The Microsoft Theater (formerly Nokia Theatre L.A. Live) is a music and theater venue in

downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

, California, at L.A. Live. The theater auditorium seats 7,100 and holds one of the largest indoor stages in the United States.

History

The theatre was designed by ELS Architecture and Urban Design of

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

on a commission by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) in 2002. It opened on October 18, 2007 with six concerts featuring The Eagles and The Dixie Chicks. On June 7, 2015, the Nokia Theatre was re-branded as Microsoft Theater as part of a new naming rights deal with AEG Live following

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washi ...

's acquisition of

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...

's mobile device business in 2014. As part of the new naming rights deal, the L.A. Live plaza was also renamed Microsoft Square (now Xbox Plaza), and Microsoft provided upgrades to the venue's technology.

Awards shows

Since its opening in 2007, the Microsoft Theater has become the venue of multiple entertainment industry awards shows, most notably the

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

Primetime Emmy Awards

Since 2008, the Microsoft Theater has been the venue of the annual

s ceremony after that show moved here from the Shrine Auditorium, except 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which take place a week before the Primetime Emmy Awards, are also held at the Microsoft Theater. Following the Emmy Awards telecast, the Governors Ball is held across the street at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Emmys will continue to be held at the Microsoft Theater through 2022 and possibly 2026.

Grammy Awards

In 2008 and 2011, the venue hosted ''The Grammy Nominations Live'', a concert announcing the nominees for the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s. The Grammy Awards take place annually across the street at the Crypto.com Arena, but the Premier Ceremony (also referred to as the "pre-telecast" ceremony) is held at the Microsoft Theater. Approximately 70 Grammy categories are awarded at the Premier ceremony which takes place prior to the main telecast which is televised, is held at the Microsoft Theater.

American Music Awards

Since 2007, the annual American Music Awards have been held here after moving from the Shrine Auditorium.

ESPY Awards

Since 2008, the ESPY Awards, honoring outstanding athletic achievement, have been held at this venue.

The Game Awards

From

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

-present (excluding 2020), the Microsoft Theater has hosted The Game Awards, presented by Geoff Keighley.

People's Choice Awards

The venue has also hosted the annual

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

from 2010 to 2017.

BET Awards

The annual BET Awards have been held at the venue from

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

to 2019, and 2021.

MTV Video Music Awards

The Microsoft Theater hosted the

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

, and

Radio Disney Music Awards

The venue has hosted the Radio Disney Music Awards from 2013 to 2017.

MTV Movie Awards

The Microsoft Theater hosted the MTV Movie Awards in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

and

iHeartRadio Music Awards

The Microsoft Theater hosted the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2019.

''Billboard'' Music Awards

The Microsoft Theater hosted the ''Billboard'' Music Awards in 2021.

Sports

The Microsoft Theater has also served as a sports venue. It has hosted boxing matches and will also serve as a venue during the 2028 Olympics.

Boxing

The venue has hosted

professional boxing Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

matches for circuits such as

Golden Boy Promotions Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. is an American boxing promotional firm based in Los Angeles, California. The company was established in 2002 by eight-time world champion (in six divisions) Oscar De La Hoya, borrowing his nickname "Golden Boy." His ...

and Premier Boxing Champions.

2028 Summer Olympics

The Microsoft Theater is set to host

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; pro ...

at the 2028 Summer Olympics. However, weightlifting might not be included at the games as the sport risks being dropped from the Olympic program by the IOC.

Other events

The theater has also been used by

and Nintendo multiple times for press conferences during E3. John Mayer played a concert at the theater on December 8, 2007 for the first revue of his Annual John Mayer Holiday Charity Revue, consisting of three separate performances: the first an acoustic set opened by Mayer and joined by the guitarists from his band, the second with the John Mayer Trio, and the third with Mayer's regular touring band. This was recorded and released as the

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

/ concert film '' Where the Light Is''. It was also the venue for the finale of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

'' from 2008 to 2014. Vocaloid character

Hatsune Miku , also called Miku Hatsune, and officially code-named CV01, is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media and its official anthropomorphic mascot character, a 16-year-old girl with long, turquoise twintails. Miku's pers ...

made her U.S. debut at the Microsoft Theater on July 2, 2011, as part of Anime Expo. She returned to the venue on October 11–12, 2014 as part of

Miku Expo Miku Expo is a series of world tours organized by Crypton Future Media starring the virtual singing software character Hatsune Miku. The performances include notable user-created Vocaloid songs and digital choreography of Miku dancing, projected on ...

LA 2014. Both concerts were sold out. Hatsune Miku returned for another performance on May 6, 2016, as part of her first North American tour. She once again returned to the Microsoft Theater as part of her second tour of North America on June 29, 2018. The popular children's musical show Yo Gabba Gabba! held their brand-new concert called: Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! There's a Party in my City! in 2011 which was filmed there. The 28th Annual

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

inductions were held at the Microsoft Theater on April 18, 2013. The ceremony was held at Microsoft Theater again in 2022. The inauguration ceremony for the 9th Summit of the Americas was held at the theater for world leaders and President Joe Biden in 2022. On December 11, 2022, Microsoft Theater hosted the inauguration for

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Karen Bass.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Music venues in Los Angeles Concert halls in California Theatres in Los Angeles Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles L.A. Live South Park (Downtown Los Angeles) Microsoft advertising campaigns Boxing venues in Los Angeles Mixed martial arts venues in California Music venues completed in 2007 Theatres completed in 2007 2000s architecture in the United States 2007 establishments in California 2007 in American music Venues of the 2028 Summer Olympics Olympic weightlifting venues