U.S. Bank Arena Totally Explained

Everything about Riverfront Coliseum totally explained

U.S. Bank Arena (known originally as the Riverfront Coliseum, and known later as The Crown and the Firstar Center), is an indoor arena located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio near the Ohio River next to the Great American Ball Park. Completed in 1975, the arena seats 12,823 for ice hockey. It was the home of the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA from 1975-1979. Since then, the arena has hosted another minor-league hockey team and various concerts, political rallies, tennis tournaments, figure skating, a Billy Graham Crusade, and other events. The facility's longest-serving tenant was the men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati, which used the arena from its completion until 1989, when U.C. built an on-campus facility (Shoemaker Center), now known as Fifth Third Arena. The arena building was heavily renovated in 1997, and still is in use. The current main tenant is the Cincinnati Cyclones franchise of the East Coast Hockey League. The Cincinnati Jungle Kats of the arenafootball2 league played their one and only season at the U.S. Bank Arena in 2007, posting a record of 1-15. On occasion, there are local pushes for the attraction of another major sports franchise to occupy the somewhat underused arena, possibly an NBA franchise either relocated or expanded, though little has ever come to fruition. The NBA was last played in Cincinnati in 1972, and never at this facility, aside from exhibition games.
   The first event to be staged at the facility was a concert by the Allman Brothers. Many other noteworthy performers have appeared there, including Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The next to last performance by Elvis Presley was at this venue June 25, 1977.
   The arena was the site of the Regional of the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, as well as a first and second round site for the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and the 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The arena was also host to the 1997 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Final Four, as well as the 1996 men's Division I hockey Frozen Four, which was won by Michigan.
   The venue hosted part of the 1981 and all of the 1992 Horizon League men's basketball conference tournament as well as the 1978 and 1983 Metro Conference men's basketball tournaments. The 2002 and 2004 Conference USA men's basketball tournaments were held there; the Atlantic Ten Conference also held its tourney there in 2005 and did so again in 2006. The 1996 NCAA Frozen Four also was staged at the facility. The arena was the site of the last World Championship Wrestling (WCW)/nWo Souled Out event in 2000. It also hosted the first World Wrestling Entertainment Cyber Sunday pay-per-view in 2006. The US Bank Arena has also held many other WWE events. It hosted Ultimate Fighting Championship's UFC 77 pay-per-view on October 20, 2007.

Notable events

December 1979 tragedy

On December 3, 1979, the arena was the site of one of the worst rock concert tragedies in United States history. Eleven fans were killed by compressive asphyxia and several dozen others injured in the rush for seating at the opening of a sold-out concert by English rock band The Who. The concert was using "festival seating", (also known as "general seating"), where the best seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the festival seating, many fans arrived very early. When the crowds waiting outside heard the band performing a late sound check, they thought that the concert was beginning and tried to rush into the still-closed doors. Some at the front of the crowd were trampled as those pushing from behind were unaware that the doors were still closed. Only a few doors were in operation on the night of the tragedy, and there are reports that management didn't open more doors due to the concern of people sneaking past the ticket turnstiles.
As a result, concert venues across North America switched to assigned seating or changed their rules about festival seating. Cincinnati immediately outlawed festival seating at concerts, although it overturned the ban on August 4, 2004. The ban was making it difficult for Cincinnati to book concerts since many music acts prefer festival seating because it could allow the most enthusiastic fans to get near the stage and generate excitement for the rest of the crowd. Some performers and bands insist on a festival seating area near the stage. The city had made a one-time exception to the ban before August 4, 2004, allowing festival seating for a Bruce Springsteen concert. Cincinnati was, at one time, the only city in the United States to outlaw festival seating altogether.

Possible replacement

There is talk about building a new arena at Broadway Commons, an area on the border of Downtown and Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine. The new building would replace US Bank Arena. Talks on building a new arena haven't progressed far yet but the city is still trying. The idea is that a new arena in Over-the-Rhine would promote growth and development in the area.

Further Information

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