A first look inside The Queen Theater, now operated by Live Nation

Chris Buccini of Buccini/Pollin Group | photo by Joe Del Tufo | http://moonloopphoto.com

The Queen Theater will begin its new life as a Live Nation venue next month when the doors reopen after a few months of downtime.

Formerly the home of World Cafe Live at the Queen, the historic Wilmington, DE space changed hands with a symbolic “changing of the guard” event earlier this week attended by local government officials and Philly Mardi Gras band The Wild Bohemians, giving members of the press a sneak peek at the newly decorated walls.

Live Nation begins its tenure at The Queen Theater on July 12th with New Found Glory (the Floridian pop punk outfit is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year). With many acts still to be announced, we do know that Gene Ween will be performing his Billy Joel tribute on August 8th, Matthew Sweet will support his new LP Tomorrow Forever on September 21st, former SNL comedian Jim Breuer will do a stand-up night on October 27th, and Cheap Trick play their classic rock hits on November 16th.

Though the upstairs section that had been used for smaller shows is not part of Live Nation’s lease, they do have plans to add a new bar at the corner of Market St. and 5th St.

Check out photos of the press event below to get a first look at the revamped venue, and keep tabs on its rapidly expanding show schedule here.