Bryce Jordan Center
Encyclopedia
Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena
in University Park, Pennsylvania
. The arena opened in 1995 and is the largest such venue between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
. It replaced Rec Hall
as the home to the Penn State University Nittany Lions
men's and women's basketball
team
, the Pride of the Lions Pep Band, and for the men, its student section, Nittany Nation
. It also plays host to a number of events such as music concerts, circuses, and commencement ceremonies for colleges within the university. The arena is named after former Penn State University president Bryce Jordan
who was instrumental in acquiring the funding needed to build it. The arena is associated with the Arena Network, a marketing and scheduling group of 38 arenas. http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2004/04/04-23-04tdc/04-23-04dnews-09.asp
on Curtin Road, on the eastern part of the campus. This part of campus is home to many of the school's athletic facilities, including the recently built Medlar Field at Lubrano Park
baseball facility and Jeffrey Field soccer stadium. There is a large electronic display outside the arena which provides advertisements for future events. The university also recently contracted with ANC Sports
to install over 900 feet of LED ribbon board signage to be used for sponsor advertisements and game prompts.
In March 2006, the arena hosted first and second rounds of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
. The arena also hosts the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
(PIAA) Basketball Championships on a yearly basis.http://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=10335
In 2007, the Penn State Dance Marathon
, commonly known as THON, was moved to the Bryce Jordan Center. The event, designed to raise money to fight pediatric cancer, raises millions of dollars every year.
It also hosts numerous concerts and World Wrestling Entertainment
events, including RAW
.
Parts of Aerosmith
's 1998 live album, A Little South of Sanity
, were recorded at the Bryce Jordan Center. Lead singer Steven Tyler
can be heard yelling "State College" out to the audience in order to rile them up during "Love in an Elevator
".
The music video for The Backstreet Boys
' 2000 hit, "The One", was filmed at the arena.
Tina Turner
was scheduled to perform during her Twenty Four Seven Tour
on September 29, 2000, but the show was cancelled, due to scheduling conflicts.
The arena played host to the politically-motivated Vote for Change
Tour on October 1, 2004, featuring performances by My Morning Jacket
, Jurassic 5
, Ben Harper
& The Innocent Criminals and The Dave Matthews Band
.
On October 13, 2008, it played host to Change Rocks: A Concert to Benefit Obama, among guests playing included The Allman Brothers Band
and Bob Weir
, Phil Lesh
, Mickey Hart
and Bill Kreutzmann
, all four of whom were members of The Grateful Dead
.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in University Park, Pennsylvania
University Park, Pennsylvania
University Park, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the location of the flagship campus of the Pennsylvania State University....
. The arena opened in 1995 and is the largest such venue between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. It replaced Rec Hall
Rec Hall
Recreation Building, or Rec Hall as it is more commonly known, is a field house located on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It was opened on January 15, 1929 and is still in use. Previously, Penn State's indoor sports teams played in a building known as the Armory,...
as the home to the Penn State University Nittany Lions
Pennsylvania State University Athletics
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University. The school colors are blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The Intercollegiate Athletics Logo was commissioned in 1983.Penn State participates in the NCAA Division I FBS and in the Big Ten...
men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
, the Pride of the Lions Pep Band, and for the men, its student section, Nittany Nation
Nittany Nation
Nittany Nation is the student cheering section supporting the Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team. Founded during the 2003/04 season, the section is present at the Bryce Jordan Center for every home game with its name on the court along the sideline...
