Gibson Amphitheatre, Concert hall and amphitheatre in Universal City, United States.
Gibson Amphitheatre was an indoor theatre in Universal City with 6,251 seats in curved tiers of red upholstered seats facing a raised stage with a pale grey floor and black side drapes. A dark ceiling held recessed lights, and red-carpeted steps with white stripes and a red metal handrail led down through the seating.
Construction began in 1969 on a daytime arena for a western stunt show, completed in 1971; a tour guide's suggestion led to the first concert, Jesus Christ Superstar, on June 28, 1972. A two-year renovation from 1980 added the roof and raised seating to 6,251. The hall closed on September 6, 2013, with Pepe Aguilar's concert, and was demolished on September 25, 2013.
The venue opened as Universal Amphitheatre and took the Gibson name in early 2005, when Gibson Guitar Corporation acquired naming rights with Universal and House of Blues. From 1991 to 2002 it was the ceremony venue for the Academy of Country Music Awards, and it also hosted the MTV Movie Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and Teen Choice Awards.
Visitors entered through Universal CityWalk with several parking garages located nearby. A box office on site offered ticket sales on performance days.
The site's replacement, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2016, three years after the amphitheatre came down. The land was built on the footprint of the hall and its surrounding area, so nothing of the 6,251-seat auditorium remains above ground.
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