Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster, Former Enemies, Launch Bid to Revamp Seattle Arena

Pearl Jam have a bitter history with Ticketmaster, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to work with the company on the right projects. The band’s manager, Kelly Curtis, has reportedly signed on with Ticketmaster and Live Nation to secure the contract to overhaul Seattle’s KeyArena, according to Billboard. Current operator AEG is also bidding to renew its contract. The band are apparently looking to improve the sound quality of the venue: “They don’t love the acoustics,” said Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke, who is working with Live Nation on the project. “But they love Seattle, and they want us to design it so that it’s just exactly like the music experience at [Madison Square Garden].”

Curtis and Live Nation have also reportedly teased the potential for a Pearl Jam residency at the new space, if they win the contract. While Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster seem to have made peace, that didn’t stop David Letterman from referring to the company as “bloodthirsty weasels” while inducting the grunge band into the Rock Hall of Fame earlier this month.

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