St Kilda Triangle: Live Nation plan Palace Foreshore Covid-safe concerts in 2022

Melbourne’s live music scene is set to be reignited in summer with a pop-up Covid-safe outdoor concert venue to be built on the St Kilda foreshore.

Live Nation wants to run a similar version of its April Sun festival at the St Kilda Triangle in early 2022. Picture: Rick Clifford

Big names are set to bring a much-needed boost to Melbourne’s Covid-battered live music scene in a large foreshore carpark this summer.

Port Philip councillors on Wednesday night unanimously approved promoter Live Nation’s Palace Foreshore concert series for February and March at the St Kilda Triangle.

The touring giant, which operates the nearby Palais Theatre, will build a temporary $2.6m pop-up venue with capacity for up to 6500 fans per show.

It will be potentially used for the council’s St Kilda Festival on February 13, and then host 10 concerts over two weeks until mid-March, followed by another 10 concerts in November and December 2022.

The line-up is tipped to be similar to Live Nation’s April Sun festival held in the same space earlier in the year, which featured high profile Australian acts such as G-Flip, You Am I, The Church, Leo Sayer and Marcia Hines.

G-Flip was one of the artists to perform at Live Nation's April Sun festival in St Kilda. Picture: Rick Clifford

Iva Davies of Icehouse at St Kilda Festival in 2020. The 2022 festival could be held just before another planned concert series at the St Kilda triangle. Picture: Supplied.

You Am I performing at the April Sun festival in St Kilda in April 2021. Picture: Rick Clifford

The proposal was amended after nearby traders and management from Luna Park and The Stokehouse restaurant expressed concerns over the amount of carparking space taken up by the festival site.

Live Nation originally proposed to take up all but 19 spots at the 316-space carpark, but then agreed to make 160 spots available after talks with traders.

Port Phillip Mayor Louise Crawford said the concert series “ticks so many boxes for people who haven’t worked in over a year” and would go some way to helping the local music industry “survive and flourish”.

Cr Andrew Bond said the concerts would be a good test for the feasibility of building a permanent music venue at the site, which was the former home of the old Palace nightclub.

“This space is way too valuable to be used just as a carpark,” he said.

“These are such good events … everything about St Kilda is captured in these events with live music and crowds.

“We are Melbourne’s playground and we have such a strong role to play in this space.”

Live Nation’s vice president of touring Luke Hede said the concerts were designed to “give work to an industry that was first to close and the last to open up again” following the pandemic.

“The Palais has been essentially closed for the last 12 months, and this gives opportunities to our suppliers, ushers, security and partners who have been unable to work,” he said.

Live Nation is also planning to partner with Sacred Heart Mission and Reclink to provide fundraising and internship opportunities during the festival.