IPayOne Center
Encyclopedia
Valley View Casino Center (formerly San Diego Sports Arena and iPayOne Center) is an indoor arena, located on Sports Arena Blvd, in Point Loma, San Diego, California
, off of Interstate 8
.
The arena seats 12,000 for arena football
, 12,920 for ice hockey
, 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 wrestling
.
In 2000, Amusement Business/Billboard Magazine listed the arena as the "#1" facility in the nation for venues seating 10,001 to 15,000 seats. The same magazine ranked the arena as #2 in 2002 and as the #5 facility in 2003. In 2007, the arena was ranked as the #5 facility by Billboard Magazine.
neighborhood, approximately 10 minutes away from San Diego International Airport
by car and about a mile away from the Old Town Transit Center
by foot.
savings company based in Carlsbad, California
, held the arena's naming rights
. The deal was worth $2.5 million over five years.
On April 8, 2007, Ernie Hahn II, CEO of Arena Group 2000 which holds the leasing rights to the property, announced that AG2000 has defaulted iPayOne out of the remainder of the contract for non payment. According to Hahn, iPayOne has been in and out of default in payments - mostly balloon payments - in the last year. In addition, iPayOne appears to be halting operations and is accepting no new listings. As a result, the name was changed back to the San Diego Sports Arena, while Hahn seeks a new naming rights sponsor.
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 dollar, 5 year agreement between the city of San Diego, the arena operator AEG, Valley View Casino and the city of San Diego.
and the San Diego Riptide
of the AF2
, but both franchises folded. The Gulls franchise majority owner was Arena Group 2000 LP, a private company which is also the current arena leaseholder. When the team was disbanded - and not sold - there was local speculation regarding the company's closely held secret intentions for the property.
Many outsiders suspected implosion of the Arena and redevelopment of the property, as redevelopment of this chunk of real estate had supposedly been a prime motivation for Ron Hahn (of the Hahn Company) when he first took an interest in this property in 1991. Future development will depend on the City of San Diego and the vision that both they and AEG have for sports and entertainment in San Diego.
The venue continues to host 20–25 concerts each year and in 2007 hosted 35 concerts ranging from Justin Timberlake to Eric Clapton. Other San Diego venues, like Cricket Amphitheater (formerly Coors Amphitheater
), an outdoor concert venue of the typical amphitheater/lawn configuration located south of downtown San Diego, just north of Mexico in Chula Vista, Viejas Arena (formerly Cox Arena
) at San Diego State University
(on the eastern edge of the city), Soma
(which is a modest nightclub that brings in quality acts despite being smaller than the midsized venues of Fourth and B, The House of Blues, Humphries, or Anthology, and worth mentioning because of its location in the same Loma Portal/Midway neighborhood as the arena), and the myriad Casinos that pepper the outskirts of San Diego County are becoming exceedingly popular destinations for musical events as well. The San Diego Sports Arena remains the only ice arena facility in San Diego County, and hosts annual skating events such as Stars on Ice
and Disney on Ice with Feld Entertainment twice each year. The facility is the only arena in San Diego that has a group sales department and for this reason hosts almost all of the major family shows to come to San Diego like the Harlem Globetrotters, Sesame Street Live and Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus each year. The arena also serves as a home court for the L.A. Lakers in a preseason NBA game each fall. The property continues to derive income from the Kobey's Swap Meet, held every weekend in the west end of the parking lot which attracts over one million people annually.
, for "a modest" $6.4 million dollars.
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.
considered the arena for its National Convention. With little warning, however, the GOP decided to hold the convention in Miami Beach
. To compensate for this blow to local prestige, then mayor Pete Wilson
gave San Diego the by-name of "America's Finest City", which is still the city's official moniker.
--Muhammad Ali
fight in which, by split decision, San Diego local Norton won. Irish distance runner Eamonn Coghlan
broke the world record for the indoor mile in 1979 and 1981. A photo of his crossing the finish line appeared around the world including the cover of Sports Illustrated
. Coghlin's time for the 1981 race is still the world record for the indoor mile.
It was the home of the San Diego Rockets of the National Basketball Association
(NBA) from 1967 to 1971, the San Diego Conquistadors
and San Diego Sails
of the American Basketball Association
from 1974 to 1976, the San Diego Mariners
of the World Hockey Association
from 1974 to 1977, the San Diego Clippers of the NBA from 1978 to 1984, the San Diego State University
Aztecs
basketball teams, off and on, from 1966 to 1997, the San Diego Sockers indoor soccer team which won 10 titles in the arena, as well as other small sports franchises such as World Team Tennis.
The venue hosted the 1971 NBA All-Star Game
and the 1975 NCAA men's basketball Final Four
, where UCLA was victorious in John Wooden's final game.
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 also hosted UFC on Versus 2 on August 1, 2010.
recorded his 13 minute jam version of "Red House
" here, on May 24, 1969.
