Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
A multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Exterior of venue viewed from the
City Hall (c.2008)
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Location within San Francisco
Show map of San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (California)
Show map of California Former names San Francisco Exposition Auditorium (1915) San Francisco Civic Auditorium (1916–1992) Address 99 Grove StSan Francisco , CA 94102-4720 Location Civic Center Coordinates 37°46′42″N 122°25′03″W / 37.778457°N 122.417369°W / 37.778457; -122.417369 Public transit Civic Center Owner City and County of San Francisco Operator Another Planet Entertainment Capacity 8,500 Broke ground December 1913 Opened March 2, 1915 Renovated 1962–1964, 1989–1990, 1994–1996, 2005, 2010 Construction cost $1.7 million($52.4 million in 2023 dollars[ 1] ) Architect John Galen Howard, Frederick Meyer, John W. Reid Jr. San Francisco Warriors (NBA ) (1964–1967)
The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (formerly San Francisco Civic Auditorium and San Francisco Exposition Auditorium ) is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco , California , named after promoter Bill Graham . The arena holds 8,500 people.
About the venue
1920 Democratic National Convention
The auditorium was designed by renowned Bay Area architects John Galen Howard , Frederick Herman Meyer and John W. Reid Jr. and built in 1915 as part of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition . The auditorium hosted the 1920 Democratic National Convention , the San Francisco Opera from 1923 to 1932 and again for the 1996 season,[ 2] and the National AAU boxing trials in 1948. It was the home of the San Francisco Warriors of the National Basketball Association from 1964 to 1967.[ 3] [ 4] An underground expansion, named Brooks Hall , was completed in 1958 under the Civic Center Plaza, immediately north of the Civic Auditorium. The famous Mother of All Demos was presented here during the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference,[ 5] and the World Cyber Games 2004 were also held here.
In 1992, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to rename the auditorium after the rock concert impresario Bill Graham, who had died the previous year in a helicopter crash.[ 6]
Long before Bill Graham came along, James T. Graham (no relation) managed the Civic Auditorium from 1954 to 1970 and booked some of the biggest names in show business there. During Jim Graham's tenure, the Civic Auditorium hosted Elvis Presley (October 26, 1957), Judy Garland (September 13, 1961), Ray Charles, the Tijuana Brass, Donovan, the Jefferson Airplane (June 4, 1966), the Mamas and the Papas (October 10, 1966), The Temptations and Gladys Knight & the Pips (January 26, 1968), Jose Feliciano, Bobby Darin and more, which prompted San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen to opine that the Board of Supervisors had named the Civic Auditorium after the wrong Graham (January 12, 1993).
Jim Graham signed the Warriors to a contract at the Civic in 1962 when they first moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco. The Warriors would play their first few seasons at the Civic before they moved to the Cow Palace , a larger venue. Jim Graham was manager of the Auditorium when Brooks Hall was built as an adjacent, underground convention center. He also managed Brooks Hall after its dedication on April 11, 1958, and booked American Medical Association conventions, the Harvest Festival, the San Francisco Gift Show and more.
Under Jim Graham's management, the Civic Auditorium also hosted Barnum & Bailey circuses, the San Francisco Roller Derby, Golden Gloves Boxing matches, professional wrestling, Holiday on Ice, the Ice Capades, car shows, the International Dog Show, the Black and White Ball and the Folderol. In addition, President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke there on August 23, 1956, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republican Party, and a fundraising gala was held there on June 1, 1968, for Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Robert F. Kennedy , four days before he was assassinated in Los Angeles . At the time, the Civic Auditorium was ground zero in San Francisco for conventions and entertainment events. There were no other major venues for large gatherings outside of the Cow Palace, which was considered ill-equipped for such events (despite the fact that it was larger).
