Bojangles' Coliseum

Bojangles' Coliseum
The Big I/The Old Coliseum
Former names	Charlotte Coliseum (1955–1988) Independence Arena (1988–2001) Cricket Arena (2001–2008) Bojangles Coliseum (2008–)
Location	2700 East Independence Blvd Charlotte, North Carolina 28205
Opened	1955
Renovated	1988
Expanded	1992
Owner	City of Charlotte
Operator	Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Construction cost	$4 million for Coliseum and Ovens Auditorium[1]
Architect	A.G. Odell and Associates of Charlotte, NC[2]
Structural engineer	Severud, Elstad and Krueger of New York, NY[2]
General Contractor	Thompson and Street Company of Charlotte, NC[2]Structural Steel Fabrication and Erection Southern Engineering Company of Charlotte, NC[2]
Capacity	9,605
Tenants
Carolina Cougars (1969–1974) Charlotte 49ers (1976–1988, 1993–1996) Charlotte Cobras (MILL) (1996) Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) (1993–2005) Charlotte Krunk (2005) Arena Racing USA (2006–2008) Charlotte Roller Girls (2008) Carolina Speed (SIFL) (2009, 2011-Present) Charlotte Copperheads (NALL) (2012-Present)

Bojangles' Coliseum (originally Charlotte Coliseum and formally Independence Arena and Cricket Arena) is a 9,605-seat multi-purpose arena, in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the Ovens Auditorium and the Charlotte Convention Center. The title sponsor is Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits.^[3]

History

It was opened and dedicated in 1955, as Charlotte Coliseum. At the time, it was the largest unsupported steel dome in the world. After the new Charlotte Coliseum opened in 1988, the name was changed to Independence Arena (named for its location on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte) and underwent an extensive renovation. In 2001, the arena was renamed Cricket Arena in a naming rights arrangement with Cricket Communications. In 2008, Bojangles Restaurants, Inc. bought the naming rights.

Basketball

As the old Charlotte Coliseum it was a site for home games for the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association from 1969 through 1974.^[4] It also hosted the ACC men's basketball tournament from 1968–1970, the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament from 1964-1971 (and again in 2010, for the first three days of the tournament), and was the site of the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament from 1977 through 1980. Additionally, it hosted the Charlotte 49ers from 1976 until 1988, and again from 1993 through 1996.

Other sports

The Carolina Speed of the American Indoor Football Association, formerly playing at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, moved here in 2009. After the season, they announced they would be sitting out the 2010 season and resuming play in 2011 back in Cabarrus. However, later on they changed their minds and returned in 2011 to the Coliseum, this time as a member of the Southern Indoor Football League.

It was one of the flagship venues for Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA in the 1980s. It also hosted wrestling pay-per-views Starrcade in 1993, and Slamboree in 1997. The arena was a cornerstone of the Carolinas wrestling territory during that time. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling held their Genesis pay-per-view on January 11, 2009.

The venue was also the home of minor league hockey in Charlotte from 1956, when the first Baltimore Clippers moved to Charlotte to become the early Checkers, to 1977, when the first version of the Checkers folded. When the Checkers were revived in 1993, they played there until 2005, and the arena would be available should Kelly Cup Playoff games be needed because of the unavailability of Time Warner Cable Arena as ECHL rules regarding playoff games and timeframes are compact and may force a game to be moved.

The arena also hosted the worst team in MILL history, the 1996 Charlotte Cobras (0-10). The 1996 season was their one and only in the MILL. The team was folded without ever winning a game. Starting in January 2012, the arena will be home to the Charlotte Copperheads of the North American Lacrosse League

The Carolina Vipers played their one and only season in the CIS League in the summer of 1994. The team went 3-25 and then went "inactive" for 1995, never to return. The Vipers averaged 3,034 fans per game in their only season.

The arena also hosted UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi on March 31, 2010.

