Alpine Valley is taking the season off

EAST TROY — A historic musical venue in southeastern Wisconsin is taking the season off.

Alpine Valley Music Theatre says it will close for the 2017 season, the first time that's happened since it opened in 1977. The amphitheater's manager Live Nation says the acts that usually play Alpine, including the Dave Matthews Band and Jimmy Buffet, are playing other venues this season.

Marketing manager Jon Reens says Live Nation remains committed to Alpine Valley and will spend the season making upgrades.

The amphitheater has hosted a variety of notable performers over the years; including Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam, Phish and Cold Play. In 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughan and four others were killed leaving the venue when their helicopter crashed into a ski hill.