{"id":69248,"date":"2026-07-25T15:12:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T15:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/25\/mumford-and-sons-ben-lovett-on-reopening-pacific-electric\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T15:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T15:12:30","slug":"mumford-and-sons-ben-lovett-on-reopening-pacific-electric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/25\/mumford-and-sons-ben-lovett-on-reopening-pacific-electric\/","title":{"rendered":"Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett on Reopening Pacific Electric"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tMumford and Sons\u2019 Ben Lovett has been curating experiences since his sixth birthday party. While other kids his age were doling out loot bags stuffed with Bazooka bubble gum and slap bracelets, Lovett was recording his favorite music on cassette tapes as party favors. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to guide people through some sort of an experience that I can make sure is optimal, fun, and meaningful,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Lovett, 39, is best known as a keyboardist and songwriter in the U.K. band, he\u2019s also been showing people a good time in other ways for the last decade \u2014 specifically, by building and opening music venues<\/a> across the United States with his company, TVG Hospitality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn March, he opened the doors to Pacific Electric, a 750-capacity venue in downtown Los Angeles. The building garnered buzz across town, particularly for breaking ground in an area that is still recovering from the effects of Covid-19. And while Lovett isn\u2019t the first intrepid businessperson to venture to this commercial space, which borders Chinatown and the L.A. River, he is hopeful that Pacific Electric will evolve with the community, serving both locals and newcomers for years to come.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs we chat on a Zoom call, he\u2019s on his way to the airport to catch a flight to Atlanta. <\/strong>We talk about what makes a neighborhood change, and how venues can help anchor a community\u2019s culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s not that many [music venues] if you really break it down,\u201d Lovett says. \u201cOften cities are made up of a handful of these spaces that define them. Behind each one of those there was a person or group of people with a dream and a vision. Then bars, restaurants, retail stores, record stores, and thrift stores pop up, and then people choose to live nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis brings him to a larger point: \u201cI think we often lose track of how simple we are as human beings. Weirdly, to get to that simple truth, you need to work through a bunch of complications to then make things simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s a challenge facing many who look to unveil new and restored music venues across the country. It might be a simple idea, but the details \u2014 the city permits, the construction, the opening, and then the unknown of whether this new space will revitalize, strengthen, or displace the community \u2014 are always much more complex. It\u2019s an especially difficult task today, as the live music<\/a> industry struggles in an era where rising costs of basic necessities such as housing, healthcare, gas prices, and groceries have created an affordability crisis<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tNightclubs and smaller concert venues continue to close<\/a> across the country, while most of the revenue for live events goes to major artists on arena and stadium tours. To some, renovating and reopening a midsize concert hall in 2026 is a perilous venture. So why do it?<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf you look at the business plan for someone who wants to be a concert promoter, it\u2019s pretty insane,\u201d Mary Conde, senior vice president of Another Planet Entertainment (APE), says. \u201cYou have no guarantee of any income and you put up all the money. What kind of business plan is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2022, a century after it first opened, APE signed on for a $41 million restoration of San Francisco\u2019s historic Castro Theatre. It was a massive undertaking after decades of physical deterioration. Original pieces of architect Timothy L. Pflueger\u2019s building were in disarray; clay tiles had disintegrated, water in the theater\u2019s basement had led to erosion, and rebar was covered in decades of rust. \u201cAsbestos was very popular in the Twenties. So was lead paint,\u201d Conde says. \u201cIt was a building that really needed an intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the construction period, some residents were concerned about APE\u2019s involvement with the venue. But Conde notes that before the rehabilitation, the theater lacked many modern-day commonplaces: ADA access was nonexistent, as was central air conditioning. \u201cIn 10 or 15 years, [the venue] would have started crumbling,\u201d she says. \u201cIt needed to be rescued.