Piano man Liberace did six straight nights in from August 8 to September 2. When the arena roof opened up for one show Liberace stopped his playing and said "I've never seen a more beautiful sight in my life". Walt Harper succeeded Williams as executive director. The annual festival was held at the Civic Arena in , , , , and A crowd of 5, attended the first night of inaugural festival held at the Civic Arena on June 19 and 20 The two day festival drew 13, jazz fans.
On Sunday June 18 B. King and C harles Mingus. Mellon Bank was the sponsor of the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival for 16 years from to Pittsburgh Symphony Promenade Series. During the s the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony was the non-air conditioned Syria Mosque.
But classical performers were extremely unhappy with the acoustics of the Arena. After the concert Bernstein the told the Pittsburgh Press " It is impossible to play without a shell on stage.
The music is wasted. There is no projection. T his is my first and last concert in the arena. The open collapsible CLO stage did not have a band shell to focus the sound of orchestras. Music echoed from the roof when the dome was closed and the orchestra could barely be heard when it was open.
D espite losing two anchor tenants, having poor acoustics, and a non standard stage, the Civic arena thrived as a one of the country's top music venue due to powerful amplification, its size, and the growth of arena rock.
Led Zeppelin made four appearances at the arena beginning in March of and at back to back sold out shows in Page and Plant returned to the arena in on their "Unledded Tour" with Pittsburgh's Rusted Root opening the show and again in Aerosmith, a fan favorite, appeared 15 times from through The Canadian rockers Rush performed at the arena 13 times making their first appearance in August of opening for Uriah Heap.
Van Halen made 8 appearances,. Pink Floyd performed one of the epic concerts at the arena on July 19, As they were playing "Dark Side of the Moon" the arena's dome quietly opened up to reveal a moonlit sky.
The Jackson Five concert on July 19, was stopped after the first song as the general admission fans on the floor pressed tightly against the stage. After a 15 minute delay during which the crowd was took their seats the Jackson returned for a 45 minute show. The Miley Cyrus concert on January 4th , which sold out in jist 10 minutes, was the fastest sellout in arena history.
Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter set the first country music attendance record at the arena attracting 13, fan s on April 29 Record Setting Shows. Elvis Presley drew 16, fans to the arena for a New Year Eve concert on December 31, just a few months before his death at age Paul McCartney returned without the Beatles to Pittsburgh for two sold out shows on February 3rd and 4th of After the expansion of the arena's seating capacity Jimmy Page and Robert Plant set the all time Civic Arena concert attendance record drawing 17, fans for their appearance on March 25 Crossover country star Garth Booths sold out six straight days at the arena drawing over , fans from October 13 through 18 of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra was joined in concert by two thousand child musicians to break the Guinness Book record for the world's largest orchestra on April 19, The orchestra was comprised of 1, string players, woodwinds, and percussionists for a world record total of 2, members.
The record for most performances at the arena is held by Neil Diamond who made 18 appearances. Infamous Concerts. This group is fine, but those people who follow them around are not. Five hundred deadheads without tickets tried to force their way into arena. Rocks and bottles were thrown at the 60 police who intervened. Ten people were injured and 21 were arrested. Sophie made the national news when she referred to the Grafeful Dead as the " Dreadful Dead" and when she called Springsteen "Bruce Bedspring".
On July 9, the Budweiser Superfest concert was cancelled after the crew members of the Group Guy attacked two crew members of the New Edition with baseball bats.
One of the New Edition Crew members suffered a broken jaw and cheek. The production manager of New Edition wielding a gun chased the Guy crew members out of the arena and fired shots. The security chief for Guy, who was shot twice in the back, died in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel.
The New Edition production manager was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. Skyline Series. The concert titled P. Live Albums Recorded at the Civic Arena. Final Concert. Rise and Fall of the Civic Arena. Centerpiece of the Pittsburgh's Cultural Acropolis. With the building site decided Mayor David Lawrence took the plans to Mr. Kaufmann in at his Palm Beach home. The City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County created the Public Auditorium Authority in March to purchase land and construct the new public auditorium.
Demotion of 80 entire blocks of the Lower Hill District began on May 31, The Lower Hill was nuked. Destruction of the Cross Roads of the World. Construction of the "public auditorium" began when g round was b roken on April 25, Mayor David L Lawrence said "It will be heralded the length and breath of the world.. This auditorium will stand as a symbol of an era here. Esquire Magazine Architecture writer Hebert Kublyu praised the design: " Like Rome's Colosseum and the arenas of Syracuse and Athens, it will be one of the great public meeting places in the world.
