Joe Louis Arena is a
multi-use arena in Detroit. It is the home to the Detroit Red Wings of the
National Hockey League but also plays host to other sports and other events. It
is named after African-American boxer Joe Louis, a former heavyweight champion
who grew up in the city.
Building and size
The Joe Louis Arena was built in Detroit in 1979 as a replacement for the
Detroit Olympia arena. It cost $57 million to build at the time, or about $186
million in current dollars. At the time it was built, it seated a little over
19,000 people for hockey games. Subsequent renovations and expansions have
brought the hockey seating capacity to a little over 20,000 people. When used
for basketball, Joe Louis Arena can seat about 100 more people and for
concerts, it can seat about 1,500 more people.
History
Joe Louis Arena, in addition to hosting hundreds of Red Wings games over the
year, has also hosted many other notable events. In its first year in
operation, it hosted the NHL All-Star Game as well as the 1980 Republican
National Convention. It hosted a 1984 NBA playoff game when the Detroit Pistons
faced a scheduling contract at their usual venue. It has hosted college hockey
games, figure skating events, WNBA women's basketball games and was home to the
Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League for several seasons in the 1980s and
1990s. It also has hosted professional indoor soccer and lacrosse teams over
the years.
The future
Because of its age -- it is the third-oldest venue in the NHL -- the Joe Louis
Arena is living on borrowed time. Detroit city officials have approved a $650
million bond issue to build a new Detroit Events Center near the city's
football and baseball stadiums. That project is expected to be finished
sometime in 2017, after which the Joe Louis Arena will be demolished and the
land will be given to an insurance company that has a bond claim against the
city.
California State
University campus located in Fresno has a popular multipurpose arena that
opened in 2003. In addition to providing a place for numerous sport games, it
is also used for musical performances of single or group artists. The owners of
Save Mart Center are the university and Fresno Association Inc. Current tenants
include the Fresno State Bulldogs, and previous tenants were the Fresno
Falcons. This huge structure has:
• A mezzanine
• Two concourses
• An event level
• Three primary levels
• Eight party suites
• 32 revenue-generating suites
How this Center was Named
Most of the funding for this arena was provided by the Save Mart Supermarkets
chain that provided $40 million for its construction in order to have its name
used for 20 years. In addition, the Pepsi Bottling Group also provided $40
million in order to have exclusive beverage dispensing rights as long at the
company desires. Additional money for the construction of the Save Mart Center
was collected with these:
• Signage agreements
• Advertising agreements
• Club seating
• Personal seat licenses
• Luxury suite leasing
• Private donations
• Corporate sponsorship
The total cost of construction of the Save Mart Center is estimated at over
$100 million dollars in 2003.
The Seating Capacity for Various Events
Seating capacity varies at Save Mart Center depending on the venue.
• Wrestling – over 16,000 seats
• Rodeo – over 12,000 seats
• Hockey – over 13,000 seats
• Ice Events – over 14,000 seats
• Concerts – over 16,000 seats
• Boxing – over 16,000 seats
• Basketball – over 15,000 seats
The total building size is approximately 430,000 square feet, making it one of
the largest arenas in the United States.
Who has performed at the Center?
Numerous popular musical artists and groups have performed at the Save Mart
Center, including:
• Justin Bieber
• Taylor Swift
• Gwen Stefani
• The Rolling Stones
• The Who
• Billy Joel
Larger musical festivals with a combination of many groups and artists have
also taken place at this arena. Sports teams such as the Central Valley Coyotes
have had games at Save Mart Center. This arena has also hosted several NHL
preseason games since 2003.
Anyone wanting to
watch a New York Islanders hockey game or Brooklyn Nets basketball game will
want to buy tickets for the Barclays Center located in the Brooklyn borough of
New York City. This indoor arena is easy to find because it is located on
Atlantic Avenue near the Vanderbilt Yards rail yard, and it is easy to travel
to because it is situated next to a subway station.
How it was Named
In the future, it is meant to become part of a larger residential and business
complex named Pacific Park. This is a recently built structure that held is
first indoor concert in 2012 with a performance by Jay-Z. The indoor stadium
and the Brooklyn Nets basketball team are owned by Mikhail Prokhorov who paid
over $200 million dollars on this investment. Barclay Center derived its name
from the Barclays banking group that is headquartered in London, and this
company is paying $400 million over a 20-year time period for this right.