. It also plays host to a number of events such as music concerts, circuses, and commencement ceremonies for colleges within the university. The arena is named after former Penn State University president Bryce Jordan
Bryce Jordan
Bryce Jordan was the fourteenth president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1983 until 1990. Prior to that he served as interim president of the University of Texas at Austin from 1970 to 1971 and as first president of The University of Texas at Dallas from 1971 to 1981.During...
who was instrumental in acquiring the funding needed to build it. The arena is associated with the Arena Network, a marketing and scheduling group of 38 arenas. http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2004/04/04-23-04tdc/04-23-04dnews-09.asp
Location and layout
The arena is located across the street from Beaver StadiumBeaver Stadium
Beaver Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, on the campus of The Pennsylvania State University. It is home to the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference. The stadium is named for James A...
on Curtin Road, on the eastern part of the campus. This part of campus is home to many of the school's athletic facilities, including the recently built Medlar Field at Lubrano Park
Medlar Field at Lubrano Park
Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is a 5,406-seat baseball stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania that hosted its first regular season baseball game on June 20, 2006, when the secondary tenant of the facility, the State College Spikes, lost to the Williamsport Crosscutters, 5-3...
baseball facility and Jeffrey Field soccer stadium. There is a large electronic display outside the arena which provides advertisements for future events. The university also recently contracted with ANC Sports
ANC Sports
ANC Sports Enterprises, is a sports marketing and signage company based in Purchase, New York. ANC’s product and service offering includes Light Emitting Diode , rotational, and fixed visual displays; digital media software and control systems; signage operation and maintenance; marketing...
to install over 900 feet of LED ribbon board signage to be used for sponsor advertisements and game prompts.
Operations
Even though the arena is technically owned by the university, its operating structure is highly convoluted. The Arena Network actually does much of the booking for the facility. Even more unusually, because of the process to obtain the original funding for the arena, Penn State must pay rent to use the arena for its basketball games and offices.Notable events
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
. The arena also hosts the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. is one of the governing bodies of high school and junior high school sports for the state of Pennsylvania, United States....
(PIAA) Basketball Championships on a yearly basis.http://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=10335
In 2007, the Penn State Dance Marathon
Penn State Dance Marathon
The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, commonly referred to as THON, is a two day Dance Marathon that takes place every February at the Pennsylvania State University with the purpose of raising money to combat pediatric cancer...
, commonly known as THON, was moved to the Bryce Jordan Center. The event, designed to raise money to fight pediatric cancer, raises millions of dollars every year.
It also hosts numerous concerts and World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
events, including RAW
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
.
Parts of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
's 1998 live album, A Little South of Sanity
A Little South of Sanity
-Personnel:*Tom Hamilton – bass*Joey Kramer – drums, percussion*Joe Perry – guitar, backing vocals, talkbox on "Sweet Emotion", pedal steel guitar on "Rag Doll"*Steven Tyler – lead vocals, percussion*Brad Whitford – guitar...
, were recorded at the Bryce Jordan Center. Lead singer Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
can be heard yelling "State College" out to the audience in order to rile them up during "Love in an Elevator
Love in an Elevator
"Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and guitarist/backing vocalist Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead single from their third album with Geffen Records, Pump, released in September...
".
The music video for The Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
' 2000 hit, "The One", was filmed at the arena.
Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
was scheduled to perform during her Twenty Four Seven Tour
Twenty Four Seven Tour
The Twenty Four Seven Tour is the eighth concert tour by American singer, Tina Turner. The tour initially promoted her final studio album, Twenty Four Seven, but later transformed into a greatest hits tour...
on September 29, 2000, but the show was cancelled, due to scheduling conflicts.
The arena played host to the politically-motivated Vote for Change
Vote for Change
The Vote for Change tour was a politically-motivated American popular music concert tour that took place in October 2004. The tour was presented by MoveOn.org to benefit America Coming Together. The tour was held in swing states and was designed to encourage people to register and vote...
Tour on October 1, 2004, featuring performances by My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.The band consists of Jim James , Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship , Patrick Hallahan , Carl Broemel , and Bo Koster .-History:My Morning Jacket was...
, Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
, Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
& The Innocent Criminals and The Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
.
On October 13, 2008, it played host to Change Rocks: A Concert to Benefit Obama, among guests playing included The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
and Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
, Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
, Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
and Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann
Bill Kreutzmann is an American drummer who played with the rock band the Grateful Dead for their entire thirty-year career...
, all four of whom were members of The Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
.