Fortune Magazine wrote of the symbolism of the Civic Arena: "The great steel dome has a meaning that goes beyond Pittsburgh. If one of the drabbest and dirtiest cities has been able to remake itself in shining pride, any city in the [United States] should be able to follow its example. Public Auditorium Grand Opening. The first major event held was a 13 day run of the Ice Capades from Sept 19 through October 1.
Two days later the first ever Civic Arena pop music concert was performed by a star from the land of OZ. The Moveable Dome. To hang the heavy lighting and sound systems of the big rock shows a maze of steel cables were attached to the roof sections. After that point dome openings became a rare occurrence. Opening the roof required two days of preparation to take down the steel cables. The last time the the roof opened for an event was in After the huge center Jumbotron was installed in the roof could no longer be opened as it supported the scoreboard..
The roof still worked. During the arena's demolition the Jumbotron was removed and the dome was opened for the final time. Civic Arena Expansion. Arena Management Changes. The Authority was responsible for leasing the arena to the CLO, sports teams, conventions, trade shows, and music promoters along running the concession stands and parking lots. The revenues brought in from rentals, concessions, and parking were used to pay back debit incurred to construct the arena.
Edward Debartolo Sr. With sold out games, a Stanley Cup and superstar Mario, the Penguins were now a valuable sports property. Suffering severe losses and layoffs in his real estate business Debartolo needed money.
Spectacore also managed Three Rivers Stadium and 29 other venues across the U.. To keep the Stanley Cups Championship roster together owner Howard Baldwin gave his star players big salary increases that he couldn't pay.
The bankruptcy court awarded control of the Pittsburgh Penguins to Mario Lemieux and an investor group led by Ronald Burkle in September of SMG was retained as manager of the Civic Arena. Renaming to Mellon Arena. Concert promoters also supported for replacement of the Civic Arena. The roof had a weight limit on how much lighting, sound equipment, and scenery could be hung.
Extra expense was incurred to work around the weight limit for large productions. In some cases the larger tours skipped the arena because of the weight limit and the difficulty in stage setup. Artists kept bringing more and heavy equipment such as large scales video screen to the arena. The promoters also wanted more seats to compete with the 22, capacity Post Gazette Pavilion amphitheater.
They selected a site between Centre and Fifth avenues across from the Mellon Arena. Pointing to the millions that the state and local government gave to build PNC Park and Heinz Field, the Penguins asked for public funds to build their new arena.
The local news media joined in the campaign to build a new arena. To up the anti the Penguin officials entertained offers to move the team to Las Vegas and Kansas City if the Pittsburgh did not meet the demand for a new facility. In March of Gov. The Dome is Doomed - Acropolis Crumbles. In the agreement for the new facility the Penguins requested that Mellon Arena not used for concerts, circuses or other events that would compete with the new venue.
They specified the Mellon Arena to be demolished on completion of the new facility. They also obtained the rights to develop the Civic Arena site with housing, stores, office buildings, parks and a hotel. Some opponents of preservation saw the Civic Arena as a symbol of the failure of urban renewal. They wanted the arena demolished so that the neighborhood of the lower Hill to could be restored with streets connecting it to the downtown and with homes, businesses, and entertainment venues.
Pittsburgh City Councilman Sala Udin spoke at a hearing about the desire restore the neighborhood. The redevelopment can begin a healing process to preserve the people, and I hope that once this arena is demolished we can depend on this entire preservation community to support the development of the people with the same vigor that you now support of the preservation of a building.
June 26, Torn down were dozens of small jazz clubs and the Musicians Club where Pittsburgh's artists learned and perfected their craft on their way to international fame. T ouring national jazz artists like Duke Ellington and Max Roach were booked for week long engagements in the clubs of the Hill. During their stays in town the national artists jammed with Pittsburgh jazz musicians at the Musicians Club and after hours clubs.
Showing their talent in the jam sessions many of Pittsburgh's jazz greats were hired by the national touring artists. Clearing the Hill of its jazz clubs wiped out the opportunity for Pittsburgh musicians to interact with national artists. Instead established national acts performed one night stands at the arena and bolted quickly out of town. They did not interact with or jam with Pittsburgh's musicians. The Fullerton Street area became a parking lot.
Demolition of the building began in after attempts to preserve the arena as both a historic site and downtown venue. Demolition ended in March The construction of the Civic Arena led to the destruction of approximately properties in the Lower Hill District.