A Smaller Seating Capacity
Barclays Center is a structure that is designed for basketball games, but the
National Hockey League plans to use this arena as the home of the New York
Islanders in the future. Its seating capacity is less than 16,000, making it
one of the smallest National Hockey League rinks. However, for concerts, the
seating capacity increases to 19,000. This means that obtaining a ticket to a
popular concert or game is more competitive, and anyone wanting a ticket may
need to shop at online websites to find one.
Wrestling and Concerts
When you visit this arena, you are going to see a structure with interesting
architectural concepts. Visitors are unable to park vehicles outside this arena
because it has no parking lot, and you are advised to travel to this
destination using the local railroad, bus or subway system. In addition to
having numerous sport venues, the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards was held in
Barclays Center. Wrestling fans can also watch events at Barclays Center, but
it is primarily known for its hockey and basketball games.
The House of Blues in Boston offers guests a wide variety of musical performances to enjoy year-round
as well as local art and Southern cuisine. The heart of the venue, however, is
grounded in its deep feelings of tradition and community.
The first House of Blues was opened in 1992 in Harvard by celebrities Dan
Aykroyd, Aerosmith, Paul Shaffer, James Belushi and River Phoenix. Though the
original House of Blues has since closed, nine venues are currently running
across the United States, including the Boston venue that opened in 2009. Isaac
Tigrett was the original founder of the venue and began it in order to show the
world the music that he grew up listening to in the rural south.
The House of Blues is dedicated to celebrating and educating others about the
rich, deep history of the South and highlights the African American
contributions to music and art. This is symbolically demonstrated by the box of
Delta Mississippi mud that is built onto the stage, showing that every artist
that performs at the venue has the spirit of the South in their roots.
Guests will enjoy the varied art collection that consists of Self-Taught,
Outsider and Folk art. The House of Blues is currently the largest curator of
Outsider art in the world. The artifacts that decorate the venue all have
meaning and historical significance. The curtains on the stage take over 1,000
hours each to sew and pay respects to the slaves who escaped via the
Underground Railroad.
Concerts are available nightly and feature a blend of both local artists, art
and dance shows and popular recording artists. With room for 650 guests, each
performance has an intimate atmosphere that allows all guests to enjoy the
show.
Lansdowne St. is the popular restaurant in the House of Blues and features both
traditional American and Southern cuisine. Popular dishes include seafood
jambalaya, gourmet flatbread, burgers and banana bread pudding.
In the Foundation Room, members are privy to special events, after-show parties
and superior service. With a raucous atmosphere, the Foundation Room is home to
those who want to party long into the night.
Whether it's folk music and Southern cuisine or hard rock and parties all night
long, the House of Blues in Boston has something for every music and art fan.
Front row center has
the reputation of being the best place to sit at any event in a theater, but it
isn’t always that simple. Some people avoid the front row, especially at
movies, and would rather be a few rows back. Figuring out which seats are the
best for you depends on your personal preference, the type of even you’re
attending, and the theater itself. If you’re planning to attend an event at a
venue you’ve never been to before, doing a little research before you buy tickets can help you to find seats that won’t disappoint.
You can often find seating charts for venues online at either the venue’s own
website or a ticket seller’s website. The seating chart will give you an idea
of how large the theater is, and how close the first row is to the stage. If
shows have seats available in the pit, that means that the first row is farther
back. Seats in the pit are usually the most expensive and as close as you can get
to the action on stage.
Balcony seats are usually the cheapest seats, and for good reason. If the
theater has a mezzanine and a balcony, the balcony is even higher and farther
from the stage than the mezzanine. Sometimes balcony seats are similarly priced
to mezzanine seats, and the lower mezzanine may be a better deal. If the
theater doesn’t have both, even if it calls its upper level the mezzanine,
remember that this is basically a balcony.
One of the best ways to find out where the good seats are in an unfamiliar
theater is to go to the website of the theater and read reviews or message
board comments. You can also find reviews and comments about specific theaters
on event or entertainment ratings sites. If there is a message board for the
specific theater, you can simply ask questions like, “What are the best seats
here?” or, “What seats should be avoided?” You may be surprised at the helpful
replies you receive from people who are familiar with the theater, and this
kind of direct information can help you figure out where you want to sit at a
certain show.
