Jay-Z will open renovated Hollywood Palladium on Oct. 15

Who’s big enough to throw some attention back on the venerable Hollywood Palladium, which has been shuttered for most of the last year while undergoing a complete makeover? Think of a rapper whose name rhymes with cray-zee, which is what hip-hop fans are likely to go at the prospect of catching one of the genre’s biggest names in a facility with a maximum capacity of about 4,000.

Yes, Jay-Z will bring his game to the Palladium on Oct. 15, backed by a 12-piece band. Tickets will go on sale Sept. 5.

The goal of the renovation by facility operator Live Nation is to restore it to the state it was in when it opened Sept. 23, 1940, with a performance by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and that big band’s on–the-rise singer, one Frank Sinatra, who was then about 18 months away from scoring his first chart hit under his own name.

“I’m honored to play such an iconic venue,” Jay-Z said in a statement issued today. "Just as Frank ushered in a golden era, I hope this opening will mark the beginning of a resurgence in generation-defining live music.”

The renovation covers the entire interior and exterior of the venue, with a new dance floor, a new façade replicating the original architecture and other changes made in keeping with the building’s original look, Live Nation officials said.

Among those who have performed at the Palladium in recent decades have been the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Metallica, Public Enemy, the Sex Pistols, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and No Doubt.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Ennio Leanza/EPA

Comments

[JustUs n Piece]

Where are the tickets going to be sold at? Will there be any pre-sale? There isn't any info on the Live Nation website.

[brad]

Tickets go on sale Friday, September 5 at 10am. You probably won't find the show listed on ticketmaster.com or livenation.com for a few days yet, but that is definitely the on sale date.