Steelhouse Omaha
Steelhouse Omaha is a live music venue managed by Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) that brings exciting tours to Omaha booked by Steelhouse’s exclusive promoter, Live Nation.
LOCATION
Between Dodge St. and Capitol Ave., from 11th to 12th streets
CAPACITY
Flexible space to accommodate audiences up to 3,000
PARTNERSHIP
O-pa has partnered with Live Nation as the exclusive promoter for the venue
COMPLETION
Opened Friday, May 12, 2023
Steelhouse Facts and Figures
- O-pa’s third venue
- Up to 3,000 standing capacity - flexible space
- No similar capacity venue in Omaha
- Steelhouse Omaha is for everyone with a focus on the 18-45 age demographic.
- Activates significant community investments – Riverfront Revitalization, Capitol District, and Builder’s District
- Project team: Ennead Architects (New York), Holland Basham Architects, Fisher Dachs (New York) theater consultants and Threshold Acoustics (Chicago), and Kiewit Building Group.
- UNL Impact Study – annual economic impact of $13M with estimated attendance of 155,000
- Cost: $104.1 million dollars. Privately funded, plus $1.1 million from the City of Omaha.
- Unique performance space will provide the opportunity to present new and innovative programs in non-traditional layouts. It will also provide an exciting place for local artists and community groups to innovate and create.
Steelhouse Construction Timeline
News & Updates
Steelhouse Omaha Ready to Rock
The Killers to Open O-pa’s New Music Venue, Week of Community Events to Follow
OMAHA, NE (May 12, 2023) – Omaha Performing Arts’ (O-pa) new live music venue opens on Friday, May 12, with a sold-out show featuring The Killers. Steelhouse Omaha will expand the music scene in Omaha by adding a mid-size venue designed and built to focus on the experiences of artists and fans. The concert kicks off a variety of opening events over eight days.
Located at 11th and Dodge Streets in downtown Omaha, Steelhouse will present touring acts who previously bypassed the city by providing a venue that accommodates up to 3,000 fans. Under an exclusive promoter partnership with Live Nation, Steelhouse will feature both up and coming bands and established performers from a wide variety of genres including alternative, rock, hip hop, indie, rap, heavy metal, mixed genres, and more. Steelhouse will also provide local artists and organizations with the opportunity to present programs in non-traditional layouts.
“Steelhouse Omaha puts the city on the regional music map by providing an incredible concert experience,” Joan Squires, president of O-pa said. “We’re grateful to our donors and the City of Omaha who contributed to build this fabulous venue, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone!”
Steelhouse offers unique backstage rooms and lounges for musicians and their crews to have comfortable spaces off the tour buses, as well as a commercial kitchen that can provide top level catering and food service. The venue has an enclosed loading dock built to accommodate two semitrucks with easy access to the stage. The sound and lighting systems provide “plug and play” state-of-the-art equipment.
The sound environment of Steelhouse is the first of its kind for this type of venue and will provide a unique concert experience. Every element in the room was designed to optimize amplified sound across all frequencies, with specific attention to enveloping fans in the music. Additionally, multiple bars are inside the concert hall offering easy access to food and beverages during the performance.
Steelhouse’s unique design was created by NYC-based architecture firm Ennead Architects, original designers of the Holland Center. Other project team members included Holland Basham Architects, Threshold Acoustics, and Fisher Dachs. Kiewit Building Group constructed the venue and project management was provided by TRI Project Solutions.
Steelhouse will further activate the expansion of downtown Omaha from the Old Market to the south through the revitalized Gene Leahy Mall to the Capitol District to the north and will support attracting and retaining the workforce by providing another key entertainment option. An impact study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln estimates the annual economic impact of Steelhouse to be $13M.
More information about Steelhouse Omaha, upcoming events, and tickets can be found at steelhouseomaha.com.
Steelhouse Omaha Opening Activities Announced
Open house, free concerts, hip hop dance battles, and immersive family events
OMAHA, Neb. – (March 1, 2023) – Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) has announced a variety of community concerts and activities at Steelhouse Omaha during
the opening week.
“To celebrate Steelhouse Omaha’s opening, we wanted to present a wide variety of events and concerts to welcome everyone to Omaha’s newest venue,” said Joan Squires, O-pa President.
“In addition to the touring bands we’re presenting, we’ve invited local, national and international artists to perform for families and the entire community. We hope that everyone will join us for the festivities!”
