Hampton Coliseum
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| Former names | Hampton Roads Coliseum |
|---|---|
| Location | 1000 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, Virginia, 23666 |
| Owner | City of Hampton |
| Operator | City of Hampton |
| Capacity | 13,800 (concerts) 9,777 (basketball) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 24, 1968 |
| Built | 1968 - 1970 |
| Opened | 1970 |
| Construction cost | $8.5 to $9.0 million USD |
| General contractor | McDevitt and Street Co. |
| Tenants | |
| Virginia Squires (ABA) (1970-76) Virginia Wings (AHL) (1971-75) Hampton Gulls (SHL,AHL) (1974-78) | |
Located in Hampton, Virginia, the Hampton Coliseum is a multi-use facility owned by the City of Hampton. It is used to host concerts, and is a regular stop on the World Wrestling Entertainment tour. Opening in 1970, then known as the Hampton Roads Coliseum, was the Hampton Roads metropolitan area's, and the state of Virginia's first large multi-purpose arena. The arena seats about 13,800 for festival-style concerts and 9,777 for basketball.
Tenants
The Hampton Coliseum was also one of several former homes of the American Basketball Association (1967-1976) professional basketball franchise Virginia Squires. The Squires played there (in addition to the Roanoke Civic Center, Richmond Coliseum, and the Norfolk Scope, all within the state of Virginia) from 1970 to 1976. The Virginia Squires played their first game at the Coliseum on October 22, 1970, and their last game on April 6, 1976.
The Coliseum was also home to the Virginia Wings and Hampton Gulls hockey teams in the American Hockey League.
Sporting events
The 1987-1989 Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball tournaments were held in the Coliseum, as was the 1985 Sun Belt Conference tourney. The Hampton Coliseum is also the home of the Virginia Duals annual wrestling tournament, hosting invitational college and high school matches.
The coliseum hosted WWF/WWE RAW, in April 1998, August 2005, May 2007, and January 2008. It also hosted SmackDown! and for ECW on Sci Fi on December 2006. In January 2008, WWE had its first television show taped in high definition in this arena.
Music
On April 9th 1972 Elvis played a 2:30pm and a 8:30 pm show and again on August 1st 1976 Elvis played the Coliseum in which he was mumbling wasted through songs and stoned out of his mind. The Rolling Stones played the Coliseum in 1981, which was broadcast live on the local radio. The Stones also recorded a video for the song (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction during that show. The Coliseum is also the final venue that late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton played in the United States, before his death in September of 1986 in Ljungby, Sweden. On March 6-8 2009. The Grateful Dead played the Coliseum many times during the 1980s and 1990s. Their first of many shows was on May 4, 1979. In 1989, they billed themselves as the "Warlocks" for a 2-night run and tricked local law enforcement as they had been banned from the city. They then played two songs Dark Star and Attics Of My Life which had not been played live since the 70's. After the inaugural November 25th 1995 performance by the band Phish they returned on October 25th 1996 and Trey Anastasio declared from the stage "Sometimes people ask me what the ah, best rooms that we play are ah, in are. This is pretty much it, for me. Just so you know to answer the question. Good sound. Everyone gets to go where they want on the floor. You cant beat it." They returned in 1997 and played the two most epic shows of their career. Phish then recorded their live album Hampton Comes Alive at the Coliseum in 1998, to which they referred the venue as the "Mothership".[1] On New Year's Eve 1996, the Dave Matthews Band recorded Live Trax Vol. 7 at the venue. Phish will reunite and return to the stage following a four year hiatus at the Coliseum and the offical breakup of the band, marking their 13th, 14th and 15th performances at the Coliseum.
References
- ^ Wilson: "Hampton Comes Alive Program", pg. 2, McMann Publications, 1998.