Bojangles Coliseum

For the arena known as Charlotte Coliseum after 1988, see Charlotte Coliseum.

Bojangles' Coliseum

The Big I/The Old Coliseum
File:Bojangles Coliseum.png
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
Owner	City of Charlotte
Operator	Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Capacity	9,605
Construction
Opened	1955
Renovated	1988
Expanded	1992
Construction cost	$4 million for Coliseum and Ovens Auditorium
Architect	A.G. Odell and Associates of Charlotte, NC
Structural engineer	Severud, Elstad and Krueger of New York, NY
General contractor	Thompson and Street Company of Charlotte, NC Structural Steel Fabrication and Erection Southern Engineering Company of Charlotte, NC
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, 2011-2013) Charlotte Copperheads (PLL) (2012-Present)

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

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 it 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., based in Charlotte, 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. The Cougars became tenants after the Houston Mavericks moved to North Carolina in 1969. The Cougars were a "regional franchise", playing "home" games in Charlotte (Bojangles' Coliseum), Greensboro (Greensboro Coliseum), Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum and Raleigh (Dorton Arena). Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown began his coaching career with the Cougars in 1972. Billy Cunningham was the ABA MVP for the Cougars in the 1972-73 season. Despite a strong fan base the Cougars were sold and moved to St. Louis in 1974.

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

Bojangles' Coliseum

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.

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 September 2012, the arena will be home to the Charlotte Copperheads of the Professional 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