Many of the people displaced by the construction were families who's ancestors came to the area during the Great Migration. In , the Civic Arena became the staging point for the National Guard sent to protect the city during the riots which ensued after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr see picture below.
Following the destruction of the arena in , the construction of the arena, and its subsequent replacement parking lot were once again a topic of conversation concerning the cities push to gentrify the once vibrant African American communities. Accessed February 12, McConnell, Craig.
June 18, Jones, Diana Nelson. June 18th Accessed April 27th Close Drawer. Individual Entries. Explore By Topic. Guides, Videos, and Rubrics. Perhaps the Penguins should consolidate their merchandise stands and install some italian sausage grills. Premium Seating "The Igloo Club" is actually to premium lounges straddling the lower sidelines, and ticketholders in the lower sideline seats have access to their own private lounge and bar area.
The seating areas are separated from the general seating areas and also have wider padded seats. There are also a number of skybox suites high above the seating bowl. High above center ice is a banner of the Pens only retired number. Michel Briere's 21 was retired after he was tragically killed in a car accident.
Banners for the Pens Division and Conference titles hang in one corner while another group of banners of their Stanley Cup Championship seasons stand across from them.
Above each sideline just below the suites is where you will find the Pens "Ring of Honor". Along one sideline is a pictoral mural of Penguin greats while the other has the names of the honorees. Hat Tricks, Assists, Penalties Hat Trick Damn were good!!! Then again Only the third time we have witnesses a draw in an arena outside our own in Buffalo. Regardless, the karma didn't come through for our Sabres as they blew a two goal lead and in the process a desperately needed point in their playoff push.
Worth mentioning that game day staff here is pretty friendly without being overbearing. Ushers checked our tickets but once upon arrival, and we were able to maneuver around the building and take photos without any hassles. Troughs in the Restrooms Not sure, but it's worth mentioning. Their sandwiches are still amongst the top the heap for cool ballpark concessions to be found anywhere on the continent.
Four massive, and we mean massive painted advertisements dominate the domed ceiling in the seating bowl. This whole look is unique among NHL venues, or any hockey rink for that matter. Penguins announce major ticket price reductions for the season Placards were on each seat with the new price. Summary The Igloo has some positives, most notably that it has great atmosphere, and a charged fan base that is in place even for a totally meaningless late season game for the Pens anyway during a season that was lost prior to the new year.
It's a characteristic that many of the newer and showier venues don't have. On the other hand this place is still sorely lacking in what has become standard in most arenas But despite the dumpiness of this place, Mellon Arena is a throwback to a different time in the NHL, and for all "ooh ahh" showplaces we have seen in recent years, there is an atmosphere here, something that is an intangible but something that can't be replicated with bricks and mortar.
This is a great sports town, and one can "feel" the excitement and enthusiasm of the fans just by stepping onto the arena grounds. A private consortium has pitched the city to build a privately funded arena for the city.
If and when that day comes, the loss of this venue as one of the NHL's last old school arenas will, in a way, be a sad one. March 23, Copyright MediaVentures Fans began chanting for a new arena when the power went off twice last week at Pittsburgh Mellon Arena.
Once the power was restored, it took 45 minutes for the bulbs to provide sufficient light for a game between the Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs to resume.
The team used the time to show video of the new arena it is proposing. Fans responded by chanting their approval. The move comes as Rendell is laying groundwork for a re-election campaign. The fund was created by the legislation that approved new slot machine licenses for the state. The plan reportedly would include a legislative requirement that the state's Gaming Control Board consider pledges for arena funds in any bid to operate a slot machine parlor in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins are among the bidders and plan to use some proceeds to fund an arena. Other bidders could also pledge money toward an arena as part of their projects. So far there are three bidders in the race. The Penguins have partnered with Isle of Capri Casinos in a bid that includes money for an arena.
Harrah's Station Square Casino and Majestic Star Casino have also planned bids, but they have not included arena funds in their plan.
The governor's plan is an alternative to the Penguins proposal. Timing will be a critical issue. The Penguins need a decision quickly and the Gaming Control Board is not expected to make a decision until late this year. The team has said if a deal is not forthcoming, they will explore a move out of the area.
City and county leaders say they have little money to contribute to the program, but they could levy parking surcharges or take other steps to help finance the venue.
There is no need to rush the demolition of the arena," he said. He also feels it is more cost effective to work with the existing infrastructure than to tear it up and start anew. Noting that the arena is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, Pfaffmann told the board, "You have a responsibility to set a process that includes the community in the process.
You haven't done that. We're going to make the same mistakes we made in [when Mellon Arena was planned] if we have a hidden process that does not have proper transparency.
