Firstmerit Bank Pavilion

The FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island (formerly the Charter One Pavilion) is an outdoor amphitheater located on the man-made peninsula, Northerly Island, in Chicago, Illinois. Opening June 2005, the venue is a temporary structure, with the season running from June until September. Known as the "Venue with a View", the amphitheater has views of Lake Michigan, Burnham Harbor, Soldier Field and the Chicago Skyline. With his new advent of the nature reserve to replace Meigs Field, the Chicago Park District proposed an outdoor music venue, similar to the Ravinia Pavilion. Construction began in December 2004. Since the venue would be located on the nature reserve, the structure erected in June and disassembled in September of each year. The venue was designed by Mark Dewalt of Valerio Dewalt Train Associates; costing $1.7 million to construct.[3] The amphitheater features a 56'x40' feet stage with 15'x20' feet video screens on either side of the stage. It features three grandstands (totaling 3,666 seats) and a general admission area (totaling 4,500 seats). The Chicago Park District receives roughly $250,000 from the venue (through sponsorship deals) and $1 from every ticket sold during concert season. The venue opened June 24, 2005, with a concert by American band, Earth, Wind & Fire.