The Nokia Theatre brings new technology -- and a very accessible downtown location next to Staples Center -- to make a big play in the midsize concert-venue space with its 7,100-seat capacity. And yes, there will be skyboxes.

STORIES BY FRED SHUSTER>L.A. COM, PHOTOS BY MICHAEL OWEN BAKER>L.A. COM

The latest piece in the Monopoly game of downtown Los Angeles moves into play next week with the opening of the Nokia Theatre, a $100 million state-of-the-art venue across the street from Staples Center.

In the downtown board game, 11th Street is looking a lot like Times Square since the 7,100-seat midsize Nokia sprang up along the newly named Chick Hearn Court.

The theater, like similar Nokia-branded venues in New York and Dallas, is a major addition to the city's musical landscape. The hall has a music-friendly acoustic design, unrestricted sightlines, a plethora of bars and lobbies, the newest audio, lighting and visual gear and a wide-ranging booking policy that takes in everything from the Eagles, Queens of the Stone Age and the Dixie Chicks to the "So You Think You Can Dance" road show and a Chinese New Year event.

Better yet, the farthest seat is just 210 feet from the impressively huge stage. L.A.-based bookers AEG Live anticipate putting 120 shows into the venue each year. (Some ticket prices are lofty - seats for upcoming Eagles/Dixie Chicks shows, predictably, are $85, $195 and $265, while other events start at around $40.)

"Venues of this size are the future of the concert business," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the trade magazine Pollstar, which covers the touring industry. "It's partly because the music business at huge arenas is fueled by acts of the '60s and '70s and, eventually, age will take its toll. I don't think we've seen a comparable batch of evergreen artists who can go out and tour large arenas year after year, even without a hit record. The musicians who can do that are in their 50s and 60s now - except for Hannah Montana, of course."

Still, Nokia isn't taking any chances with its unveiling. A double bill of long-standing local favorites the Eagles, along with the Dixie Chicks, opens the building Oct. 18, and settles in for a further five nights. Many other events already have been announced. The multilevel venue's versatile design means the American Music Awards can broadcast there next month, instead of its longtime home of the Shrine, and Neil Young, Aretha Franklin, Bjork, Tori Amos and even Larry the Cable Guy will tread the Nokia's big stage in the near future.

A worker puts the finishing touches on one of the concessions areas at the new Nokia Theatre.

"The acoustics are going to make or break this building," says Randy Phillips, president of AEG Live, one of the country's largest producers of events at venues ranging from the 20,000-seat Staples Center to the 1,200-capacity Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre. "Based on the surfaces we've put in and the acoustical design, this is going to sound like a great opera house."

Early reports have been overwhelmingly good. Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, known for his meticulous attention to detail, was reportedly "blown away" when he visited the place a few weeks ago with his manager.

But other venues could feel some fret. A story in Variety predicted Nokia would take business away from venues like the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk (6,200 capacity), and acts that might quickly sell out the Wiltern (2,200) or the Kodak (3,100) or might not quite fill the Greek (5,700) will be trucking down to the new high-tech hall downtown.

"As much as I love the Hollywood Bowl, if an act is not going to sell 17,000 seats there, they're better off doing a night or two at Nokia," Phillips said.

A recent tour of the building reveals a sleek silver outer shell festooned with giant LED screens promoting upcoming acts - resembling something you'd see in Times Square. Filling the interior are full-service lobbies with bars, food and restrooms on each of the four floors, much like the Kodak and Disney Hall. The stage itself measures 180 by 80 feet with an extensive catwalk system that makes it possible to stage arena-size shows. The breakdown of the hall's 7,100 seats includes 4,340 in the lower level, while the building's balcony can be curtained off to make the venue seem like an intimate theater.

As for anything resembling that bane of Bruce Springsteen - sky boxes - the venue's right and left sides are given over to three decks of large opera boxes that will have their own private bar areas. Economic apartheid, L.A. style.

The Nokia is part of a complete remake of the once-desolate corner of downtown. It's located within the L.A. Live complex (developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group), a 4-million-square-foot, $2.5 billion downtown sports, residential and entertainment district adjacent to Staples Center and the Convention Center. Plans for L.A. Live over the next few years include a 54-story, 1,000-room convention "headquarters" hotel (combining JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton brands and 224 condominiums), a Grammy museum and two separate clubs - the Conga Room and Club Nokia, the latter a 2,200-capacity live-music venue.

There will also be a 14-screen Regal Cineplex, broadcast facilities for ESPN and further entertainment, restaurant and office space in the area covering six city blocks, bordered by the Harbor Freeway, Figueroa street, and Olympic and Venice boulevards.

But at this point, the big draw continues to be Staples, which anchors three major sports teams and brings in top touring acts, and the Nokia. It's safe to say that every major act will probably want to play there at some point.

"Nokia does raise the bar - but that's not a slap at any other venue," said Lee Zeidman, the diplomatic senior vice president and general manager of Nokia and Staples Center. "They all have very unique features to offer."

E-mail: Fred Shuster (818) 713-3676