Following the sold-out grand opening with The Killers, Steelhouse will host a community open house, Hip Hop Lab, and a family weekend with Compagnia TPO’s “Butterflies” and Squonk Opera’s “Hand to Hand”.
Detailed schedule below:
Sunday, May 14, 2023 – Open House – FREE
11:00 am – 5:00 pm – FREE public tours
Performances – FREE (no ticket required)
12:00 – 12:30 pm Central
High School Jazz Band
1:00 – 1:30 pm Nebraska All Stars
2:00 – 2:30 pm Omaha Girls Rock
3:00 – 3:30 pm Salem Baptist Church Choir
4:00 – 4:45 pm Enjoli and Timeless
Friday, May 19, 2023 – O-pa Hip-Hop Lab – FREE
7:00 pm Hip-Hop Culture Talk
Artistic Advisor D. Jones, moderator
Da Beatminerz, Hi-Tek, D. Prosper, M-1, and DJ Crabrangucci, speakers
8:00 pm Hip-Hop Battle
Royale with DJ’s Da Beatminerz and DJ Crabrangucci
Omaha’s best dancers will compete for the top spot while DJ’s play the best Hip Hop of the 90s. Free event. Registration required to compete – available at ticketomaha.com.
Saturday, May 20, 2023, Sunday May 21, 2023 – Family Weekend
1:00 pm and 4:00 pm Compagnia TPO’s “Butterflies” and Squonk Opera’s “Hand to Hand”
Two immersive theater
experiences on the Steelhouse Omaha stage and outside patio. Interact with lights and sound inside and with two giant puppet hands outside for a unique and fun-filled afternoon. All ages welcome.
Tickets: General Admission $10 advanced,
$15 day of. On sale now at ticketomaha.com.
Visit ticketomaha.com or steelhouseomaha.com for more information.
About Compagnia TPO
Compagnia TPO is a pioneering, multi-disciplinary performance group that
melds music, dance, art, sculpture, digital media, lighting, and sound into a one-of-kind, interactive experience. In “Butterflies”, members of the audience participate with the actors and on the video projection set in the middle of the
Steelhouse floor.
About Squonk Opera
Squonk Opera’s “Hand to Hand” is propelled by 2 giant puppet hands, each the size of a house, and rigged like a sailing ship. Squonk's original rock music drives a
journey where both the band and the audience members come together to grab the rigging, each individual powering movement of giant fingers.
The Killers to Open Steelhouse Omaha
Renowned Global Band will launch Omaha’s Newest Music Venue on May 12Omaha, NE (February 13, 2023) – Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) announced today that The Killers will officially open Steelhouse Omaha on May 12, 2023, launching two weeks of opening activities.
“The Killers are considered one of the biggest artists of the 21st century and we are excited to welcome them to open Steelhouse Omaha on May 12,” Joan Squires, O-pa president said. “We wanted to present an incredible opening evening that will demonstrate how we’re adding to Omaha’s entertainment options. We’re grateful to our donors and the City of Omaha who contributed to build this fabulous venue and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to Steelhouse Omaha!”
Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 17, at 10 AM at Ticketmaster.com. All tickets are $75 general admission.
Fans can be sure to get the most up-to-date information by:
- Texting “Steelhouse” to 833.407.0477
- Signing up for emails here
- Visiting SteelhouseOmaha.com
- Following Steelhouse Omaha on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tiktok
The opening weekend festivities will include more bands and performances, a community open house, and family activities. More information will be released in the coming weeks and additional concerts will be announced.
About The Killers
The Killers are a Las Vegas-based four-piece band who formed in 2003, featuring the talents of singer/keyboardist Brandon Flowers, drummer Ronnie Vannucci, guitarist Dave Keuning and bassist Mark Stoermer. The
band has received countless accolades for their artistic achievement, including multiple Grammy nominations, American Music Award nominations, MTV Video Music Awards, NME Awards and more. Their first album, Hot Fuss, was released in 2004 to worldwide
acclaim. The album contained the singles “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me,” in addition to the anthemic song “All These Things That I’ve Done,” which has since been referenced by the likes of U2.
The band has sold over twenty-five million albums worldwide and headlined all of the world’s top festivals (Coachella, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury). In 2021, The Killers released their eight album, Pressure Machine, a quieter, character-driven
document of life in small town America inspired by front man Brandon Flowers’ upbringing in rural Utah. In 2022, they embarked on their largest, sold-out tour to date, playing stadiums in North America and beyond.
