Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

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Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Grahamauditorium.jpg
Exterior of venue viewed from the City Hall (c.2008)
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Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Location within San Francisco
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Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (California)
Former namesSan Francisco Exposition Auditorium (1915)
San Francisco Civic Auditorium (1916–1992)
Address99 Grove St
San Francisco, CA 94102-4720
Location Civic Center
Coordinates 37°46′42″N122°25′03″W / 37.778457°N 122.417369°W / 37.778457; -122.417369
Public transit BSicon LOGO SFmuni.svg Bart-logo.svg Civic Center
OwnerCity and County of San Francisco
OperatorAnother Planet Entertainment
Capacity 8,500
Construction
Broke groundDecember 1913
OpenedMarch 2, 1915
Renovated1962–1964, 1989–1990, 1994–1996, 2005, 2010
Construction cost$1.7 million
($52.4 million in 2023 dollars [1] )
ArchitectJohn Galen Howard, Frederick Meyer, John W. Reid Jr.
Tenants
San Francisco Warriors (NBA) (1964–1967)

The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (formerly San Francisco Civic Auditorium and San Francisco Exposition Auditorium) is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California, named after promoter Bill Graham. The arena holds 8,500 people.

Contents

About the venue

1920 Democratic National Convention 1920 DNC (1).jpg
1920 Democratic National Convention

The auditorium was designed by renowned Bay Area architects John Galen Howard, Frederick Herman Meyer and John W. Reid Jr. and built in 1915 as part of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. The auditorium hosted the 1920 Democratic National Convention, the San Francisco Opera from 1923 to 1932 and again for the 1996 season, [2] and the National AAU boxing trials in 1948. It was the home of the San Francisco Warriors of the National Basketball Association from 1964 to 1967. [3] [4] An underground expansion, named Brooks Hall, was completed in 1958 under the Civic Center Plaza, immediately north of the Civic Auditorium. The famous Mother of All Demos was presented here during the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference, [5] and the World Cyber Games 2004 were also held here.

In 1992, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to rename the auditorium after the rock concert impresario Bill Graham, who had died the previous year in a helicopter crash. [6]

Long before Bill Graham came along, James T. Graham (no relation) managed the Civic Auditorium from 1954 to 1970 and booked some of the biggest names in show business there. During Jim Graham's tenure, the Civic Auditorium hosted Elvis Presley (October 26, 1957), Judy Garland (September 13, 1961), Ray Charles, the Tijuana Brass, Donovan, the Jefferson Airplane (June 4, 1966), the Mamas and the Papas (October 10, 1966), The Temptations and Gladys Knight & the Pips (January 26, 1968), Jose Feliciano, Bobby Darin and more, which prompted San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen to opine that the Board of Supervisors had named the Civic Auditorium after the wrong Graham (January 12, 1993).

Jim Graham signed the Warriors to a contract at the Civic in 1962 when they first moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco. The Warriors would play their first few seasons at the Civic before they moved to the Cow Palace, a larger venue. Jim Graham was manager of the Auditorium when Brooks Hall was built as an adjacent, underground convention center. He also managed Brooks Hall after its dedication on April 11, 1958, and booked American Medical Association conventions, the Harvest Festival, the San Francisco Gift Show and more.

Under Jim Graham's management, the Civic Auditorium also hosted Barnum & Bailey circuses, the San Francisco Roller Derby, Golden Gloves Boxing matches, professional wrestling, Holiday on Ice, the Ice Capades, car shows, the International Dog Show, the Black and White Ball and the Folderol. In addition, President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke there on August 23, 1956, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republican Party, and a fundraising gala was held there on June 1, 1968, for Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Robert F. Kennedy, four days before he was assassinated in Los Angeles. At the time, the Civic Auditorium was ground zero in San Francisco for conventions and entertainment events. There were no other major venues for large gatherings outside of the Cow Palace, which was considered ill-equipped for such events (despite the fact that it was larger).

Later, the Civic Auditorium arena would continue to host concerts by many other famous artists, spanning many different genres. It is owned by the City and County of San Francisco and since 2010 has been operated by Another Planet Entertainment. [7] [8]

