New concert venue set to debut in Bridgeport

CONNECTICUT - Concerts are back and now there's a new intimate venue that was built specifically for music lovers in Westchester and Fairfield counties. 

Nestled along I-95 and the Metro-North line in Bridgeport, the venue was home to the noise of cracking bats for nearly 20 years. The former minor league baseball park now features a new sound: live music.

Jim Koplik – President of Live Nation CT and Upstate NY says there’s no seat that’s further than 50 yards from the stage.

Having been in the concert business since 1968, Koplick has teamed up with developer Howard Saffan to open the sustainably built: Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater.

With concerts halted through the pandemic... it allowed the developers more time to add luxurious touches to the venue like marble walls in the bathrooms and granite countertops throughout the stands.

Spending the past three years under construction, the nearly 6,000 seat amphitheater pays homage to its baseball roots - fitted with two dugout bars. Inside the venue, you're enveloped underneath a 12-story circus-top styled roof made up of 60-thousand square feet of fabric (all inspired by circus legend P.T. Barnum who lived in Bridgeport).

FILE - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, CT. (FOX 5 NY)

Individually, the steel cables that hold the roof together, can suspend up to 75 mid-size sedans, each. Fitted with a 100-ft. wide stage, the venue wasn’t just built with the fan’s experience in mind. The backstage area was crafted specifically for artists. Koplik met with artist managers to see what they would like to see backstage – and the team delivered with countless dressing rooms, an outdoor fireplace and massage room. The stars also have access to a one-of-a-kind artist suite.

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Opening night is Wednesday with REO Speedwagon and Styx!

Harry Connick Jr., Little Big Town and The Beach Boys are all set to perform this summer. Check out the full list of acts at LiveNation.com.

The Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport is easily accessible from Metro-North, car via I-95 or the Port Jefferson ferry.