About Steelhouse Omaha
Steelhouse Omaha is part of the planned expansion of O-pa’s art and entertainment campus near the Holland Center in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. It will accommodate audiences of up to 3,000. The $104.1M venue has been funded through private support
plus $1.1M from the City of Omaha. When it opens, Steelhouse is expected to have a transformational impact on the regional music scene, as well as the ongoing redevelopment of the city’s urban core and riverfront.
Steelhouse
Omaha is located at 1100 Dodge Street between 11th and 12th Streets and Dodge Street and Capitol Avenue. Project partners include Ennead Architects, Holland Basham Architects, Fisher Dachs, Threshold Acoustics, Kiewit Building Group and TRI Project
Solutions. Live Nation is the exclusive promoter for Steelhouse Omaha.
About O-pa
Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) is steward of two landmark venues – the Orpheum Theater and Holland Performing Arts Center, with
a third live music venue “Steelhouse Omaha” opening on May 12, 2023. O-pa presents a wide spectrum of performing arts, including Broadway, jazz, dance comedy, family, popular entertainment, and live music. With a commitment to inclusion,
diversity, equity and accessibility, O-pa serves a growing audience in Omaha and the region through a broad range of education and engagement opportunities. As Nebraska’s largest arts institution, O-pa is recognized as a leader both locally
and nationally.
Signs of Progress at Steelhouse Omaha
Marquees Rise Into Place
OMAHA, NE (November 4, 2022) – Exciting signs of progress continue at Omaha Performing Arts’ (O-pa) new live music venue, Steelhouse Omaha, under construction at 11th and Dodge Streets.
The latest milestone celebrates the large and small marquees lifted by crane into place at the main entrance on the Southeast corner. An Omaha area company, SIGNWORKS, worked with the Steelhouse project team to coordinate the heavy lifting and installation. The large marquee and frame weighs approximately 5,200 pounds and the smaller screen and frame weighs 1,500 pounds.
The Steelhouse marquees include digital sign technology from Watchfire that involves a tighter resolution that allows the images on the screen to be more life-like. The screen resolution utilizes clusters of LED lights that are six millimeters apart which is best for close viewing distances, like concert fans walking down Dodge Street or visitors to Gene Leahy Mall. As a comparison point, digital signs on interstates, where the sign will be installed at a great height
or are farther away from traffic, typically use a wider pixel spacing, like the nineteen-millimeter models.
Other recent milestones include the South and North exterior Steelhouse lights turning on and the concrete poured in the patio area on the Southwest end of Steelhouse.
The grand opening of Steelhouse is on Friday, May 12, 2023. The planning for the opening performance is underway and the details will be announced at a later date.
Steelhouse Omaha Signage Lights Come On
OMAHA, NE (October 17, 2022) – Steelhouse Omaha's lights turn on for the first time.
Steelhouse Omaha Opening Date Announced
Steelhouse Celebrates First-Anniversary of Ground-breaking
Friday, May 20 was the first anniversary of the groundbreaking for Steelhouse Omaha -- and we celebrated with stenciling for new signage on the Capitol Street side of the building! Doesn't it look amazing!? LIVE music coming to you in mid-2023!
Omaha Performing Arts Partners with Live Nation as Exclusive Promoter for Steelhouse Omaha
Omaha, NE (January 27, 2022) – Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) announced today that Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment company, will be the exclusive promoter for its new live music venue Steelhouse Omaha. Located at 12th and Dodge Streets, Steelhouse Omaha is scheduled to open in mid-2023.
“We know this is a growing live music market, and Steelhouse Omaha will be a spectacular new venue for artists to play in Nebraska,“ said Jason Wright, President of Live Nation Midwest. "There is a lot of opportunity to bring more concerts to the city, and we really value the partnership with Omaha Performing Arts.”
Omaha Performing Arts will be responsible for the management and staffing of Steelhouse Omaha. “In addition to the live events and performances that Live Nation will promote in the new building, there will also be opportunities for community organizations to utilize Steelhouse Omaha,“ Squires added.
Steelhouse Omaha is part of the planned expansion of O-pa’s art and entertainment campus near the Holland Performing Arts Center. It will provide flexible space to accommodate audiences of 1,500 to 3,000. The $104.1M venue has been funded with private support and $1.1M from the City of Omaha. When it opens in 2023, Steelhouse is expected to have a transformational impact on the regional music scene, as well as the ongoing redevelopment of the city’s urban core and riverfront.
Project partners include Kiewit Building Group, Ennead Architects of New York City, and Holland Basham Architects of Omaha.