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Live Nation reports strong attendance, upgrades and new sponsorship at Virginia Beach venues
Summary
Live Nation general manager Tabitha Webster told the authority that 2025 brought 160,000 amphitheater attendees (two sellouts) and sizeable city rent/tax revenue; 2026 capital projects and a new Rudder Mills title sponsorship at the Dome were detailed along with high fan-satisfaction scores.
Live Nation’s Tabitha Webster told the Virginia Beach Development Authority on April 14 that venue operations generated substantial attendance and city revenue in 2025 and outlined capital work and programming for 2026.
"We welcomed 160,000 fans to the doors with an average attendance of 10,000 per show and generated $2,400,000 in rent and taxes to the city," Webster said, summarizing the amphitheater’s 2025 season. She said the venue hosted 26 shows in 2025, including sellouts, and that Live Nation’s investments — from HVAC replacement and stage-light upgrades to parking expansion and bollard installation — included cost-shares with the authority.
Webster reviewed shared capital projects planned for 2026, including a replaced walk-in cooler and a merchandise-stand refresh. Live Nation is also adding premium seating inventory, expanding VIP-club amenities and rolling out concessions and linear-bar upgrades to improve speed of service.
On fan experience, Webster said post-event surveys ranked the amphitheater near the top nationally for venues. "We scored a 94% on overall venue safety as very good or excellent," she said, and noted similar scores for cleanliness and staff performance. Webster also reviewed the Dome by Rudder Mills, which opened May 4, 2025: the venue hosted 46 promoted events in its inaugural year, drew more than 96,000 fans and generated about $1,000,000 in rent, ticket taxes and capital funding.
Webster announced a new title sponsorship for the Dome with Rudder Mills, which will bring updated signage and branding to the venue and is pending permit work. She noted industry recognition and awards for the Dome’s design and sustainability and said more shows are planned for the season.
The authority thanked Webster for the update; board members asked no substantive budget or contract questions during the presentation. The authority will consider any associated contract or permit actions through standard administrative channels.
