Pechanga Arena (historically known as the San Diego Sports Arena) 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 spectators ...

built in 1966 and located in the Midway area of San Diego, California. The arena seats 12,000 for indoor football, 12,920 for ice hockey,

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

and box lacrosse, 14,500 for basketball and tennis, 5,450 for amphitheater concerts and stage shows, 8,900–14,800 for arena concerts, 13,000 for ice shows and the circus, and 16,100 for boxing and mixed martial arts. The arena is currently home to four professional sports teams: the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League (NLL), San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL), San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) and the San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Historically, the arena has been home to numerous San Diego-based teams in several different sports. In 2013, ''

U-T San Diego ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' named the arena #3 on its list of the 50 most notable locations in San Diego sports history.

Location and access

The arena is located at 3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, which is slightly southwest of the interchange of Interstate 5 and

Interstate 8 Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, ...

. It is in the Midway neighborhood, approximately 10 minutes from San Diego International Airport by car and about a mile from the Old Town Transit Center by foot.

History

The arena was built in 1966 by

Robert Breitbard Robert Breitbard (April 28, 1919 – May 17, 2010) was an American football coach and professional sports owner. He served as the head football coach at San Diego State University in 1945. A member of the Greater San Diego Sports Council, Breitbard ...

, a local football hero who played for Hoover High School and San Diego State, for $6.4 million. The arena could seat 13,000 for hockey or 13,700 for basketball. At 77 feet tall, the arena was built six years before the current 30 foot maximum height restriction was put into place by the State Coastal Commission in the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan. The arena opened on November 17, 1966, when more than 11,000 pro hockey fans watched the San Diego Gulls (then a member of the Western Hockey League) win their season opener, 4–1, against the Seattle Totems.

Naming history

Due to the rights to name the arena being sold over time, the arena has changed names: *San Diego International Sports Arena *San Diego Sports Arena *iPayOne Center *Valley View Casino Center *Pechanga Arena

Naming rights deals

From 2004 until 2007, iPayOne, a real estate savings company based in

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...

, held the arena's naming rights. The deal was worth $2.5 million over five years. In April 2007 the leasing rights holder Arena Group 2000 cancelled the remainder of the contract due to non-payment by iPayOne. On October 12, 2010, it was announced that the arena's name had been changed to the "Valley View Casino Center", under a $1.5 million, 5-year agreement between the arena operator AEG, the San Pasqual Band of Diegueno Mission Indians and the city of San Diego. Valley View Casino's naming rights expired November 30, 2018, leaving the arena without an official name until the city council announced on December 4, 2018, that the

Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians is a Federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribe of Luiseño people, Luiseño indigenous peoples of California, Indians based in Riverside County, California, where their Indian reservat ...

, owners of the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, had acquired for $400,000 per year the naming rights to the arena, officially renaming it "Pechanga Arena". The agreement expired in May 2020.

Events

Sports

The arena opened on November 17, 1966, with the San Diego Gulls (then a member of the Western Hockey League) winning their season opener, 4–1, against the Seattle Totems. The Gulls were the arena's first tenant. The San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team would soon join the Gulls on a part-time basis, and continue to play home games at the arena off-and-on to supplement their on-campus, much smaller venue, Peterson Gymnasium. The Aztecs would continue this until 1997, when they opened their new on-campus venue,

Viejas Arena Viejas Arena (formerly Cox Arena) is the home stadium of the San Diego State Aztecs men's and women's basketball teams. It is located on the San Diego State University (SDSU) campus in San Diego, California. Viejas Arena opened in July 1997 an ...

. On October 14, 1967, the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

San Diego Rockets became the arena's first professional basketball tenant when they played their season opener and first game in franchise history against the St. Louis Hawks, narrowly losing 98-99. On January 12, 1971, the Rockets hosted the

1971 NBA All-Star Game The 1971 NBA All-Star Game was played at the San Diego Sports Arena, in San Diego, on January 12, 1971. The coach for the East team was Red Holzman and the West team was coached by Larry Costello. Officials for the game were Mendy Rudolph and Ed ...

at the arena. At the conclusion of the 1970–71 NBA Season, the Rockets were sold and relocated to

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. As a result, San Francisco Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli, who was looking for more support for his franchise, decided to make a play for the San Diego market (in addition to the

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

market, where Oakland Arena had just received a renovation project). Mieuli changed his team's name to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

for the upcoming season in order to target the state of California as a whole for a fanbase, instead of a single

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

. The Warriors planned to split the season's home games between the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego. The Warriors ultimately hosted just six regular season home games at the San Diego Sports Arena, one each month of the 1971–72 season (October–March). The remainder of the Warriors' home games that season were played at Oakland Arena, where the Warriors settled full-time the following season. As the Warriors returned to the Bay Area full-time after their brief experiment in San Diego, the NBA's primary competitor league, the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

(ABA) awarded its first—and as it turned out, only—expansion team to San Diego. Dr.