Later, the Civic Auditorium arena would continue to host concerts by many other famous artists, spanning many different genres. It is owned by the City and County of San Francisco and since 2010 has been operated by Another Planet Entertainment.[ 7] [ 8]
Concerts
Date
Artist
Opening act(s)
Tour / Concert name
Attendance
Revenue
Notes
May 14, 1965
The Rolling Stones
1965 1st American Tour
[ 9]
February 14, 1982
Prince
Zapp and Roger , The Time
Controversy Tour
[ 10]
February 15, 1982
March 29, 1982
J. Geils Band
U2
October Tour
[ 11] [ 12]
March 30, 1982
June 17, 1982
Elton John
Jump Up Tour
6,713 / 6,713
[ 13]
April 3, 1983
Kiss
Mötley Crüe
Creatures of the Night Tour/10th Anniversary Tour
[ 14]
June 1, 1983
U2
War Tour
[ 15]
December 15, 1984
U2
The Unforgettable Fire Tour
[ 16]
April 23, 1985
Madonna
Beastie Boys , Run DMC
The Virgin Tour
8,500 / 8,500
$127,500
[ 17]
September 25, 1985
Y&T
Down For The Count Tour
March 30, 1988
Kiss
Anthrax
Crazy Nights World Tour
[ 18]
October 2, 1993
Luis Miguel
Aries Tour
April 13, 1996
Oasis
Third Eye Blind
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? Tour
[ 19]
January 26, 1998
Oasis
Cornershop
Be Here Now Tour
[ 20]
November 4, 1999
Blink-182
Loserkids Tour
[ 21]
November 25, 1999
Kid Rock
Devil Without a Cause Tour
October 13, 2001
Bob Dylan
Never Ending Tour 2001
[ 22]
September 16, 2004
Beastie Boys
Talib Kweli
Pageant Tour
[ 23]
September 17, 2004
November 24, 2004
Green Day
New Found Glory , Sugarcult
American Idiot World Tour
[ 24]
July 15, 2006
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam 2006 World Tour
[ 23]
July 16, 2006
July 18, 2006
October 16, 2006
Bob Dylan
Kings of Leon
Never Ending Tour 2006
[ 25]
October 17, 2006
October 29, 2006
Snoop Dogg
[ 23]
November 7, 2006
Pet Shop Boys
Fundamental Tour
[ 23]
November 20, 2006
Tenacious D
Neil Hamburger
The Pick of Destiny Tour
[ 26] [ 27]
March 1, 2007
Snow Patrol
Eyes Open Tour
[ 28]
April 9, 2007
Muse
Black Holes and Revelations Tour
[ 29]
September 27, 2007
Arctic Monkeys
Favourite Worst Nightmare Tour
December 13, 2009
Lady Gaga
Kid Cudi ,
Semi Precious Weapons
The Monster Ball Tour
17,000 / 17,000
$840,960
[ 30]
December 14, 2009
April 9, 2011
Rise Against
Endgame Tour
June 8, 2011
Bruno Mars
Mayer Hawthorne & the County
Hooligans in Wondaland Tour
[ 31]
December 10, 2011
Sara Bareilles
Kaleidoscope Heart Tour
[ 32]
October 17, 2012
Bob Dylan /Mark Knopfler
Bob Dylan Tour with Mark Knopfler 2012
[ 33]
October 18, 2012
February 13, 2013
Swedish House Mafia
One Last Tour
[ 34]
February 14, 2013
February 15, 2013
February 16, 2013
February 17, 2013
April 27, 2013
The Killers
The Felice Brothers
Battle Born World Tour
[ 35]
April 28, 2013
December 7, 2013
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Talib Kweli , Big K.R.I.T.