Concerts

• Bo Diddley - January 31, 1956, June 14, 1957 and April 18 and September 13, 1960
• Little Richard - April 2, 1956, with Fats Domino
• Elvis Presley - June 26, 1956, April 13, 1972, March 9, 1974 (2 shows), March 20, 1976 (2 shows) and February 20–21, 1977
• Chuck Berry - April 4, September 21, with Fats Domino and November 23, 1957
• Jerry Lee Lewis - August 23, 1958, June 3, 1959, June 24, 1972 and March 7, 1981
• Johnny Cash - September 7, 1963, October 10, 1964 and September 21, 1968, with Carl Perkins
• The Beach Boys - December 31, 1964, with The Monarchs, July 14, 1965, with The Roemans and The Galaxies, April 6, 1975, with Billy Joel, November 13, 1977 and October 3, 1985, with Three Dog Night
• The Rolling Stones - November 15, 1965 and July 6, 1972, with Stevie Wonder
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience - May 9, 1969, with Chicago
• Glen Campbell - June 15, 1969
• Carl Perkins - September 20, 1969
• Led Zeppelin - April 7, 1970 and June 9, 1972
• The Jackson 5 - December 27, 1970, July 20, 1971 and July 8, 1972
• Jethro Tull - October 17, 1971, August 16, 1975 and October 6, 1982
• David Cassidy - April 30, 1972
• Yes - October 3, 1972, with The Eagles
• Elton John - November 16, 1972, July 14, 1976, September 18, 1980 and November 8, 1984
• Alice Cooper - March 18, 1973 and April 12, 1975
• The J. Geils Band - August 3, 1973, with Blue Öyster Cult and The Brownsville Station
• Uriah Heep - September 16, 1973 and September 27, 1975, with The Faces
• The Grateful Dead - December 10, 1973 (recorded and released, as Download Series Volume 8), May 3, 1979, October 5, 1984 and December 28, 1985
• Bob Dylan - January 17, 1974, with The Band, December 10, 1978 and February 10, 2002
• Deep Purple - March 10, 1974
• Poco - November 17, 1974 and May 16, with Willie Nelson and July 18, with The Stills-Young Band, 1976
• KISS - November 28, 1974, November 29, 1975, November 25, 1976, January 5, 1978, June 24, 1979, January 6, 1985, with Queensrÿche and February 7, 1988
• John Denver - April 10, 1975, November 22, 1976, March 29, 1978 and May 17, 1980
• Foghat - June 5, 1975, May 21, 1977, May 11, 1978 and October 9, 1980
• Eric Clapton - June 20, 1975, March 24, 1978, with John Martyn and June 23, 1982
• The Allman Brothers Band - January 18, 1976, with Charlie Daniels and November 27, 1980, with The Atlanta Rhythm Section
• Kansas - April 2, 1976, with Bad Company, November 4, 1977 and November 2, 1979
• Aerosmith - May 12, 1976 and December 16, 1979
• Boston - February 15, 1977, with Starcastle and January 17, 1979
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - June 29, 1977
• Rod Stewart - November 10, 1977
• Boz Scaggs - December 17, 1977
• Rainbow - June 23, 1978
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - August 2, 1978 and January 15–16, 1985
• Styx - January 5, 1979
• Journey - June 22, 1979, April 26, 1983, with Bryan Adams and November 14, 1986
• AC/DC - September 29, 1979, August 8, 1980 and November 8, 1985
• Queen - August 13, 1980, with Dakota
• Rush - September 12, 1980, with Saxon, December 4, 1981, with Riot, March 25, 1983, with The Jon Butcher Axis, April 20, 1986, with Blue Öyster Cult and November 27, 1987, with The McAuley Schenker Group
• Black Sabbath - September 26, 1980, with Riot and Jessie Bolt and February 26, 1982, with Doc Holliday and Molly Hatchet
• Def Leppard - September 18, 1981, March 19, 1983 and December 20, 1987
• Blue Öyster Cult - October 2, 1981, with Foghat and March 9, 1983, with Aldo Nova
• The Moody Blues - December 1, 1981, with Jimmie Spheeris and October 2, 1986, with The Fixx
• Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - February 6, 1983, with Nick Lowe & His Noise To Go
• Jackson Browne - August 7, 1983
• Stevie Nicks - November 23, 1983, with Joe Walsh
• Billy Joel - February 8, 1984
• Scorpions - July 18, 1984, with Bon Jovi
• Dio - November 7, 1984, with Dokken, September 27, 1985, with Rough Cutt and January 14, 1988, with Megadeth and Savatage
• Tina Turner - November 30, 1984
• Bryan Adams - May 17, 1985, May 27, 1987 and April 9, 1992
• Ratt - October 26, 1985, with Bon Jovi and December 7, 1986, with Cheap Trick
• The Thompson Twins - December 7, 1985, with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
• Mötley Crüe - December 15, 1985
• Bon Jovi - March 25, 1987, with Cinderella and November 3, 2000
• Duran Duran - July 12, 1987, with Erasure
• The Cult - July 30, 1987
• Stryper - November 6, 1988
• Metallica - February 26, 1989, with Queensrÿche
• Queensrÿche - July 12, 1991
• The Stone Temple Pilots - September 1, 1994, with The Meat Puppets, Redd Kross and Jawbox and October 26, 2000, with Godsmack and Disturbed
• The Manic Street Preachers - September 11, 1996
• ZZ Top - June 26, 1997
• Mary J. Blige - July 27, 2000
• Marilyn Manson - November 6, 2000, with gODHEAD and The Union Underground
• Prince & The New Power Generation - November 25, 2000
• The Family Values Tour - October 30, 2001
• Widespread Panic - November 16–17, 2001
• Emmylou Harris - July 13, 2002, with Union Station and Patty Loveless
• A Perfect Circle - May 14, 2004
• Hilary Duff - August 7, 2004
• The Honda Civic Tour - March 22, 2005
• Green Day - April 20, 2005, with My Chemical Romance
• Kelly Clarkson - July 24, 2005, with The Graham Colton Band
• Luis Miguel - October 26, 2005 and November 2, 2008
• The Trans-Siberian Orchestra - November 20, 2005, November 14, 2006 and December 21, 2007
• The Cheetah Girls - October 14, 2006, with Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus and Everlife
• My Chemical Romance - April 26, 2007, with Muse
• The Foo Fighters - October 5, 2007
• Chris Brown and Bow Wow - January 19, 2008
• RBD - March 7, 2008
• Slipknot - February 10, 2009, with Coheed and Cambria and Trivium
• Music as a Weapon IV - April 13, 2009
• Kings of Leon - April 30, 2009
• Tool - July 29, 2009
• The Avett Brothers - August 8, 2009 and April 9, 2011 (Live, Volume 3 was recorded on the August 8th show)
• Furthur - February 10, 2010

