Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Last updated

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Grahamauditorium.jpg
Exterior of venue viewed from the City Hall (c.2008)
Location map San Francisco Central.png
Red pog.svg
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Location within San Francisco
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
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
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
($50.3 million in 2022 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 U2 J. Geils Band 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

Related Research Articles

The St. Paul Civic Center was an indoor arena located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The arena opened in 1973 and was closed and demolished in 1998. It once sat near the Ordway Music Theater and the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The Xcel Energy Center was built on the former site of the arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viejas Arena</span> Arena in San Diego, California, U.S.

Viejas Arena is an indoor arena in San Diego, California, located on the campus of San Diego State University. The arena is home of the San Diego State Aztecs men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the San Diego Mojo of the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF). The arena opened in 1997 and hosts a capacity of 12,414.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Coliseum</span> Arena in Richmond, Virginia

Richmond Coliseum is a defunct arena located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, with a capacity of 13,500 that was most often used for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and the region is looking to replace the aging facility with a larger one. The arena was quietly shuttered in February 2019 while new proposed replacements are in development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Civic Center</span> Aena in Columbus, Georgia, U.S.

Columbus Civic Center is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Columbus, Georgia, built in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, Missouri)</span> Multi-purpose hall in Kansas City, Missouri

Municipal Auditorium is a multi-purpose facility located in Kansas City, Missouri. It opened in 1935 and features Streamline Moderne and Art Deco architecture and architectural details.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simmons Bank Arena</span> Indoor arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas

Simmons Bank Arena is an 18,000-seat multi-purpose arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, directly across the Arkansas River from downtown Little Rock. Opened in October 1999, it is the main entertainment venue serving Central Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald L. Tucker Civic Center</span> Arena in Florida, United States

The Donald L. Tucker Civic Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located on the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. The arena has the biggest capacity of any arena in the Florida Panhandle. The arena opened in 1981 and was built at a cost of over $30 million, financed by the city. In 2013, the venue was purchased by the Florida State University Board of Trustees. The facility is located on the southeastern side of the university's campus, between the FSU College of Law and the future home of the FSU College of Business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center</span> Indoor arena in Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center, commonly known simply as the Philadelphia Civic Center, was a convention center complex located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition in 1899. The two most significant buildings in the complex were the original main exhibition hall built in 1899, which later housed the Philadelphia Commercial Museum, and the Municipal Auditorium, later called the Convention Hall, which was built in 1931 to the designers of architect Philip H. Johnson. The site was host to national political conventions in 1900, 1936, 1940 and 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selland Arena</span> Multi-purpose arena in Fresno, California

Selland Arena is a multi-purpose arena built in 1966 that makes up part of a four-venue complex of the Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center in Fresno, California. It is named after former Fresno mayor Arthur L. Selland and has had over 10 million people walk through its doors in its over 50-year history. The arena originally had a 6,582 seating capacity, but a US$10 million expansion project in 1981 increased the seating to its current capacity of 10,132. Before the 1997-1998 Fresno State basketball season, capacity was increased to 10,220. The Selland Arena underwent an additional $15 million renovation in November 2006, that included the installation of new seats, a new video replay scoreboard, message boards and a new ice-cooling system for hockey games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Worth Convention Center</span> Arena in Texas, United States

The Fort Worth Convention Center is a convention center and indoor arena located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The complex opened on September 30, 1968, and was expanded in 1983, 2002 and 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bren Events Center</span> Arena in California, United States

The Donald Bren Events Center, commonly known as the Bren Events Center or simply the Bren, is a 5,608-seat indoor arena on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center</span> Complex in Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.

The Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center is a municipal complex located in the downtown area of Charleston, West Virginia, United States. Originally completed in 1958, it consists of four main components: the Coliseum, the Theater, the Auditorium, and the Convention Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile Civic Center</span> Arena in Alabama, United States

Mobile Civic Center is a multi-purpose facility located in Mobile, Alabama. Owned by the City of Mobile and operated by ASM Global, the facility consists of three venues: a theater, an expo hall, and an arena. It is suitable for large indoor events including sporting events and trade shows. The theater seats for 1,938, while the expo hall can seat 3,000. The largest venue of the Mobile Civic Center is the arena, which can seat 10,112.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winthrop Coliseum</span> Arena in Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Winthrop Coliseum is a 6,100-seat multi-purpose arena in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was built in 1982 and is home to the Winthrop University Eagles basketball and volleyball teams.