List of 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 & The TCB Band – June 26, 1956 (without The TCB Band), 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
• Buddy Holly & The Crickets – September 21, 1957 and January 8 and November 23, 1958
• Jerry Lee Lewis – August 23, 1958, June 3, 1959, June 24, 1972 and March 7, 1981
• Judy Garland – April 15, 1961 and May 22, 1965
• 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 Dave Clark Five – July 23 and December 6, 1965 and July 15, 1966
• The Rolling Stones – November 15, 1965 and July 6, 1972, with Stevie Wonder
• The Monkees – July 11, 1967, with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and November 30, 1986, with Herman's Hermits, The Grass Roots and Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
• 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, with The Commodores, July 8, 1972 and July 25, 1981
• Creedence Clearwater Revival – July 19, 1971
• Jethro Tull – October 17, 1971, August 16, 1975 and October 6, 1982, with Saga
• The Who – November 20, 1971
• Sonny & Cher – March 27, 1972
• David Cassidy – April 30, 1972
• The Osmonds – July 24, 1972 and August 4, 1975
• Yes – October 3, 1972, with The Eagles, September 13, 1984 and February 11, 1988
• Elton John – November 16, 1972, July 14, 1976, September 18, 1980 and November 8, 1984
• Santana – March 7, 1973 and March 30, 2002
• Alice Cooper – March 18, 1973, April 12, 1975 and January 30, 1988, with Motörhead
• Humble Pie – July 24, 1973, with Leslie West
• The J. Geils Band – August 3, 1973, with Loggins & Messina, Blue Öyster Cult and 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, with Mountain and July 18, 1976, with The Stills–Young Band
• KISS – November 28, 1974, with Black Oak Arkansas, November 29, 1975, with Mott and Styx, November 25, 1976, January 5, 1978, June 24, 1979, January 6, with Queensrÿche and Krokus and December 28, 1985 and February 7, 1988, with Ted Nugent
• 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, with The Outlaws
• Eric Clapton – June 20, 1975, with Santana, March 24, 1978, with John Martyn and June 23, 1982
• The Doobie Brothers – October 16, 1975
• The Allman Brothers Band – January 18, 1976, with The Charlie Daniels Band and November 27, 1980, with The Atlanta Rhythm Section
• Joni Mitchell – January 31, 1976, with The L.A. Express
• Kansas – April 2, 1976, with Bad Company, November 4, 1977 and November 2, 1979
• Aerosmith – May 12, 1976, December 16, 1979, with .38 Special and Mother's Finest, January 27, 1980, with .38 Special, April 4, 1986, with Ted Nugent and March 25, 1988, with White Lion
• Willie Nelson & Family – May 16, 1976, with Poco and March 24, 1979, with Leon Russell
• Parliament-Funkadelic – November 20, 1976 and January 26, 1979, with The Brides of Funkenstein
• Boston – February 15, 1977, with Starcastle and January 17, 1979
• Neil Diamond – May 2, 1977, December 14, 1978, March 4, 1982 and May 12, 1987
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer – June 29, 1977
• Rod Stewart – November 10, 1977, October 3, 1984, July 8, 1988 and May 7, 1989
• Boz Scaggs – December 17, 1977
• Earth, Wind & Fire – January 8, 1978
• Rainbow – June 23, 1978
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – August 2, 1978 and January 15–16, 1985
• Neil Young & Crazy Horse – October 8, 1978
• Styx – January 5, 1979
• Dr. Hook – January 31, 1979, with Sha Na Na
• Ted Nugent – March 3 and August 16, 1979 and July 8, 1980, with Def Leppard
• Gino Vannelli – March 8, 1979
• The Gap Band – April 3, 1979, with Mass Production, McFadden & Whitehead, Anita Ward and Five Special
• Journey – June 22, 1979, October 20, 1981, April 26, 1983, with Bryan Adams and November 14, 1986, with Glass Tiger
• AC/DC – September 29, 1979, August 8, 1980, with Nantucket and November 8, 1985, with Yngwie Malmsteen
• The Eagles – November 1, 1979
• Foreigner – November 24, 1979
• Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – March 22, 1980, February 24, 1983, with The John Hall Band and February 3, 1996
• Rick James – April 25, 1980, with Prince and Kleeer, July 16, 1981, with Cameo and The Fatback Band and July 23, 1982, with The Dazz Band
• Heart – May 12, 1980 and September 18, 1982, with John Mellencamp
• 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
• ZZ Top – December 5, 1979, June 5, 1981, May 20, 1983, with Sammy Hagar, May 8, 1986 and June 26, 1997, with Cheap Trick
• Cheap Trick – January 9, 1981 and August 21, 1982
• REO Speedwagon – July 1, 1981 and March 3, 1985, with Survivor
• Van Halen – August 24, 1981, July 17, 1982, with After the Fire and February 1 and 14, 1984
