And if eyebrows have been raised over the Ballet’s committing itself to Live Nation for 30 years, one might equally well wonder why Live Nation is tying up the Opera House for eight weekends plus The Nutcracker every year — and redoing the orchestra pit for its new tenant, and giving the Ballet a deal that, Nissinen says, will save the company money. Back in 2004, Boston Ballet couldn’t get the Opera House for The Nutcracker because The Lion King was in the middle of its seven-month run, but the only shows that have run longer than two weeks there since are The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. It seems clear that Live Nation doesn’t see a lot of long-running Broadway shows coming down the pipe anytime soon and that it’s looking for steady business. There’s even been speculation that it’s looking at Boston Lyric Opera (BLO), which now performs in what may be the Theater District’s least comfortable venue, the 1600-seat Shubert Theatre. The new orchestra pit will of course make the Opera House more attractive to an opera company. Whether BLO, which in recent years has had to downsize from seven performances of four productions to six performances of three, would be ready to move to a venue that’s half again as large as the Shubert is another matter. In any event, its lease with the Citi Center runs through the 2012–2013 season, so it won’t be moving anytime soon.

There’s also been speculation about what might replace Boston Ballet at the Wang. It’s been noted that the Celebrity Series of Boston, whose agreement with the Citi Center expired with the 2006–2007 season, staged just two events at Citi Center venues this season (Paul Taylor at the Shubert and Alvin Ailey at the Wang), and it’s been confirmed that the Celebrity Series won’t be using either theater next season. (Alvin Ailey appears headed to the Opera House.) Celebrity Series spokesman Jack Wright says that’s just the way the logistics and the economics have worked out for 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 and that we shouldn’t read anything into it for 2009–2010. The Citi Center’s president and CEO, Josiah Spaulding Jr., told the Globe that the Ballet’s departure would enable him “to bring in potentially more-profitable performances” — but if Live Nation, which has access to theaters nationwide, and thus more promotional clout than the Citi Center, is worried about filling the Opera House’s dance card, one has to wonder what Spaulding will find to put into the Wang.