Metallica
's 1992 show is included on their live album, Live Shit: Binge & Purge
.
Diana Ross
was scheduled to perform during her Return to Love Tour
on August 2, 2000, but the show was cancelled.
Tina Turner
was scheduled to perform during her Twenty Four Seven Tour
on December 2, 2000, but the show was cancelled.
KISS
performed during their Kiss Alive/35 World Tour
on November 27, 2009. The gatefold photograph inside their album, Alive II
, was shot here in 1977.
The arena has hosted many WWE pay-per-views including One Night Stand 2008
, Taboo Tuesday 2005
, and Vengeance 2001
(which saw the crowning of the first Undisputed WWE Champion, Chris Jericho
), as well as one of very few Casket Matches between The Undertaker and Chavo Guerrero
. WWE has then hosted the 600th episode of WWE SmackDown that took place on February 15, 2011. It hosted the Monday Night Raw
after SummerSlam 2011
.
The Gamechangers tour was hosted here with We Came As Romans
, Bring Me The Horizon
, Pierce The Veil
, A Day To Remember
playing.
The exterior of the arena and its parking lot are featured in an early scene of Cameron Crowe
's 2000 film, Almost Famous
.
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, off of Interstate 8
Interstate 8
Interstate 8 is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Blvd, in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with Interstate 10, just southeast of Casa Grande, Arizona...
.
The arena seats 12,000 for arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
, 12,920 for ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, 14,500 for 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...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, 5,450 for amphitheater concerts and stage shows, 8,900-14,800 for arena concerts, 13,000 for ice shows and the circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
and 16,100 for boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
.
In 2000, Amusement Business/Billboard Magazine listed the arena as the "#1" facility in the nation for venues seating 10,001 to 15,000 seats. The same magazine ranked the arena as #2 in 2002 and as the #5 facility in 2003. In 2007, the arena was ranked as the #5 facility by Billboard Magazine.
Location and access
The arena is located at 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., which is slightly southwest of the interchange of Interstate 5 and Interstate 8. This places it in the MidwayMidway, San Diego, California
The Midway area, also called the North Bay area, is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is located at the northern end of the Point Loma peninsula, northwest of Downtown San Diego and just west of Old Town...
neighborhood, approximately 10 minutes away from San Diego International Airport
San Diego International Airport
San Diego International Airport , sometimes referred to as Lindbergh Field, is a public airport located northwest of the central business district of San Diego, California and from the Mexico – United States border at Tijuana, Mexico...
by car and about a mile away from the Old Town Transit Center
Old Town Transit Center
The Old Town Transit Center is an intermodal transportation station located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California.-History:The Old Town Transit Center was built in the early 1990s, and the San Diego Trolley was extended here in 1996. In 1997 the Blue Line was extended into Mission...
by foot.
Naming rights
The venue's original name was the 'San Diego International Sports Center'. The name was later renamed the 'San Diego Sports Arena', which it kept until 2004. In the latter year and until 2007, iPayOne, a real estateReal estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
savings company based in Carlsbad, California
Carlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
, held the arena's naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
. The deal was worth $2.5 million over five years.
On April 8, 2007, Ernie Hahn II, CEO of Arena Group 2000 which holds the leasing rights to the property, announced that AG2000 has defaulted iPayOne out of the remainder of the contract for non payment. According to Hahn, iPayOne has been in and out of default in payments - mostly balloon payments - in the last year. In addition, iPayOne appears to be halting operations and is accepting no new listings. As a result, the name was changed back to the San Diego Sports Arena, while Hahn seeks a new naming rights sponsor.
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 dollar, 5 year agreement between the city of San Diego, the arena operator AEG, Valley View Casino and the city of San Diego.
Redevelopment
Between 1995 and 2006, the arena was the home venue to the San Diego Gulls of the ECHLECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
and the San Diego Riptide
San Diego Riptide
The San Diego Riptide is a defunct Arena Football League af2 team. The team played its home games at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.The team was originally coached by Cree Morris, then Mouse Davis and then Sean Ponder....
of the AF2
AF2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
, but both franchises folded. The Gulls franchise majority owner was Arena Group 2000 LP, a private company which is also the current arena leaseholder. When the team was disbanded - and not sold - there was local speculation regarding the company's closely held secret intentions for the property.
Many outsiders suspected implosion of the Arena and redevelopment of the property, as redevelopment of this chunk of real estate had supposedly been a prime motivation for Ron Hahn (of the Hahn Company) when he first took an interest in this property in 1991. Future development will depend on the City of San Diego and the vision that both they and AEG have for sports and entertainment in San Diego.
