Live Nation to Host Concerts at New Jersey’s American Dream Mall

“We see a lot of potential here at American Dream to showcase a diverse lineup of entertainment options designed to enhance the customer experience and drive new audiences to the entertainment and retail center,” Geoff Gordon, president of the Northeast region for Live Nation, said in a statement.

The first batch of concerts starts on May 7 with a performance from rapper Ludacris, and includes J.I. on June 17, Two Friends on June 18, Lil Tjay on July 22, Sheck Wes on Aug. 13 and Band-Maid on Oct. 30.

“A partnership with Live Nation takes our property to a new level,” Don Ghermezian, CEO of American Dream owner Triple 5, said in a statement. “The impact and value Live Nation brings as our content provider gives artists another unique platform to inspire their fans.”

Aside from the Live Nation partnership, the 3.1 million-square-foot American Dream in late 2021 inked a 20,000-square-foot lease with the recently revived Toy “R” Us to open its first new standalone store since bankruptcy in 2017 and a 40,000-square-foot deal with the Skip Barber Racing School to open its first indoor go-karting academy.

The $5.7 billion American Dream took nearly two decades to build but finally opened in October 2019, months before the pandemic hit the United States.

The mall reopened in October 2020 and has seen a steady increase in shoppers. However, the mall has been mired in debt — recently hiring legal and financial advisers to help it pare down its $3 billion in debt — and has struggled to make bond payments.

In February, American Dream nearly cleaned out its reserve account to make a $9.3 million bond payment, leaving only $820 in the fund, Bloomberg reported.

The mall posted $82.5 million in sales from October to December 2021, the most recent numbers available, a slight decrease from the $83 million it pulled in the three months prior, according to public bond documents.

Nicholas Rizzi can be reached at nrizzi@commercialobserver.com.