Leonard Bloom Leonard Bloom is a former sports and entertainment owner and real estate developer in California. Sports Owner- San Diego Conquistadors (American Basketball Association "ABA") ABA / NBA Merger The American Basketball Association (that later ...

(President and CEO of the United States Capital Corporation) paid a $1 million expansion fee to the league to start the team. The San Diego Conquistadors began play in the

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

–73 ABA season; however, they were unable to use the Sports Arena for their first two seasons of existence due to a feud between Bloom and Peter Graham, manager of the city-owned 14,400-seat Sports Arena. The Conquistadors (or "Q's" as they were commonly known locally), played at Peterson Gymnasium on the campus of San Diego State University from 1972 until 1974 as a result of the feud. In late 1974, the Q's were finally allowed to use the Sports Arena, but their first season at the arena would turn out to be their only full season there. In 1975, the ABA, facing mounting financial difficulties, was rumored to be discussing a merger with the NBA and the San Diego franchise was not to be included. The Conquistadors, freshly renamed the Sails, would cease operations just 11 games into the 1975–76 ABA season on November 12, 1975, when the ABA announced that it was folding the San Diego Sails franchise. The Sails were scheduled to host the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

on that day but the game was not played. In 1972, the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

considered the arena for its National Convention. With little warning, however, the GOP decided to hold the convention in

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...

. To compensate for this blow to local prestige, then-mayor (and future California governor) Pete Wilson gave San Diego the by-name of "America's Finest City", which is still the city's official moniker. The arena was the host of the 1973

Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton Muhammad Ali fought three professional boxing matches against Ken Norton between 1973 and 1976. Ali won the series 2–1, though the final fight (judged a unanimous decision in Ali's favor) was highly controversial. First match Still rebuildin ...

boxing fight, which, by split decision, San Diego resident Norton won. The 1975 NCAA men's basketball Final Four was held at the arena from March 15, 1975 until the national championship game on March 31, where UCLA was victorious in

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head ...

's final game. In 1978, less than three years after the Sails folded and the ABA's four surviving teams merged with the NBA, the NBA returned to San Diego with the relocation of the Buffalo Braves, which became the San Diego Clippers. In 1981, the Clippers were bought by Los Angeles-based developer Donald Sterling. Sterling, despite failing to gain approval from the NBA to relocate the team to Los Angeles in 1982 and again in 1984, did so anyway following the

1983–84 NBA season The 1983–84 NBA season was the 38th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 for the second time since 1969 in the NBA Final ...

, which led to a lawsuit from the league. The team ultimately remained in Los Angeles, however, following a counter-lawsuit brought on by Sterling. The franchise has kept the Clippers name despite its reference being to the ships of

San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of c ...

. San Diego has not hosted an NBA regular game since the Clippers' departure. In both 1979 and 1981 at the San Diego Indoor Track Meet, Irish distance runner Eamonn Coghlan broke the world record for the indoor mile. A photo of him crossing the finish line appeared around the world including on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Coghlan's time for the 1981 race is still the world record for the indoor mile. The arena has also been home of the San Diego Mariners of the World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1977, the San Diego Friars of World Team Tennis (WTT) from 1975 to 1978, the San Diego Sockers indoor soccer team, which won 10 titles in the arena, and other minor professional sports franchises. The San Diego Sockers made their return to the arena in 2012 for their fourth season in the PASL-Pro from Del Mar Arena. The San Diego Aviators of WTT relocated from New York City prior to the 2014 season and began playing their home matches in the arena. On December 29, 2014, the Aviators announced that the team would move its home matches to the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in nearby

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: *Carlsbad, California, United States *Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States *Carlsbad, Texas, United States *Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa ...

for the 2015 season. The Boston Bruins, whose home ice was of the same dimensions, used the San Diego Gulls as a farm team in the 1960s and 1970s. The arena has hosted a series of UFC events. The arena hosted UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko on August 1, 2010. The arena hosted UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee on July 15, 2015. The arena hosted UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz on August 13, 2022. In 2015, the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

relocated their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate to San Diego to become the current iteration of the San Diego Gulls, using the arena for their home games. On August 7, 2016, the arena played host to the Arena Football League's Los Angeles Kiss as they faced the Cleveland Gladiators in the first round of the AFL Playoffs. The game was moved to San Diego due to the Kiss' home arena, the Honda Center in