• Def Leppard – September 18, 1981, March 19, 1983 and December 20, 1987, with Tesla
• Blue Öyster Cult – October 2, 1981, with Foghat and Whitford/St. Holmes and March 9, 1984, with Aldo Nova
• Cameo – October 3, 1981
• Barry Manilow – October 30, 1981, December 2, 1984 and March 31, 2000
• Prince – November 27, 1981, with The Time and Zapp, November 26, 1982, with The Time and Vanity 6 and November 26, 2000, with The New Power Generation
• The Moody Blues – December 1, 1981, with Jimmie Spheeris and October 2, 1986, with The Fixx
• The Kinks – January 15, 1982
• Alabama – February 20, 1982, with Janie Fricke, February 19, 1983, with Janie Fricke, February 17, 1984 and January 19, 1985, with Bill Medley
• Kenny Rogers – March 26, 1982, with Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers Band and March 2, 1985, with Dolly Parton and Sawyer Brown
• Bryan Adams – March 27, 1982, with Foreigner, May 17, 1985, May 27, 1987 and April 9, 1992, with The Storm
• The Police – April 3, 1982, with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
• Ozzy Osbourne – April 25, 1982, with Magnum, February 18, 1983 and May 2, 1986, with Metallica
• The O'Jays – June 19, 1982, with Cameo, Atlantic Starr and One Way
• Barbara Mandrell – August 13, 1982, with Ricky Skaggs
• Conway Twitty – October 9, 1982, with Ronnie McDowell
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – February 6, 1983, with Nick Lowe & His Noise To Go
• Jackson Browne – August 7, 1983
• Iron Maiden – October 20, 1983, with Quiet Riot, February 8, 1985, April 4, 1987, with Waysted and August 9, 1988, with The Dangerous Toys
• Stevie Nicks – November 23, 1983, with Joe Walsh
• Billy Joel – February 8, 1984
• Billy Idol – May 9, 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
• Sammy Hagar – November 9, 1984
• Tina Turner – November 30, 1984, November 29, 1985 and October 27, 1987, with Level 42
• Hank Williams, Jr. – August 3, 1985, with John Anderson and August 16, 1986, with Marie Osmond
• Ratt – October 26, 1985, with Bon Jovi and December 7, 1986, with Cheap Trick
• Ronnie Milsap – November 9, 1985, with Exile and The Forester Sisters
• The Thompson Twins – December 7, 1985, with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
• Mötley Crüe – December 15, 1985, with Autograph and November 11, 1987, with Guns N' Roses
• The Hooters – February 9, 1986
• John Mellencamp – March 5, 1986
• Judas Priest – June 14, 1986, with Dokken
• David Lee Roth – August 18, 1986, with Cinderella and June 28, 1988, with Poison
• Bon Jovi – March 25, 1987, with Cinderella and November 3, 2000
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – May 15, 1987
• Duran Duran – July 12, 1987, with Erasure
• The Cult – July 30, 1987 and February 14, 1992, with Lenny Kravitz
• Lynyrd Skynyrd – October 19, 1987, with The Rossington Band
• Whitesnake – March 1, 1988, with Great White
• Robert Plant – July 17, 1988, with Cheap Trick
• Tesla – February 2 and August 9, 1989
• Metallica – February 26, 1989, with Queensrÿche
• Poison – March 21, 1989, with Ratt and Tesla
• Queensrÿche – July 12, 1991
• Soundgarden – August 1, 1994, with Tad and Eleven
• 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
• Bush – April 4, 1997, with Veruca Salt
• Sarah McLachlan – March 25, 1998
• The Family Values Tour – November 11, 1998 and October 30, 2001
• R. Kelly – May 26, 1999, with Foxy Brown and Nas
• Mary J. Blige – July 27, 2000, with Carl Thomas and Jagged Edge
• Widespread Panic – October 21, 2000, with Groove Collective, November 16–17, 2001, with Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons and October 16, 2003, with Leftover Salmon
• Marilyn Manson – November 6, 2000, with gODHEAD and The Union Underground
• Matchbox 20 – April 17, 2001, with Everclear and Lifehouse and January 29, 2008, with Alanis Morissette and Mutemath
• Weezer – February 5, 2002, with Saves the Day and Ozma
• The Honda Civic Tour – June 25, 2002, May 6, 2003 and March 22, 2005
• Emmylou Harris – July 13, 2002, with Alison Krauss and Patty Loveless
• The SCREAM Tour – August 1, 2002 and July 24, 2003
• Kid Rock & Twisted Brown Trucker – February 13, 2004, with Gov't Mule
• The Barenaked Ladies – March 7, 2004, with Howie Day and Butterfly Boucher
• A Perfect Circle – May 14, 2004, with The Mars Volta and The Burning Brides
• Hilary Duff – August 7, 2004
• Usher – September 30, 2004, with Kanye West
• Incubus – October 4, 2004
• The New Classic Rock All–Stars – October 10, 2004
• Young Buck – October 30, 2004
• The David Crowder Band – November 13, 2004, November 18, 2009 and November 1, 2011