Concerts

DateArtistOpening act(s)Tour / Concert nameAttendanceRevenueNotes
May 14, 1965 The Rolling Stones 1965 1st American Tour [9]
February 14, 1982 Prince Zapp and Roger, The Time Controversy Tour [10]
February 15, 1982
March 29, 1982 J. Geils Band U2 October Tour [11] [12]
March 30, 1982
June 17, 1982 Elton John Jump Up Tour 6,713 / 6,713 [13]
April 3, 1983 Kiss Mötley Crüe Creatures of the Night Tour/10th Anniversary Tour [14]
June 1, 1983 U2 War Tour [15]
December 15, 1984 U2 The Unforgettable Fire Tour [16]
April 23, 1985 Madonna Beastie Boys, Run DMC The Virgin Tour 8,500 / 8,500$127,500 [17]
September 25, 1985 Y&T Down For The Count Tour
March 30, 1988 Kiss Anthrax Crazy Nights World Tour [18]
October 2, 1993 Luis Miguel Aries Tour
April 13, 1996 Oasis Third Eye Blind (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Tour [19]
January 26, 1998 Oasis Cornershop Be Here Now Tour [20]
November 4, 1999 Blink-182 Loserkids Tour [21]
November 25, 1999 Kid Rock Devil Without a Cause Tour
October 13, 2001 Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour 2001 [22]
September 16, 2004 Beastie Boys Talib Kweli Pageant Tour [23]
September 17, 2004
November 24, 2004 Green Day New Found Glory, Sugarcult American Idiot World Tour [24]
July 15, 2006 Pearl Jam Pearl Jam 2006 World Tour [23]
July 16, 2006
July 18, 2006
October 16, 2006 Bob Dylan Kings of Leon Never Ending Tour 2006 [25]
October 17, 2006
October 29, 2006 Snoop Dogg [23]
November 7, 2006 Pet Shop Boys Fundamental Tour [23]
November 20, 2006 Tenacious D Neil Hamburger The Pick of Destiny Tour [26] [27]
March 1, 2007 Snow Patrol Eyes Open Tour [28]
April 9, 2007 Muse Black Holes and Revelations Tour [29]
September 27, 2007 Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare Tour
December 13, 2009 Lady Gaga Kid Cudi,

Semi Precious Weapons

The Monster Ball Tour 17,000 / 17,000$840,960 [30]
December 14, 2009
April 9, 2011 Rise Against Endgame Tour
June 8, 2011 Bruno Mars Mayer Hawthorne & the County Hooligans in Wondaland Tour [31]
December 10, 2011 Sara Bareilles Kaleidoscope Heart Tour [32]
October 17, 2012 Bob Dylan/Mark Knopfler Bob Dylan Tour with Mark Knopfler 2012 [33]
October 18, 2012
February 13, 2013 Swedish House Mafia One Last Tour [34]
February 14, 2013
February 15, 2013
February 16, 2013
February 17, 2013
April 27, 2013 The Killers The Felice Brothers Battle Born World Tour [35]
April 28, 2013
December 7, 2013 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Talib Kweli, Big K.R.I.T. The Heist World Tour [36]
March 29, 2014 Robin Thicke Blurred Lines Tour
April 18, 2014 Lana Del Rey Paradise Tour
April 19, 2014 Ellie Goulding St. Lucia The Halcyon Days Tour
October 10, 2014 The Weeknd ScHoolboy Q Jhené Aiko King of the Fall Tour
October 11, 2014
September 16, 2015 Zedd True Colors Tour 17,016 / 17,016$765,720
September 17, 2015
October 13, 2015 Janet Jackson Unbreakable World Tour 10,172 / 10,172$1,131,847
October 14, 2015
December 27, 2015 Dead & Company Dead & Company 2015 Tour 17,032 / 17,032$1,277,400
December 28, 2015
March 27, 2016 Fall Out Boy Finish Ticket,

Awolnation

Wintour is Coming 7,300 / 7,300$385,995
May 28, 2016Macklemore & Ryan LewisAn Evening with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
October 21, 2016 Chance the Rapper Magnificent Coloring World Tour
April 15, 2017 The xx I See You Tour
April 16, 2017
April 17, 2017
May 5, 2017 The Chainsmokers Kiiara

Grandtheft

Memories Do Not Open Tour 17,000 / 17,000$1,445,000
May 6, 2017Kiiara

Kyle

June 17, 2017 Kehlani SweetSexySavage World Tour
October 4, 2017 Gorillaz Vince Staples Danny Brown Humanz Tour
January 22, 2018 St. Vincent Fear the Future Tour
February 1, 2018 Queens of the Stone Age Eagles of Death Metal Villains World Tour
May 5, 2018 Khalid PrettyMuch Roxy Tour
May 6, 2018
September 7, 2018 Shakira El Dorado World Tour
October 20, 2018 Arctic Monkeys Mini Mansions Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Tour
October 21, 2018
November 8, 2018 Brockhampton I'll Be There Tour
April 22, 2019 The 1975 Pale Waves Music for Cars
May 29, 2019 Billie Eilish Denzel Curry When We All Fall Asleep Tour
June 28, 2019 Carly Rae Jepsen Mansionair The Dedicated Tour
July 25, 2019 Robyn Troye Sivan Honey Tour 5,620 / 5,620$446,811
October 27, 2019 Lizzo Empress Of Cuz I Love You Too Tour
October 28, 2019
November 11, 2021 Playboi Carti King Vamp Tour
May 3, 2022 Lorde Remi Wolf Solar Power Tour
May 27, 2022 Olivia Rodrigo Chappell Roan Sour Tour
October 4, 2022 Rosalía Motomami World Tour
October 23, 2022 Lil Nas X Long Live Montero Tour
August 4, 2023 (G)I-dle I Am Free-ty World Tour
June 6, 2023 Melanie Martinez PORTALS Tour
October 29, 2023 Kim Petras Feed the Beast World Tour

See also

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References

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Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
San Francisco Warriors (with War Memorial Gymnasium)

1964–1966
Succeeded by
Preceded by Davis Cup
Final Venue

1979
Succeeded by