On the backside of a pandemic, three music venues will be coming online in 2022 and 2023. The Admiral is a conversion of the Omaha classic Sokol Auditorium. Omaha Performing Arts will be adding a mid-size venue called Steelhouse. And La Vista City Center is a getting a mixed indoor-outdoor venue overlooking the water.
The Admiral
[Note: if you’re wondering when will the Admiral open, so am I. Check twitter.com/theadmiralomaha for latest cancellations and construction updates. 4/22]
Sokol Auditorium has been a mainstay of South Omaha for about 95 years, originally as a gymnasium. It was never intended as a music venue it has lacked some of the modern conveniences needed to pull off a successful show. 1% Productions is stepping with a $2.5 million renovation to improve the facility. They will also be changing the name to the The Admiral and keep its approximate 1,400 person capacity (standing room).
South 13th Street/Little Bohemia is undergoing a revitalization similar to Blackstone about five years ago.
Marc Leibowitz and Jim Johnson started 1% Productions in 1997 with their first booked gig Ani DiFranco at Sokol. They are returning to their starting point. The duo also operate Waiting Room Lounge and Reverb Lounge in Benson.
What of the Sokol Underground? “It’s not going to be a music venue,” he said. “We’re demoing it at the same time as the auditorium, putting in infrastructure, HVAC, elevator and bathrooms, and then we will sit on it a little while.” [The Reader]
[didn’t open as planned…] Planned Opening: February 2022. Opening acts planned for the new venue are Manchester Orchestra (Mar 6, 2022) and Hippo Campus (Apr 21, 2022)
The Astro
A hybrid music venue that might host 2,500 guests inside and 5,000 outside in an amphitheater setting, The Astro gives La Vista City Centre its anchor. La Vista City Center is La Vista’s answer to the question “where is La Vista”. Much like the one hundred other mixed use urban neighborhoods developed around the city, the area is home to apartments, parking garages, trendy restaurants and office buildings that die after 5pm.
The Astro will have to face competition in ways that other venues around the metro won’t:
- Papillion, one town over, already has an SumTur Amphitheater
- Omaha’s Steelhouse is about the same size, and will draw national touring acts more easily
- Stir Cove already has a tested outdoor venue that is quite popular
- Ralston Arena, also one town over, has an arena that could host similar acts and has easier access
The same groups that are working on The Astro (1% Productions, Mammoth) are opening The Admiral, mentioned above. Combined with the Waiting Room, Reverb Lounge, and Bourbon Theater in Lincoln, NE, the group will manage if they successfully put the right acts at the right venues.
Planned opening: January 2023.
Steelhouse
Omaha Performing Arts is opening a new medium-sized music venue to complement the Holland Performing Arts building one block to the south. The venue also intends to fill a gap for venues this size. The metro has several venues for hundreds of guests and several arenas that can host 10,000 or more. The Steelhouse will seat 1,500 to 3,000.
Downtown Omaha has stiff competition for arts and entertainment, which is actually a boon to the Omaha market. The Omaha metro continues to see an increase in tourism from sports and conventions, and now music and arts scene as well. Between The Slowdown, CHI Health Center, The Orpheum, and the Holland Performing Arts, the new Steelhouse will capture those larger touring acts that usually pass up Omaha.
“The unique design of this venue, featuring the striking use of exterior steel cladding, will create a dynamic look that will help Steelhouse Omaha stand out in our downtown,” said Omaha Performing Arts President Joan Squires. “Once open, Steelhouse Omaha will transform our city’s music scene, drawing fans from across the region to enjoy a wide variety of music options.” [O-PA.org]
Planned opening: mid-2023.
Sources
- World Herald: 1% Productions to renovate, rename Omaha’s Sokol Auditorium
- O-PA: O-pa breaks ground on Steelhouse Omaha
- The Reader: History in the Making