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

hosting the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus that weekend. The Kiss would lose to the Gladiators 56–52 in front of a crowd of 4,692. It was the first AFL game ever to be played at the arena and the first arena football game played there since 2005, when the AF2's San Diego Riptide played their home games at the arena from 2002 to 2005. On August 29, 2017, the National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced that billionaire owner Joseph Tsai of

Alibaba Ali Baba (character), Ali Baba is a character from the folk tale ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves''. Ali Baba or Alibaba may also refer to: Films * Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1902 film), ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' (1902 film), a F ...

had been awarded an NLL franchise to begin playing in November 2018 for the 2018–2019 season. The team is known as the San Diego Seals. In November 2018, the Indoor Football League (IFL) announced an expansion team for the 2019 season called the San Diego Strike Force. The IFL became the top level of professional Indoor football in November 2019 when the Arena Football League announced it was folding.

Concerts

The Stone Poneys Stone Poneys (also The Stone Poneys, Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys, and The Stone Poneys With Linda Ronstadt) were a folk rock trio formed in Los Angeles, consisting of Linda Ronstadt on vocals, Bobby Kimmel on rhythm guitar and vocals, an ...

played here on January 13, 1968. Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, and Surprise Package played here on August 10, 1969.

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

recorded his 13-minute jam version of " Red House" here, on May 24, 1969. The full concert was released in 1991 as part of the Stages box set. Elvis Presley played here on November 15, 1970, and April 24, 1976. Attendance was 14,659 in 1970 and 17,500 in 1976. The Grateful Dead played here on November 14, 1973. Queen performed here four times to sold-out crowds. Their first concert was on March 12, 1976 for their

A Night at the Opera Tour A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

which was the band's first headline tour in the US. They next performed on March 5, 1977 as part of their A Day at the Races Tour. Their next concert was during their News of the World Tour on December 16, 1977. The band's last performance was on July 5, 1980 while on The Game Tour. The gatefold photograph inside KISS' album, '' Alive II'', was shot here in 1977. Alice Cooper played here on many occasions and was the venue for his concert film '

The Strange Case of Alice Cooper ''The Strange Case of Alice Cooper'' is a live concert video released in September 1979, of Alice Cooper performing with his backing band '' The Ultra Latex Band''. The concert was filmed on April 9, 1979 during Cooper's 'Madhouse Rock' Tour in S ...

' in 1979. The

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

played to a sold-out crowd on July 5, 1979, during their

Spirits Having Flown Tour Spirits Having Flown Tour (also known as the Spirits Tour and the North American Tour) is the eighth concert tour by the Bee Gees in support of their fifteenth studio album ''Spirits Having Flown'' (1979). The tour began on 28 June 1979 in Fort ...

. ABBA played here during their 1979 world tour. Bob Marley and The Wailers performed here on November 21, 1979

Survival Tour Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...

. Heart performed here on August 24, 1980. The band's ''

Greatest Hits/Live ''Greatest Hits/Live'' is a compilation album of greatest hits, live recordings and new tracks by American rock band Heart, released on November 29, 1980, by Epic Records. The album was issued in North America as a double LP. The first disc is ...

'' included a medley of " I'm Down" and " Long Tall Sally" recorded at the show.

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

played two nights here on April 16, 1984 and April 17, 1984 as part of their Sing Blue Silver World Tour. They played here again July 28, 1987 as part of their Strange Behaviour World Tour, also that night American all-female band The Bangles joined them on stage to sing their hit " If She Knew What She Wants". They also played here on February 25, 2005 as part of their Astronaut World Tour when they reformed the band to its original lineup. The German heavy metal rock group, The Scorpions, performed there during their 1984 World Wide live tour.

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

performed here on May 28, 1984, as part of their Grace Under Pressure Tour. Van Halen played two shows on May 20 and 21 on their

1984 Tour The 1984 Tour was a concert tour by hard rock band Van Halen in support of their sixth studio album ''1984''. Background The stage set which was named "Metropolis" was described as the largest production ever taken on the road by a rock band, wh ...

; two shows on their 1986

5150 Tour The 5150 Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Van Halen in support of their seventh studio album, '' 5150''. Background This was the band's first tour with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals (and second electric guitar), following the acrim ...

on June 28 and 29, 1986; a show on their 1988 OU812 tour on November 19, 1988; two shows on their

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour The For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour (often abbreviated as the F.U.C.K. Tour or simply The Fuck Tour) was a concert tour by American rock band Van Halen in support of their studio album ''For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge''. It was one of the band's ...

on May 1 and 3, 1992; and finally on their 1995 The Balance "Ambulance" Tour on April 2, 1995. Dio performed during their

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

Tour on December 6, 1985. The show was recorded and later released as a live album, entitled '' Intermission''.