• Green Day – April 20, 2005, with My Chemical Romance
• John Anderson – April 29, 2005 and April 25, 2009
• Kelly Clarkson – July 24, 2005, with The Graham Colton Band
• Natalie Grant – October 7–8, 2005 and February 1–2, 2008
• Luis Miguel – October 26, 2005 and November 2, 2008
• The Trans-Siberian Orchestra – November 20, 2005, November 14, 2006 and December 21, 2007
• The Casting Crowns – March 3, 2006, with Nichole Nordeman, March 29, 2008, with Leeland and John Waller, October 17, 2009, March 10, 2012, with Matthew West, Royal Tailor and Lindsay McCaul and March 7, 2014, with for KING AND COUNTRY and Laura Story
• Kirk Franklin – March 17, 2006, with Mary Mary and Da' T.R.U.T.H.
• Korn – March 22, 2006, with Mudvayne and 10 Years
• Lee Greenwood – April 28, 2006
• Fall Out Boy – May 2, 2006, with The All-American Rejects, Hawthorne Heights, From First to Last and October Fall and April 24, 2009, with Cobra Starship, All Time Low, Hey Monday and 50 Cent
• The Cheetah Girls – October 14, 2006, with Hannah Montana and Everlife
• CeCe Winans – October 28–29, 2006, with Donnie McClurkin
• Superchick – November 4, 2006
• Panic! at the Disco – November 10, 2006, with Jack's Mannequin, The Bloc Party and The Plain White T's
• Lil Wayne – March 3, 2007, with Jeezy, Jim Jones, Baby and Rich Boy
• The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular – March 18, 2007 and February 17 and November 7, 2011
• The Doodlebops – April 19, 2007
• My Chemical Romance – April 26, 2007, with Muse
• Sammy Kershaw – April 28, 2007
• Brian McKnight – May 26, 2007
• The Foo Fighters – October 5, 2007, with The Hi–Fi Hand Grenades
• Joan Sebastian – October 6, 2007
• Dierks Bentley – November 1, 2007, with Jack Ingram
• Chris Tomlin – November 13, 2007 and April 2, 2009, with Israel & New Breed
• Hawk Nelson – November 30–December 1, 2007 and January 25–26, 2008, with Natalie Grant and KJ-52
• Chris Brown – January 19, 2008, with Bow Wow and Soulja Boy
• RBD – March 7, 2008
• The Charlotte Blues Festival – March 14, 2008
• Pam Tillis – April 26, 2008, with Juice Newton and April 24, 2010
• Raven-Symoné – May 3, 2008, with B5
• Skillet – May 4, 2008, with Thousand Foot Krutch and Decyfer Down and April 18, 2010, with RED and The Letter Black
• Maze – June 1, 2008 and October 22, 2010
• Flashback – The Classic Rock Experience – September 12, 2008
• O.A.R. – September 24, 2008, with Matt Wertz
• Michael W. Smith – September 26–27, 2008
• Celtic Thunder – November 8, 2008
• 3 Doors Down – December 12, 2008, with Switchfoot and American Bang
• Slipknot – February 10, 2009, with Coheed and Cambria and Trivium
• T.I. – February 26, 2009, with Jeezy
• Music as a Weapon – April 13, 2009
• Kings of Leon – April 30, 2009, with The Walkmen
• Tool – July 29, 2009, with Tweak Bird and February 4, 2012, with Yob
• The Avett Brothers – August 8, 2009, with Brett Dennen (recorded and released as Live, Volume 3) and April 9, 2011, with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
• Furthur – February 10, 2010
• Trey Songz – April 23 and 25, 2010 and December 14, 2012, with Miguel and Elle Varner
• Aventura – July 8, 2010
• Wisin & Yandel – August 1, 2010
• Collin Raye – October 30, 2010
• The Mike Stern Group – March 5, 2011
• Charlie Wilson – May 14, 2011
• The Rock & Worship Roadshow – November 11, 2011
• Kaleidoscope on Ice – November 18, 2011 and November 14, 2012
• The Isley Brothers – January 13, 2012, with Lenny Williams, Miki Howard and Calvin Richardson
• Miranda Lambert – January 19 and 25, 2012, with Chris Young and Charlie Worsham
• Rick Ross – March 2, 2012, with Waka Flocka Flame
• The Black Keys – March 24, 2012, with The Arctic Monkeys
• The Charlotte Firefighters Benefit Concerts – April 28 and October 27, 2012
• New Edition – May 19, 2012
• LMFAO – June 19, 2012, with Far East Movement and Sidney Samson
• Hillsong United – September 15, 2012 and August 16, 2014
• The Pretty Lights – November 10, 2012, with Eliot Lipp
• Third Day – March 17, 2013, with Josh Wilson and Colton Dixon
• Jesus Culture One Nights – April 27, 2013
• The Spinners – April 28, 2013
• Fantasia Barrino – September 28, 2013, with 112

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.

The Coliseum hosted NWA Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in the 70's thru the 90's. WCW held numerous wrestling events there.

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. 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. The arena is not likely to be demolished, as it holds a place on the Charlotte historical register.

External links

• Bojangles' Coliseum Website