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“We’re on a mission…”
The Legendary Blues Brothers Band took the stage on Saturday, August 5th to commemorate the opening of the state of the art Orange County Great Park. An epic undertaking by the City of Irvine and Fivepoint Communities, the 14 year project was debuted to the general public with special events that ended with a live concert by the iconic 1980 film’s headline duo.
Partnered along with a powerful ensemble of talent, Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd rocked through the over hour long show with plenty of blues hits that included songs from the original film. The band also payed their respects and tribute to the late John Belushi, who lived on through the night’s performance.
Fans got to participate in the show, singing and dancing along with the stars on stage and in the crowds.
The show took place in the newly created Soccer Stadium located in the heart of the park, which will be one of countless facilities used for major sporting events as well as concerts, benefits, and other community activities. 53 acres of the grounds are complete, with plans for massive expansion still underway. When completed, the facility will be home to more than 194 acres of sports and outdoor activities.
The rest of the grounds are slated to open in Spring 2018.
On the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, both the Mayor of Irvine, Donald Wagner, and the CEO of Fivepoint Communities, Emile Haddad, were excited to bring the Blues Brothers and the park to the public spotlight. “This is just the start,” said Wagner. “This is going to be your great park. I couldn’t be happier to welcome you here”.
Closing out the night, The Blues Brothers came back on stage for a special encore performance. Cheers of “Elwood” coaxed the band back onto the stage and to the crowd’s delight, another signature song was performed along with a large line of fans from the audience to send the park off to a new future and promising start.
To learn more about the Orange County Great Park, as well as future events, please visit the City of Irvine’s web page at http://www.cityofirvine.org/orange-county-great-park.