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tThe reopened Castro Theatre in San Francisco aims for inclusivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJosh Withers*<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tAfter five years of renovations, the Castro Theatre officially reopened<\/a> in February with a residency from singer Sam Smith. The venue has continued to operate as a concert hall and movie theater, honoring its historical roots with queer programming. They\u2019ve retained Pfleuger\u2019s original flourishes, and the entire building, from the orchestra to the dressing rooms, are finally ADA-accessible. They\u2019ve also installed the world\u2019s largest symphonic digital organ. \u201cWe\u2019ve really made it a place where we want it to be inclusive,\u201d Conde says. The first few events included community fundraisers and screenings with Castro Community Benefit District and Oasis Arts.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPeople think of the Castro Theatre like a chapel. It\u2019s a revered space in the LGBTQ+ pantheon of history,\u201d Conde says. \u201cWe want that to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile fan experiences remain a top priority, those helming these venues also want artists to remember these spaces when the time comes to plan their next tour. \u201cI had a bit of a revelation when touring, when [Mumford and Sons] were coming up through the different spaces,\u201d Lovett says. \u201cYou spend so much time on the road. It doesn\u2019t cost that much more to bring some of those hotel-level amenities to the back of house, where the artists are spending the majority of their day outside of soundcheck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAn artist checking into the green room of Pacific Electric might feel like they\u2019re stepping into an issue of Architectural Digest<\/em>. The usual dingy couch and worn coffee table have been replaced by a full-on suite, complete with a skylight, piano, coffee, bar, and a walk-in shower. There\u2019s even a similar, smaller room for the opening act.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s about treating artists with respect,\u201d Lovett says. \u201cIf the artist is happy, then they\u2019re gonna go onstage and play harder and be more relaxed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPacific Electric\u2019s senior general manager, Stacey Levine, backs that concept and calls Lovett someone with a \u201cgreat big vision.\u201d Looking back at the venue\u2019s beginnings, Levine says, \u201cIt was really amazing to watch that come to fruition because Ben definitely had a lot of hand in the design and how he wanted it to feel \u2014a really fan-forward and artist-forward space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tStable Hall, which opened in January 2024, takes a similar approach. Located in San Antonio\u2019s Pearl, a downtown neighborhood home to a blossoming culinary scene, Stable Hall has been booked by Dayglo Presents since 2025, but the building was first constructed in 1894 as quarters for the Pearl Brewing Company\u2019s horses. Renovations on the venue cost $11 million, and include brand-new sound systems, six bars, and configurations for multiple seating charts, maxing out at a capacity of 1,000.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf I book this room and I put somebody in here, are they going to want to come back?\u201d Hannah Gold, the head talent buyer for Stable Hall, says. She trusts that the venue will leave a strong impression on artists, from the sound quality to the green room catering. \u201cI know that I\u2019m not going to get weird phone calls at 2 a.m. from a disgruntled tour manager.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLike the Castro Theatre, Stable Hall pays reverence to the past. \u201cI think it\u2019s really important to honor and restore things and keep these pieces of our history in place,\u201d Gold says. \u201cIt\u2019s really important we don\u2019t erase all of that stuff, because that is what makes a place unique, honors its history, and makes it enjoyable to spend time in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Pacific Electric, part of their business model centers on welcoming all promoters and not keeping it exclusive to one company. It\u2019s a full-circle moment for Lovett, who describes the venue as \u201ca contemporary indie rock & roll club.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tLovett likes to compare the experience of stepping into a music venue to listening to a great song. \u201cSome of the best things you don\u2019t want to end,\u201d he says. \u201cYou might notice a lyric or a countermelody on a guitar that you don\u2019t hear the first time. The song reveals itself subsequently. I like that in design, as well \u2014 how you can build up layers and storytelling in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe adds that Pacific Electric reminds him of his own youth in the late Nineties and early 2000s. \u201cI just loved that era of my life,\u201d Lovett says. \u201cIt felt non-conformist and free. I want Pacific Electric to be there for L.A., where fans and musicians feel like they can be fully expressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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