The Junior Seau Pier Amphitheatre is a public entertainment and recreation complex located at the foot of the

Oceanside Pier The Oceanside Pier is a wooden pier in Oceanside, California Oceanside is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city had a population of 174,068 at the 2020 Un ...

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city had a population of 174,068 at the 2020 United States census, making it the most populous city in the Nort ...

. Formerly known as the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater, also known as Oceanside Bandshell, the complex was renamed in 2012 posthumously in honor of football player

Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; ; January 19, 1969 – May 2, 2012) was an American professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate ...

. Seau was a hometown hero to Oceanside, especially its Samoan community.

History

The Oceanside Bandshell (the original name for the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater) was constructed in 1937 as a project of the federal

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

and significantly altered in 1950. The current structure is the third in a series of bandshells or amphitheaters at that location, the first one built in 1919 and the second in 1927. The amphitheater is a local landmark, located right on the beach. It has permanent benches for 1500 people and room for an additional 1000 folding or temporary chairs. It has been used to host large concert events, movies, awards ceremonies, and other local events for many years. It serves as the graduation venue for

Oceanside High School Oceanside High School is an American public secondary school located in Oceanside, California. It is part of the Oceanside Unified School District (OUSD). OUSD on-post properties of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton are assigned to this high sc ...

and hosts other annual events such as

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States, federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the End of slavery in the United States, ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's n ...

and

Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo (; ) is an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. Zaragoza died months after the battle from an illness, ho ...

celebrations. It has hosted an annual

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event, typically held in the afternoon, featuring the consumption of tea and light refreshments. Social tea drinking rituals are observed in many cultures worldwide, both historically and in the present day. A ...

anti-tax rally on or around April 15th since 2010, and a salute to the military called "Operation Appreciation" every May since 2002. It has played host to a number of well-known musical acts, including

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, Singing, vocals) and Patrick Carney (Drum kit, drums). The duo began as an Independent music, independent act, record ...

and

Creedence Clearwater Revisited Creedence Clearwater Revisited was an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 by bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford, Doug "Cosmo" Clifford, former members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, to play live versions of that band's music. ...

. The bandshell was featured in the film '' Bring It On'' as a venue for a cheerleading competition.

Renaming

Junior Seau Beach Community Center Dedication

On May 16, 2012, the Oceanside City Council voted to name the amphitheatre, as well as its beach community center, in honor of

. Seau was an Oceanside native of Samoan descent. He graduated from Oceanside High School and played professional football for the hometown

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

for 13 seasons. He committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

at his home in Oceanside on May 2, 2012. Seau used to lead children through a weekly exercise routine at the amphitheater. The complex is just a few blocks from Seau's home. The Junior Seau Pier Amphitheatre and Junior Seau Beach Community Center were officially dedicated on July 7, 2012 as part of the final day of Oceanside's 2012 Samoan Cultural Celebration. The featured speaker was United States Representative

Eni Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr. ( ; August 15, 1943 – February 22, 2017) was an American Samoan politician and attorney who served as the territory's third lieutenant governor, from 1985 to 1989 and non-voting delegate to the United State ...

(D-

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em Monuments and memorials in California Amphitheaters in California Oceanside, California 1919 establishments in California Event venues established in 1919