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, 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 (American musician), Hugh McD ...

played a sold-out show on January 16, 1987 on their Slippery When Wet world tour.

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

performed during their Pump Tour on March 2, 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 ...

has performed six concerts at this venue. She performed a sold-out show on April 23, 1990 for her

Rhythm Nation 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 ...

. She returned to the venue on February 24, 1994 for the Janet World Tour, another sold-out show. She performed sold-out shows for her

The Velvet Rope Tour The Velvet Rope Tour was the third concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. Launched in support of her sixth studio album ''The Velvet Rope'' (1997), the tour visited Europe, North America, Japan, New Zealand, Africa, and Austral ...

and All for You Tour. She came back on September 20, 2008 for her Rock Witchu Tour. She played a date here on October 7, 2017, during her State of the World Tour.

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 been ...

and the Miami Sound Machine played here on three separate occasions, first on July 17, 1991 during her “Into The Light World Tour,” second on July 31, 1996 during her “Evolution World Tour,” and third on August 19, 2004 during her “Live & Re-Wrapped Tour.”

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

performed two consecutive shows, during their

Wherever We May Roam Tour Wherever We May Roam (mentioned by band members in interviews as Wherever I May Roam) was a concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica in support of their eponymous fifth studio album (commonly known as ''The Black Album''). It beg ...

, on January 13–14, 1992. The shows were recorded and later released on VHS/DVD, entitled '' Live Shit: Binge & Purge'' on November 23, 1993. Nirvana performed during their In Utero tour on December 29, 1993.

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

was scheduled to perform during her

Return to Love Tour The Return to Love Tour was a 2000 concert tour by American singing group Diana Ross and the Supremes. Origins In 1999, Diana Ross released her final album on Motown Records, ''Every Day is a New Day''. According to Ross (featured in an intervie ...

on August 2, 2000, but the show was cancelled, due to low ticket sales. Tina Turner was scheduled to perform during her Twenty Four Seven Tour on December 2, 2000, with

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

as her opening act, but the show was canceled. Britney Spears opened her 2004

Onyx Hotel Tour The Onyx Hotel Tour (billed as The Onyx Hotel Tour 2004) was the fifth concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It showcased her fourth studio album, ''In the Zone'' (2003), and visited North America and Europe. A tour to promote the ...

. U2 performed at the venue for the first two shows of their Vertigo Tour on March 28 and 30, 2005. Miley Cyrus performed at the arena on November 8, 2007 during her Best of Both Worlds Tour Lady Gaga performed at the arena on December 19, 2009, during her

Monster Ball Tour The Monster Ball Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga. Staged in support of her first EP, ''The Fame Monster'' (2009) and comprising a set list of songs from that and her debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008 ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

performed at the venue on March 15, 2007, with special guests JJ Cale, Doyle Bramhall II, Derek Trucks, and Robert Cray. Nine years later, Clapton released audio and video/DVD recordings of the show in honor of Cale who died in 2013 on the live album '' Live in San Diego''.

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 productio ...

performed during The Circus Starring Britney Spears at the arena on September 24, 2009. Justin Bieber performed a sold-out show here on October 30, 2010, as part of his My World Tour, three years later he performed here again to a sold-out show on June 22, 2013 during his Believe Tour. Bieber returned here on March 29, 2016 to perform to a sold-out show as part of his Purpose World Tour, And On February 18, 2022, Bieber returned here for his

Justice World Tour The Justice World Tour was the fourth concert tour by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The tour was in support of his fifth and sixth studio albums, ''Changes'' (2020) and ''Justice'' (2021). Promoted by T-Mobile, the tour was originally set to ...

Selena Gomez performed at the arena on November 8, 2013 during her

Stars Dance Tour The Stars Dance Tour was the first solo concert tour by American singer Selena Gomez in support of her solo debut studio album, '' Stars Dance'' (2013). Gomez performed songs from her solo debut album, as well as her releases with Selena Gomez & ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

played a date here on October 29, 2015, becoming her first-ever performance in the arena, during her Rebel Heart Tour. The show sold 10,500 seats and grossed over $1.6 million with ticket prices ranging from $50–355, becoming one of the most expensive concerts. Muse played a date here on January 7, 2016, on their Drones World Tour.

Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 ...

played a date here late in 2016, on his Six-String Nation Tour, with

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...

as his opening act. Justin Bieber played a date here on March 29, 2016, as a part of his Purpose World Tour.

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...

, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson played a date here in September 2017 as part of their Outlaw Music Festival tour. Lana Del Rey performed at the venue on February 15, 2018, as part of her

LA to the Moon Tour The LA to the Moon Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour by American singer Lana Del Rey, in support of her fifth studio album and fourth major-label studio album, Lust for Life (Lana Del Rey album), ''Lust for Life'' (2017). The tour began ...

, with support from Kali Uchis.

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

kicked off their final tour here on May 10, 2018, with support from

Lamb of God Lamb of God ( el, Ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Amnòs toû Theoû; la, Agnus Dei, ) is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God wh ...

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...

Behemoth Behemoth (; he, בְּהֵמוֹת, ''bəhēmōṯ'') is a beast from the biblical Book of Job, and is a form of the primeval chaos-monster created by God at the beginning of creation; he is paired with the other chaos-monster, Leviathan, and ...

, and

Testament A testament is a document that the author has sworn to be true. In law it usually means last will and testament. Testament or The Testament can also refer to: Books * ''Testament'' (comic book), a 2005 comic book * ''Testament'', a thriller nov ...

. Local radio station KHTS-FM held its annual "Summer Kickoff Concert" at the venue on May 31, 2019. It featured Halsey,

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...

, CNCO, Bebe Rexha, NCT 127, and five other artists.

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

performed at the arena on June 10, 2019 as part of her

It's My Party Tour It's My Party was the fourth concert tour by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez. The tour was announced during her appearance on '' The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' on February 13, 2019. The North American leg of the tour began on June 7, 2019, in I ...

. Country-pop superstar

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...

has performed in the arena multiple times, first on October 1, 2010, during her Play On Tour; the second on October 20, 2012, during her Blown Away Tour; the third on September 16, 2016, during her Storyteller Tour: Stories in the Round; and the fourth on September 10, 2019, during her Cry Pretty Tour 360, making her one of the artists with the most performances in the arena. Tame Impala played the first of their The Slow Rush tour concerts here on March 9, 2020 just prior to the shutdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Other events

The arena has hosted several WWE events, including many episodes of Raw and Smackdown, some ECW episodes, one episode of the original NXT, many House shows (live events), Vengeance (2001), which saw the unification of the

WCW Championship The WCW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the original world title of ...

and WWE Championship, Taboo Tuesday (2005), and

One Night Stand (2008) The 2008 One Night Stand was the fourth annual and final One Night Stand professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW bran ...

. The 2011 version of Wrex the Halls was hosted here over two days with headliners

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...

and Blink-182 headlining respective nights. Both nights were sold out. The arena has also been home to events of the original Roller Games league, featuring its flagship team, the Los Angeles Thunderbirds, as well as the alternating

Roller Derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...

leagues of the time, featuring their flagship team, the San Francisco Bay Bombers. The arena hosted Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live in 2019.

Future of the facility

As use of the arena for sports and entertainment declined during the 1990s and 2000s, the city considered plans to redevelop the property. A Request For Proposals (RFP) was issued, and in August 2020 Mayor

Kevin Faulconer Kevin Lee Faulconer (born January 24, 1967) is an American politician who served as the 36th mayor of San Diego, California from 2014 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Faulconer served as the member of the San Diego City Council for th ...

announced that the city had chosen a developer to convert the arena and its surrounding 48 acres into an entertainment district. The proposed plan would include a new sports arena, thousands of housing units, and retail and park space. In a November 2020 election, the city's voters removed a pre-existing height limit of 30 feet on structures in the area, giving developers more flexibility. However, in June 2021 the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) notified the city that the plan violated the state's recently modified Surplus Land Act, which mandates that local governments must offer surplus land first to developers who will reserve 25% of housing units for low-income families. In July the city prepared to declare the property surplus, meaning not needed for the city’s use, with the condition that any proposal should include refurbishing or replacing the sports arena as an entertainment venue. If the state HCD approves that condition, the city will issue a new RFP to a state-approved list of affordable housing developers. The November 2022 election again has Measure E on the ballot for San Diego voters to remove or preserve the current height restrictions for the neighborhood zone west of the I-5 freeway and south of I-8 down to the San Diego International Airport including Liberty Station and Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. Meanwhile three developers are proposing a new mixed use arena with housing, shopping, and parks. The projects are titled "Midway Rising", "Hometown SD", and "Midway Village+".

References

External links