Oceanfront while also helping the resort become a year-round destination.
It’s the largest tourism-related public-private partnership in city history. The city is pitching in more than $153 million, while a development team consisting of Venture Realty Group, W.M. Jordan Construction, Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams, Bishard Development and Priority Title/H20 Investments are funding the rest.