Under the plan, the arena would be demolished and the land paved over and used for parking before other development takes place. Historic preservationists want to reuse the building, perhaps as a park and retail center. The Penguins want to demolish their longtime home and find a developer to create a residential and retail district on Centre Avenue across from the new Consol Energy Center.
Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said, "The Penguins believe that the best use of the Mellon Arena site is for the arena to come down and to create a dynamic mixed-use development. Team executives have said removing the arena would free up land near the Downtown business district - a rare commodity. Apartments or retailers could fill the void if an outside developer chooses to invest, team President David Morehouse has said.
There were 6, people in attendance. Joel warned the crowd that there would be game updates throughout the concert. Complimentary soft drinks and a TV were to be a part of the room. The roof opened at PM. Six tons of sand were used to create a temporary beach near the stage.
Although the roof was advertised to be open for the concert, it opened only a small bit due to an electrical problem. Critical Mass B. Songs performed by R. Central Rain. Dean Martin was scheduled to be on the bill but a kidney ailment forced him to drop out of the tour. There were about 16, people in attendance. Oslin There were 12, people in attendance. Guns there were 12, people in attendance. Rapper Heavy D, who was performing with Salt-n-Pepa at the show, was arrested at the show after he encouraged audience members to set paper on fire.
He was given a citation for risking a hazardous condition. There were 3, people in attendance. This date was also sold out. A significant number of fans were sleeping in cars or setting up tents in the area near the Arena. Palumbo Center. The show sold so poorly that tickets were eventually selling for half-price, or being given away in two-for-one ticket deals.
Paula Abdul was advertised as the headliner for this tour but it appears she did not perform on this date. There were only 3, people in attendance. The Arena roof was fully opened. There were 10, people in attendance. Big Baboon. Throwing Muses Songs performed by R. There were about 17, people in attendance. People of Pittsburgh, you are!
There was an afternoon press conference scheduled, but it was cancelled due to McCartney not feeling well. There were 9, people in attendance. There were 12, people in attendance. Big There were about 11, people in attendance. This was his first show in Pittsburgh in eight years.
There were around 16, people in attendance. Blige, Junior M. Police investigated whether state obscenity laws were violated. Smith CeCe Winans was advertised as performing, but it is uncluear whether she did or not.
Parents could sequester themselves in this room for the duration of the concert and meet up with their kids following the performance. Diddy, Mr. Susan Tedeschi was a member of The Other Ones. McGraw got angry and walked offstage for a brief time.
Taylor, Rick Witkowski, Margot B. Former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared onstage between performances, including Franco Harris and Louis Lipps. Ky-Mani Marley was scheduled to open the earlier date, but it is unclear when he remained as opening act on this date. The first music concert at the Arena. There were 12, people in attendance some sources said 12, Before the music performance began, a teen fashion show was scheduled sponsored by Joseph Horne.
This show was cancelled and never took place. The show was sold out with about 8, people in attendacnce. Part of the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival. The show was heavily promoted for its light show.
There were 12, people in attendance, selling out the arena. About 6, people were in attendance. Sonny James, Tom T. The show was a sell-out, with 13, people in attendance. A new practice was instituted at this show or, at least, first noticed by newspaper reporters to frisk attendees going to the floor section.
There were about 8, people in attendance. The show was the 5th most attended Civic Arena event of the year, with 13, people in attendance. Tickets for the show sold-out about two weeks prior to the concert. In a report, this concert was listed as the poorest drawing show ever at the Arena, with only 1, people in attendance. The sell-out crowd was a then-arena record at 14, This show was cancelled and did not take place.
The show was a sell-out. This was a rally and concert at the Arena in support of presidential candidate George McGovern held two days before the election. The show took place on election day in which Richard Nixon was re-elected President. There were 13, in attendance. This concert might not have taken place. In a report, this show was listed as among the poorest selling concerts ever at the Arena, with only 3, people in attendance. The show began two hurs late due to a transportation problem.
This show was cancelled supposedly due to a movie comittment, but likely due to poor ticket sales and did not take place. This show was cancelled ostensibly due to Flack taping a TV special and did not take place. There were a disappointing 9, people in attendance. Some listings for this show said it was to take place at the Civic Arena, but that was in error. The were 14, people in attendance.
Mandrill entered from the rear of the arena and walked up the aisles to the stage. Attendance was 14, There were over 13, people in attendance. In a report, this concert was listed as among the poorest drawing shows ever at the Arena, with only 2, people in attendance.
The roof was open for the concert.
0コメント