The Ellie Caulkins Opera House is located in Denver, Colorado as part of the large Denver Performing Arts Complex. It seats 2,225. The Caulkins family pledged $7 million towards the enhancement of the lyric opera house and adjacent public spaces which were constructed inside of the Newton Auditorium.

Denver Auditorium Arena was an indoor arena located at the corner of 13th and Champa Streets in Denver, Colorado. It was constructed as the Denver Municipal Auditorium in 1908 during the administration of Mayor Robert W. Speer. The building was opened on July 7, 1908, and was the site of the 1908 Democratic National Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose Civic</span> Building in California, United States

The San Jose Civic is a former arena, currently operating as a theatre and concert venue, located in downtown San Jose, California. The venue is owned by the City of San Jose, is managed by Team San Jose and is booked by Nederlander Concerts. The auditorium seats 3,036 which can be expanded up to 3,326 in a general admission setting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peoria Civic Center</span> Convention center in Illinois, United States

Peoria Civic Center is an entertainment complex located in downtown Peoria, Illinois. Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Philip Johnson and John Burgee, it has an arena, theater, exhibit hall and meeting rooms. It opened in 1982 and completed an expansion to its lobby and meeting facilities in 2007. On the grounds of the Peoria Civic Center sits the massive "Sonar Tide," the last and largest sculpture of the pioneer of abstract minimalism Ronald Bladen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Insurance Center</span> Basketball arena in Bangor, Maine, U.S.

The Cross Insurance Center is a 5,800-seat multi-purpose arena in Bangor, Maine, United States. The arena holds up to 8,500 people for concerts, and features an attached 2,000-person convention center. It was built at an estimated cost of $65 million. Part of the city's Bass Park complex, it is located across from Hollywood Casino Bangor. It is the home of the basketball teams of the Maine Black Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Center</span> Indoor arena in San Francisco, California, U.S.

Chase Center is an indoor arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The building is the home venue for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and occasionally for the University of San Francisco men's and women's basketball teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Warriors, who have been located in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1962, played their home games at Oakland Arena in Oakland from 1971 to 2019. Chase Center opened on September 6, 2019 and seats 18,064 for Warriors games.

References

  1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. "Civic Auditorium Comes Up in the World / S.F. Opera opening moves to 'the Bill'". Opera Reference. September 7, 1996. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  3. "1964-65 San Francisco Warriors Schedule and Results". Basketball Reference. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  4. "1965-66 San Francisco Warriors Schedule and Results". Basketball Reference. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  5. About the Mother of All Demos
  6. "Today in Music: a look back at pop music". United Press International. October 13, 2002. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  7. Wildermuth, John (July 1, 2010). "Let's make a deal". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  8. Knight, Heather (August 25, 2015). "Heavy secrecy surrounds upcoming event at Civic Auditorium". San Francisco Chronicle. John Gavin, project manager for the city administrator's office, said the city makes roughly $100,000 from Another Planet Entertainment annually on the deal.
  9. "ROLLING STONES TOUR / The Stones Around the Bay".
  10. "When Prince Rocked the Bay Area".
  11. "U2 October Tour".
  12. "U2 October Tour".
  13. "Elton John 1982 Concerts".
  14. "On this date in 1983:".
  15. "1983-06-01 - San Francisco, California - Civic Auditorium".
  16. "U2 Unforgettable Fire Tour".
  17. "Virgin Tour Poster SF".
  18. "March 30, 1988".
  19. "Oasis at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco (04/13/1996)".
  20. "Oasis Gets Help From San Francisco Audience".
  21. "Blink 182 - 11/4/99 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA".
  22. "OCT 13, 2001 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium".
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Bill Graham Civic Auditorium".
  24. "Green Day in San Francisco, USA - Nov 24, 2004".
  25. "Bob Dylan 2006 SF Poster".
  26. "Tenacious D with Neil Hamburger".
  27. "USA - Tenacious D Perform in San Francisco".
  28. "Snow Patrol in Concert - San Francisco CA".
  29. "Apr 9 2007 #MuseHistory".
  30. "Photos: Lady Gaga at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, SF, 12/14". Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  31. "Bruno Mars And Janelle Monae In Concert, San Francisco, California".
  32. "SARA BAREILLES - SAN FRANCISCO".
  33. "Bob Dylan Croaks the Blues at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 10/18/12".
  34. "EVENT RECAP: SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA "ONE LAST TOUR" AT BILL GRAHAM CIVIC AUDITORIUM".
  35. "Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 28.04.2013".
  36. "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium".
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