The News-Journal is reporting that concert giant LiveNation will manage The Queen Theatre in downtown Wilmington.
LiveNation officials in Los Angeles did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The entertainment giant has been gaining management deals at mid-sized music venues in the Philadelphia market and also operates the better-known House of Blues chain.
Live Nation recently agreed to manage The Met, a concert hall in Philadelphia known for its acoustics. The hall will undergo a renovation project.
Delaware Business Now earlier reported that the House of Blues was a possibility for the historic theater that was reopened as a music and dining after being closed for decades.
A House of Blues in Atlantic was shuttered when the Showboat Casino in beach city was closed in 2014.
A spokesman for LiveNation would not rule out the possibility. However, live music observers noted that the House of Blues typically operates in larger venues than the Queen.
LiveNation itself continued to be rumored as an operator of the historic property.
Early this year, a News-Journal report touched off a brief furor with a report that World Café Live, the previous operator of The Queen, would end its contract in mid-May. The report briefly led to doubt about the future of the theater.
World Café Live operates a concert facility in Philadelphia that is tied to the “indie” music offerings of public FM station WXPN.
However, city officials and theater developer Buccini/Pollin Group quickly responded that The Queen would continue with a bigger and better array of music offerings.
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Buccini/Pollin confirms Queen will remain a live music venue