The Heist World Tour
[ 36]
March 29, 2014
Robin Thicke
Blurred Lines Tour
April 18, 2014
Lana Del Rey
Paradise Tour
April 19, 2014
Ellie Goulding
St. Lucia
The Halcyon Days Tour
October 10, 2014
The Weeknd
ScHoolboy Q Jhené Aiko
King of the Fall Tour
October 11, 2014
September 16, 2015
Zedd
True Colors Tour
17,016 / 17,016
$765,720
September 17, 2015
October 13, 2015
Janet Jackson
Unbreakable World Tour
10,172 / 10,172
$1,131,847
October 14, 2015
December 27, 2015
Dead & Company
Dead & Company 2015 Tour
17,032 / 17,032
$1,277,400
December 28, 2015
March 27, 2016
Fall Out Boy
Finish Ticket ,
Awolnation
Wintour is Coming
7,300 / 7,300
$385,995
May 28, 2016
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
An Evening with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
October 21, 2016
Chance the Rapper
Magnificent Coloring World Tour
April 15, 2017
The xx
I See You Tour
April 16, 2017
April 17, 2017
May 5, 2017
The Chainsmokers
Kiiara
Grandtheft
Memories Do Not Open Tour
17,000 / 17,000
$1,445,000
May 6, 2017
Kiiara
Kyle
June 17, 2017
Kehlani
SweetSexySavage World Tour
October 4, 2017
Gorillaz
Vince Staples Danny Brown
Humanz Tour
January 22, 2018
St. Vincent
Fear the Future Tour
February 1, 2018
Queens of the Stone Age
Eagles of Death Metal
Villains World Tour
May 5, 2018
Khalid
PrettyMuch
Roxy Tour
May 6, 2018
September 7, 2018
Shakira
El Dorado World Tour
October 20, 2018
Arctic Monkeys
Mini Mansions
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Tour
October 21, 2018
November 8, 2018
Brockhampton
I'll Be There Tour
April 22, 2019
The 1975
Pale Waves
Music for Cars
May 29, 2019
Billie Eilish
Denzel Curry
When We All Fall Asleep Tour
June 28, 2019
Carly Rae Jepsen
Mansionair
The Dedicated Tour
July 25, 2019
Robyn
Troye Sivan
Honey Tour
5,620 / 5,620
$446,811
October 27, 2019
Lizzo
Empress Of
Cuz I Love You Too Tour
October 28, 2019
November 11, 2021
Playboi Carti
King Vamp Tour
May 3, 2022
Lorde
Remi Wolf
Solar Power Tour
May 27, 2022
Olivia Rodrigo
Chappell Roan
Sour Tour
October 4, 2022
Rosalía
Motomami World Tour
October 23, 2022
Lil Nas X
Long Live Montero Tour
August 4, 2023
(G)I-dle
I Am Free-ty World Tour
June 6, 2023
Melanie Martinez
PORTALS Tour
October 29, 2023
Kim Petras
Feed the Beast World Tour
November 23, 2024
Aurora
Biig Piig
What Happened to the Earth?
See also
References
^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF) . American Antiquarian Society . 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF) . American Antiquarian Society . 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024 .
^ "Civic Auditorium Comes Up in the World / S.F. Opera opening moves to 'the Bill' " . Opera Reference . September 7, 1996. Retrieved February 28, 2018 .
^ "1964-65 San Francisco Warriors Schedule and Results" . Basketball Reference . Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013 .
^ "1965-66 San Francisco Warriors Schedule and Results" . Basketball Reference . Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013 .
^ "About the Mother of All Demos" . Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018 .
^ "Today in Music: a look back at pop music" . United Press International . October 13, 2002. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2013 .
^ Wildermuth, John (July 1, 2010). "Let's make a deal" . San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved July 31, 2017 .
^ Knight, Heather (August 25, 2015). "Heavy secrecy surrounds upcoming event at Civic Auditorium" . San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2015 . John Gavin, project manager for the city administrator's office, said the city makes roughly $100,000 from Another Planet Entertainment annually on the deal.
^ "ROLLING STONES TOUR / The Stones Around the Bay" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "When Prince Rocked the Bay Area" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "U2 October Tour" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "U2 October Tour" .
^ "Elton John 1982 Concerts" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "On this date in 1983:" .
^ "1983-06-01 - San Francisco, California - Civic Auditorium" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "U2 Unforgettable Fire Tour" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Virgin Tour Poster SF" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "March 30, 1988" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Oasis at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco (04/13/1996)" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Oasis Gets Help From San Francisco Audience" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023.
^ "Blink 182 - 11/4/99 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "OCT 13, 2001 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ a b c d "Bill Graham Civic Auditorium" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Green Day in San Francisco, USA - Nov 24, 2004" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Bob Dylan 2006 SF Poster" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Tenacious D with Neil Hamburger" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "USA - Tenacious D Perform in San Francisco" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Snow Patrol in Concert - San Francisco CA" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Apr 9 2007 #MuseHistory" .
^ "Photos: Lady Gaga at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, SF, 12/14" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Bruno Mars And Janelle Monae In Concert, San Francisco, California" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "SARA BAREILLES - SAN FRANCISCO" .
^ "Bob Dylan Croaks the Blues at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 10/18/12" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "EVENT RECAP: SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA "ONE LAST TOUR" AT BILL GRAHAM CIVIC AUDITORIUM" .
^ "Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 28.04.2013" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium" . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023 .
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