Live Nation now owns The Van Buren and Stateside Presents
Live Nation Entertainment is now the sole owner of the downtown Phoenix music venue the Van Buren.
The global entertainment giant also has acquired sole ownership of Stateside Presents, the concert promotions company that has booked live music at several metro Phoenix venues since 1995.
Live Nation initially partnered with Charlie Levy and Stateside on the 1,850-capacity Van Buren, which opened in August 2017 on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Van Buren Street.
Live Nation’s holdings also include Arizona FederalTheatre and Ak-Chin Pavilion.
The change of ownership, which has already taken effect, is a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the concert industry to shut down in March of 2020.
‘I don’t expect them to miss a beat’
The Van Buren has yet to reopen and Stateside Presents hasn’t staged any shows since then.
“Because of everything that happened in the past year and the timing issues, they have bought my half out,” Levy says.
“I still have a really good relationship with everyone at Live Nation. Obviously, the staff at Van Buren are friends of mine. They are amaz
ing people, consummate professionals. They might be one of the best crews in the country that runs a large club. And I don’t expect them to miss a beat.”
Levy and partners still owns part of Crescent Ballroom and Valley Bar
Levy remains a part-owner of his other downtown Phoenix music venues — Crescent Ballroom, a 550-capacity venue that opened in 2011, and Valley Bar, a 250-capacity basement club that opened in 2015.
Those venues always have been owned by Levy and his partners in an ownership group and “will be in the future,” he says.
“Crescent and Valley Bar have always been open to all promoters in town, from Psyko Steve to Universatile to Stateside to Live Nation and also self-promoted shows,” Levy says.
“So nothing’s really gonna change. It’s really been about making sure that Crescent Ballroom and Valley Bar have great artists on stage.”
Asked how it feels to move into this new chapter of his life, Levy says, “I don’t think like that. Crescent is coming up on its 10th anniversary and I’m still gonna be working with great people booking great music. It’s nothing bad. Things happened because of last year but I’m still doing shows and, you know, everything’s okay.”
He just got out of a two-hour booking meeting, Levy says, with Angela Donato, part-owner and general manager of Crescent Ballroom, and Nick Abbott, the
talent buyer, about when Crescent and Valley Bar will reopen and starting to fill out the calendar.
“So I’m very busy, still doing the same thing,” he says.
“I have my hands full with Crescent and Valley Bar, doing a lot of special events and projects and still working, obviously, with Live Nation and the Stateside crew on shows at the Van Buren. I’m not going to Sedona, buying an Airstream and doing Transcendental Meditation anytime soon.”