The venue continues to host 20–25 concerts each year and in 2007 hosted 35 concerts ranging from Justin Timberlake to Eric Clapton. Other San Diego venues, like Cricket Amphitheater (formerly Coors Amphitheater
Coors Amphitheatre (San Diego)
Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, formerly known as Coors Amphitheatre, is a 19,492-seat amphitheatre located in Chula Vista, California. It is the largest concert venue of its size in the San Diego area. The venue is owned and operated by Live Nation.-History:...
), an outdoor concert venue of the typical amphitheater/lawn configuration located south of downtown San Diego, just north of Mexico in Chula Vista, Viejas Arena (formerly Cox Arena
Cox Arena
Officially Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, located on the San Diego State University campus in San Diego, California, is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball and women's basketball teams. Viejas Arena opened its doors to the campus and community in July of 1997 and seats 12,414 for...
) at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
(on the eastern edge of the city), Soma
Soma San Diego
SOMA is a popular all-ages concert venue in the Midway District area of San Diego, California, right next to the San Diego Sports Arena. Over the years it has become one of the more popular concert venues in the city. Claiming to be one of the best all ages venue in the "SoCal" music scene, Soma...
(which is a modest nightclub that brings in quality acts despite being smaller than the midsized venues of Fourth and B, The House of Blues, Humphries, or Anthology, and worth mentioning because of its location in the same Loma Portal/Midway neighborhood as the arena), and the myriad Casinos that pepper the outskirts of San Diego County are becoming exceedingly popular destinations for musical events as well. The San Diego Sports Arena remains the only ice arena facility in San Diego County, and hosts annual skating events such as Stars on Ice
Stars on Ice
Stars on Ice is a touring figure skating show produced by IMG. It was originally conceived in 1986 as a vehicle for IMG client Scott Hamilton, who had been released from his contract with Ice Capades, after being told that male skaters do not sell tickets...
and Disney on Ice with Feld Entertainment twice each year. The facility is the only arena in San Diego that has a group sales department and for this reason hosts almost all of the major family shows to come to San Diego like the Harlem Globetrotters, Sesame Street Live and Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus each year. The arena also serves as a home court for the L.A. Lakers in a preseason NBA game each fall. The property continues to derive income from the Kobey's Swap Meet, held every weekend in the west end of the parking lot which attracts over one million people annually.
History
The arena was built in 1966 by Robert Breitbard, a local football hero who played for Hoover High School and San Diego StateSan Diego State Aztecs football
The San Diego State football team represents the San Diego State Aztecs in college football. The Aztecs, a Division I FBS team and a member of the Mountain West Conference, play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The field is natural grass and has a maximum capacity of...
, for "a modest" $6.4 million dollars.
The arena opened on November 17, 1966, when more than 11,000 pro hockey fans watched the San Diego Gulls
San Diego Gulls (1966-1974)
The original San Diego Gulls team was founded in 1966 as part of the Western Hockey League. The Gulls played at the San Diego Sports Arena.Willie O'Ree, the first black athlete to play in the NHL, was an All-Star for the Gulls. His jersey is retired and presently hangs in the rafters at the San...
(then a member of the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
) win their season opener, 4–1, against the Seattle Totems.
1972 GOP National Convention
In 1972, the Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
considered the arena for its National Convention. With little warning, however, the GOP decided to hold the convention in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
. To compensate for this blow to local prestige, then mayor Pete Wilson
Pete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
gave San Diego the by-name of "America's Finest City", which is still the city's official moniker.
Sports franchises and events
The most notable sporting event to take place in the arena was the 1973 Ken NortonKen Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat Ali as a professional .He and Ali...
--Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
fight in which, by split decision, San Diego local Norton won. Irish distance runner Eamonn Coghlan
Eamonn Coghlan
Eamonn Christopher Coghlan is an Irish Senator and former athlete, who specialised in middle distance track events and the 5000 metres...
broke the world record for the indoor mile in 1979 and 1981. A photo of his crossing the finish line appeared around the world including the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. Coghlin's time for the 1981 race is still the world record for the indoor mile.
It was the home of the San Diego Rockets of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) from 1967 to 1971, the San Diego Conquistadors
San Diego Conquistadors
The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's", were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California. They were the only expansion team in the history of the ABA. The team played from 1972 to 1975. They were replaced in the ABA by the San Diego Sails.-San Diego...
and San Diego Sails
San Diego Sails
The San Diego Sails were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California; the team played an incomplete season only, beginning the 1975-1976 ABA season but folding before its completion.-San Diego Conquistadors:...
of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
from 1974 to 1976, the San Diego Mariners
San Diego Mariners
The San Diego Mariners were an ice hockey team based in San Diego that played in the World Hockey Association. They played from 1974 to 1977. Their home ice was San Diego Sports Arena...
of the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
from 1974 to 1977, the San Diego Clippers of the NBA from 1978 to 1984, the San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
Aztecs
SDSU Aztecs
The San Diego State Aztecs are the collegiate athletics and sports teams for San Diego State University .San Diego State has organized programs for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, golf, gymnastics, rowing , softball, tennis, track, swimming, diving, women's volleyball, and water polo.The...
basketball teams, off and on, from 1966 to 1997, the San Diego Sockers indoor soccer team which won 10 titles in the arena, as well as other small sports franchises such as World Team Tennis.
