Santa Barbara Bowl
The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California. The amphitheater is open for concerts from approximately April through approximately October with an average of about 27 concerts per season. Booked exclusively by Goldenvoice in Los Angeles, the Bowl hosts primarily popular music concerts. Since 1991, the Santa Barbara Bowl has been managed by the not-for-profit Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation.
History
It was carved into the hillside, in 1936, as a WPA project. It was originally built as the home for the final pageant of Old Spanish Days — Fiesta.The amphitheater's original stage was a revolving wooden stage, but this was washed out during El Niño rains in 1939. The stage was replaced with a concrete slab that remained in place until renovation work in 2001.
Prominent concerts
's 1980 double live album and concert film, Shadows and Light, was recorded at the venue in September 1979 on the tour supporting her Mingus album. Her all-star backing band was made up of prominent jazz fusion musicians Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, and Michael Brecker.The British band Tears For Fears performed at the amphitheatre in May 1990, which was filmed for their Going To California concert video.
In 1979 on behalf of his Survival tour, Bob Marley and The Wailers performed at the bowl.
Renovations
The Santa Barbara Bowl has undergone over $42 million in renovations since the establishment of the Foundation in 1991.| Year | Renovation Project |
| 1991 | Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors regained control of the Bowl from Old Spanish Days |
| 1992 | Renovation and Restoration Master Plan developed by the Foundation |
| 1994 |
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| 1995 | |
| 2000 | |
| 2002 | The stage and backstage facilities reconstructed increasing the overall usable square footage by +300% |
| 2003 | Seating Upgrades |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | |
| 2006 |