Pensacola Bay Center (formerly Pensacola Civic Center) is an

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

located in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal c ...

. It is owned by Escambia County and operated by

ASM Global The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports event ...

. The Bay Center has a capacity of 8,049 for hockey games, and as much as 10,000 for non-hockey events. The arena contains of space and of meeting space. The Escambia County Commission voted to rename the arena the Pensacola Bay Center on October 18, 2012 as part of a citywide

rebranding Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investo ...

effort begun by Pensacola

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Ashton Hayward Ashton James Hayward III (born April 15, 1969) is an American real estate developer and politician who served as the 62nd mayor of Pensacola from 2011 to 2018. He is currently the president of the Andrews Research and Education Foundation. He was ...

Sporting events

The Bay Center opened in January 1985. Beginning in the fall of 1996, it was used primarily as the home of the

Pensacola Ice Pilots The Pensacola Ice Pilots were a professional ice hockey team located in Pensacola, Florida. The team was previously affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders (2006–07), and the Chicago Blackhawks. They h ...

hockey team until the team's exit from the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

on June 23, 2008. Hockey returned to the Civic Center, however, in fall 2009 when the

Pensacola Ice Flyers The Pensacola Ice Flyers are a professional ice hockey team of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The team played their first season in 2009–10. Home games are played at the Pensacola Bay Center, previously home to the ECHL's Pensacola I ...

of the

Southern Professional Hockey League The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league based in Huntersville, North Carolina, with teams located primarily in the southeastern United States as well as Illinois and Indiana in the midw ...

began play. Other minor professional teams have used the Civic Center as its home. From 2000 to 2002, the Pensacola Barracudas played in the af2.The Pensacola Tornados of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) played at the Civic Center from 1985 to 1991. In 1998, the Pensacola Flyers of the

Eastern Indoor Soccer League The Eastern Indoor Soccer League (EISL) was an American professional regional indoor soccer league. The league featured teams from the Southeastern United States. The regular seasons were played from May to August with post-season play in Septemb ...

played for one season. Various sporting events have taken place at PBC, including wrestling and rodeos. WCW hosted their November 1993

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

event

Battlebowl BattleBowl was a one-time professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The show took place on November 20, 1993, at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida. The event featured only the " ...

at the Civic Center. It has also been the multiple-time home of the U.S. Roller Skating National Championships.

Concerts

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John such qu ...

performed to the arena's largest crowd ever for a concert on February 4, 1989 as part of their

Jersey Syndicate Tour The Jersey Syndicate Tour (also known as The Brotherhood on Tour and New Jersey: The Tour) was the fourth concert tour by American band Bon Jovi, that ran from 1988 to 1990. The massive, highly successful world tour was put on in support of the b ...

. On February 27, 1990,

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

opened her

Rhythm Nation World Tour The Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990 was the first headlining concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It was launched in support of her fourth studio album ''Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814'' (1989), and also contained material ...

in Pensacola. The tour's dress rehearsal at the Pensacola Civic Center Tickets Issued 7.600 to the public as a benefit to local charity, Which sold out in less than an hour.

KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

was the first band to perform at the arena, and continues to make Pensacola a destination on its North American tours. Perhaps the biggest concert ever at the Pensacola Bay Center never took place.

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

used the venue to rehearse for his

Bad World Tour Bad was the first solo concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson, launched in support of his seventh studio album '' Bad'' (1987). Sponsored by Pepsi and spanning 16 months, the tour included 123 concerts for over 4.4 million fans across ...

for nearly a month in 1988, but did not perform a public concert at the venue. On 4/9/91 Yes played the first show of their Union tour at The Pensacola Bay Center. This show is notable because it was the first show Yes played with the 8 man line up of Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Alan White, Bill Bruford, Trevor Rabin and Tony Kaye, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Many other large touring acts, including

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has bee ...

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it ...

, Page & Plant,

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, Rush &

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

have used the arena for pre-tour rehearsals in the past, thanks to the venue's relatively inexpensive rental rates and availability for extended occupation. (Rush opened their '' Counterparts Tour'' in Pensacola on January 22, 1994.) On March 9, 1994, the Pensacola Bay Center hosted the largest Rock for Choice concert in history, which was organized by the band L7 and headlined by

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, g ...

. On February 26, 1995,

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...

played a show on their No Quarter Tour in Pensacola. Page & Plant opened their Walking Into Everywhere Tour in Pensacola on May 19, 1998. On March 11, 1995,

opened The Balance "Ambulance" Tour in Pensacola. In March 2000,

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...

kicked off her Crazy 2K Tour. In February 2012, Jeff Dunham appeared performing for his Uncontrolled Chaos Tour. Springfest, an annual music event in downtown Pensacola, used the arena in its final years.

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

has also performed there and the arena also featured moderately in the music video for " What's Your Name" (with

Johnny Van Zant John Roy Van Zant (born February 27, 1959), also known as Johnny Van Zant, is an American singer and the current lead vocalist of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He is the younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founder and former lead vocalist ...

and a newly reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd performing a live concert as part of the music video).

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and g ...

performed on Labor Day weekend, 2019.

Politics

The Pensacola Bay Center has also had various guest speakers, including President George W. Bush in 2006. During the 2008 presidential race, both

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

and

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

used the venue for political rallies as the November election drew close. Republican presidential nominee

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts ...

visited the venue for a campaign rally on November 3, 2012 as part of his final push in the

United States presidential election The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not dir ...

Republican candidate

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

visited on January 13, 2016, during the Republican primary. Trump also visited again on September 9, during his presidential campaign against

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

External links

Pensacola Bay Center Official Site

References

{{Coord, 30.416485, -87.209372, type:landmark, display=title Arena football venues Basketball venues in Florida Continental Basketball Association venues Convention centers in Florida Indoor arenas in Florida Indoor ice hockey venues in Florida Indoor soccer venues in the United States Music venues in Florida Sports venues in Pensacola, Florida Sports venues completed in 1985 1985 establishments in Florida