Other events

It has been the site for the Spring Commencement ceremony of Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) for a number of years. JCSU uses the coliseum because it offers more seating and parking capacity than JCSU's own on-campus facilities do. In addition, UNC-Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College and many local high schools have also held graduation ceremonies.

A Billy Graham Crusade took place at the Coliseum in 1958.

Also,the Bojangles' Coliseum hosted the graduation ceremony for Charlotte Campus of *University of Phoenix.

Future

With the departure of the Charlotte Checkers for the new Time Warner Cable Arena in 2005, Bojangles Coliseum is left with no major tenant and its future remains in the air. Charlotteans generally like the arena, commonly referred to locally as "The Old Coliseum" or "The Big I," due to its old-time atmosphere and convenient location on Independence Boulevard, one of the city's main arteries. Locals did not feel nearly as much affection for the demolished Charlotte Coliseum, because of its inconvenient location southwest of Uptown (the central business district). The Charlotte Coliseum was most reviled, however, because it rekindles bitter memories of the Charlotte Hornets, who were moved to New Orleans in 2002 by locally-despised team owner George Shinn and Ray Woolridge.

It will remain open as a venue for medium-sized concerts and stage shows which would not be suitable for TWC Arena and also high school and some college sporting events, along with local attractions in years to come. The Southern Conference played the first two rounds of their basketball tournaments in 2010, then move the semifinals and finals to TWC Arena. Furthermore, it would be ready in case TWC Arena is unavailable for the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs, as the South Division's compact scheduling may affect games (arena availability for compact playoff series has been a problem in the ECHL historically). The arena is not likely to be demolished, as it holds a place on the Charlotte historical register.

References

1. ^ Charlotte - A Good Place to Live, A Good Place To Do Business, The Charlotte News, 1954, pg 23.
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Hanks, Edmund E.. "Steel In The Round." Steel Construction Digest, American Institute of Steel Construction Vol 11, No 4, Fourth Quarter, 1954 14-15.
3. ^ "GOTTAWANNANEEDAGETTAHAVA" New name? Two Charlotte Originals - together at last". bojangles.com. November 25, 2008. http://www.bojangles.com/uploadedFiles/About_Us/news/Bojangles-RELEASE-2008-11-25.pdf. Retrieved 2 December 2010. 
4. ^ "Remember the ABA: Carolina Cougars". remembertheaba.com. http://www.remembertheaba.com/Carolina-Cougars.html. 

External links

• Bojangles' Coliseum Website

Preceded by Belk Gymnasium	Home of the Charlotte 49ers 1976 – 1988	Succeeded by Charlotte Coliseum
Preceded by Charlotte Coliseum	Home of the Charlotte 49ers 1993 – 1996	Succeeded by Halton Arena
Preceded by first arena	Home of the Charlotte Checkers 1993 – 2005	Succeeded by Time Warner Cable Arena
Preceded by first arena	Home of the Charlotte Copperheads 2012	Succeeded by current arena

Coordinates: 35°12′18.59″N 80°47′42.37″W / 35.2051639°N 80.7951028°W / 35.2051639; -80.7951028