The venue hosted the 1971 NBA All-Star Game
1971 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 21: at the San Diego Sports Arena, Jan. 12, 1971MVP: Lenny WilkensCoaches: East: Red Holzman, West: Larry Costello.-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by periods: *Halftime— West, 62-60*Third Quarter— East, 83-82...
and the 1975 NCAA men's basketball Final Four
1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in San Diego, California...
, where UCLA was victorious in John Wooden's final game.
The Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
, whose home ice was of the same dimensions, used the San Diego Gulls as a farm team
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
in the 1960s and 1970s.
The arena also hosted UFC on Versus 2 on August 1, 2010.
Music and entertainment
Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
recorded his 13 minute jam version of "Red House
Red House (song)
"Red House" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and originally recorded by The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966. The song, a slow twelve-bar blues, "is one of the most traditional in sound and form of all his official recordings". It was developed during his pre-Experience days while Hendrix was...
" here, on May 24, 1969.
Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's 1992 show is included on their live album, Live Shit: Binge & Purge
Live Shit: Binge & Purge
-San Diego:Recorded at the San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California on January 13 and 14, 1992.-VHS one/DVD one:#"20 Min. MetalliMovie"#"The Ecstasy of Gold"#"Enter Sandman"#"Creeping Death"#"Harvester of Sorrow"#"Welcome Home...
.
Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
was scheduled to perform during her Return to Love Tour
Return to Love Tour
"The Return to Love Tour" is 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"...
on August 2, 2000, but the show was cancelled.
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 December 2, 2000, but the show was cancelled.
KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
performed during their Kiss Alive/35 World Tour
KISS Alive/35 World Tour
The Kiss Alive/35 World Tour was a concert tour by Kiss to celebrate Kiss' 35th anniversary. It was the band's first major tour since the Rock the Nation Tour in 2004. On the tour, Kiss played in New Zealand for the first time since the Alive/Worldwide Tour in 1997, as well as performing in Europe...
on November 27, 2009. The gatefold photograph inside their album, Alive II
Alive II
Alive II is a 1977 live album from Kiss. It is the group's eighth album and second live album.-The songs:The origins of Alive II go back to early 1977 when the band's manager, Bill Aucoin, had the idea to have Eddie Kramer record a live album during the evening show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo on...
, was shot here in 1977.
The arena has hosted many WWE pay-per-views including One Night Stand 2008
One Night Stand (2008)
One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on June 1, 2008 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. It was the fourth and final event promoted under the One Night Stand name...
, Taboo Tuesday 2005
Taboo Tuesday (2005)
Taboo Tuesday was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on November 1, 2005 at the iPayOne Center in San Diego, California. It was the second annual Taboo Tuesday event in which the fans were given the chance to vote on...
, and Vengeance 2001
Vengeance (2001)
Vengeance was the first annual Vengeance professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on December 9, 2001 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California....
(which saw the crowning of the first Undisputed WWE Champion, Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
), as well as one of very few Casket Matches between The Undertaker and Chavo Guerrero
Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
. WWE has then hosted the 600th episode of WWE SmackDown that took place on February 15, 2011. It hosted the Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
after SummerSlam 2011
SummerSlam (2011)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on August 14, 2011. For the third consecutive year, SummerSlam was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and it was the 24th annual SummerSlam event...
.
The Gamechangers tour was hosted here with We Came As Romans
We Came as Romans
We Came as Romans is an American rock band from Troy, Michigan. Formed in 2005, the band signed to Equal Vision Records in April 2009 and have released two EPs, Demonstrations and Dreams , and two full-length albums, To Plant a Seed and Understanding What We've Grown to Be...
, Bring Me The Horizon
Bring Me the Horizon
Bring Me the Horizon are a British metalcore band from Sheffield, Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. Bring Me the Horizon constits of Oliver Sykes as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist Lee Malia, rhythm guitarist Jona Weinhofen, bassist Matt Kean and drummer Matt Nicholls...
, Pierce The Veil
Pierce the Veil
Pierce the Veil is an American post-hardcore band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2006, the group was founded by brothers Vic and Mike Fuentes after the disbandment of the group Early Times which was formed out of the San Diego punk rock scene...
, A Day To Remember
A Day to Remember
A Day to Remember is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida. Founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denny and drummer Bobby Scruggs, the band has released four studio albums, nine singles and eight music videos...
playing.
The exterior of the arena and its parking lot are featured in an early scene of Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
's 2000 film, Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
.