FLA Live Arena
FLA Live Arena (previously known as the National Car Rental Center, Office Depot Center, BankAtlantic Center, and BB&T Center) is an indoor arena located next to Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, Florida. It is the home venue for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. It was completed in 1998, at a cost of US$185 million, almost entirely publicly financed, and features 70 suites and 2,623 club seats.[2]
FLA Live Arena in 2007 | |
FLA Live Arena Location in Florida FLA Live Arena Location in the United States | |
| Former names | National Car Rental Center (1998–2002) Office Depot Center (2002–2005) Bank Atlantic Center (2005–2012) BB&T Center (2012-2021) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1 Panther Parkway |
| Location | Sunrise, Florida |
| Coordinates | 26°9′30″N 80°19′32″W / 26.15833°N 80.32556°WCoordinates: 26°9′30″N 80°19′32″W / 26.15833°N 80.32556°W |
| Parking | 7,045 total spaces |
| Owner | Broward County, Florida |
| Operator | Arena Operating Company, Ltd. |
| Capacity | Basketball: 20,737 Ice Hockey: 19,250 Arena Football: 19,779 Concerts: *End stage 180°: 15,207 *End stage 270°: 19,119 *End stage 360°: 21,371 *Center stage: 22,457 *Theatre: 3,000[1] |
| Field size | 872,000 sq ft (81,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 8, 1996 |
| Opened | October 3, 1998 |
| Construction cost | US$184 million[2] ($320 million in 2021 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket |
| Project manager | Upton & Partners[4] |
| Structural engineer | Walter P. Moore & Associates |
| General contractor | Arena Development Company (A joint venture of Centex Rooney/Huber, Hunt & Nichols/Morse Diesel)[4] |
| Tenants | |
| Florida Panthers (NHL) 1998–present Florida ThunderCats (NPSL) 1998–1999 Florida Bobcats (AFL) 1999–2001 Florida Pit Bulls (ABA) 2005–2006 Miami Caliente (LFL) 2009–2010 | |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
In 1992, Wayne Huizenga obtained a new NHL franchise that would eventually become the Florida Panthers.[5] Until the team had an arena of their own, they initially played at the now-demolished Miami Arena, sharing the venue with the NBA's Miami Heat.[6] Sunrise City Manager Pat Salerno made public a $167-million financing and construction plan for a civic center near the Sawgrass Expressway in December 1995,[7] and Broward County approved construction in February 1996.[8] In June 1996, the site was chosen by the Panthers, and in July, Alex Muxo gathered more than a dozen architects, engineers and contractors for the first major design brainstorming session. Architects Ellerbe Becket were given 26 months to build the arena, which had to be ready by August 30, 1998, to accommodate the 1998–99 NHL season. Despite never having designed a facility that had taken less than 31 months from start to finish, they accepted the job.[5] Seventy suites were completed with wet bars, closed circuit monitors and leather upholstery. Averaging over 650 square feet (60 m2), the suites are the largest in the country for this type of facility. Also home to private lounge box seating, all construction activity was generated by over fifty subcontractors and 2.3 million man hours without a single injury.[4] Known as the Broward County Civic Center during construction, the naming rights were won in July 1998 by National Car Rental — a company purchased by Huizenga in January 1997 — leading to the venue being named the National Car Rental Center.[9] A certificate of occupancy was given on September 12, 1998, and the arena opened on October 3, 1998, with a Celine Dion concert. The next day, Elton John performed, and on October 9, 1998, the Florida Panthers had their first home game at their new arena.[10]
As NRC's new parent company, ANC Rental, went bankrupt in 2002, the Panthers sought a new sponsor for the arena.[11] It became the Office Depot Center in the summer of 2002. (Office Depot is an office supply retailing company, which is headquartered in nearby Boca Raton.) Just over three years later, the arena's name changed again; it became the BankAtlantic Center on September 6, 2005. (BankAtlantic was headquartered in nearby Fort Lauderdale.)
Because BB&T purchased BankAtlantic in July 2012, the arena was rebranded as the BB&T Center.[12][13]
The arena is currently the largest in Florida and second-largest in the Southeastern United States, behind Greensboro Coliseum. During the 2011 offseason, the BB&T Center replaced the original green seats in the lower bowl with new red seats, as a part of the Panthers' "We See Red" campaign.[14]
In October 2012, Sunrise Sports and Entertainment completed installation of the Club Red seating sections encompassing the center ice seats during hockey games. It is an all-inclusive nightclub experience following the trend of other sports and entertainment venues in incorporating high-end seating sections and clubs.[15]
The ADT Club, located on the club level, offers food and beverage. The Duffy's Sky Club at the BB&T Center encompasses approximately 8,000 square feet (740 m2) and can cater to a maximum of about 500 guests. The Penalty Box offers fans another seating and dining option inside the BB&T Center. The Legends Lounge is a restaurant located on the Lexus Suite Level, and offers sit down service.[citation needed]
On May 14, 2013, Broward County voted to fund a new scoreboard for the county-owned arena.[16] On October 11, 2013, the scoreboard made its debut for the Panthers' 2013–14 home opener.[17]
In February 2019, it was announced that BB&T would be merging with SunTrust Banks to form Truist Financial Corporation.[18] The merged company decided to not renew the naming rights agreement after it expired in 2021; the arena will thus have the temporary name of FLA Live Arena until a new rights partner is found.[19]
Concerts
| Date | Artist | Opening act(s) | Tour / Concert name | Attendance | Revenue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 3, 1998 | Celine Dion | André-Philippe Gagnon | Let's Talk About Love World Tour | — | — | Arena's inaugural event |
| March 30, 1999 | Marilyn Manson | Jack Off Jill | Rock Is Dead Tour | — | — | Homecoming concert |
| December 5, 1999 | Backstreet Boys | — | Into the Millennium Tour | — | — | Originally scheduled for September 14 & 15, 1999, but was postponed due to Hurricane Floyd |
| December 6, 1999 | ||||||
| December 31, 1999 | Bee Gees | — | — | — | — | It was to be their last full arena concert as a group |
| March 9, 2000 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band | — | Reunion Tour | 34,148 / 38,194 | $2,057,142 | |
| March 10, 2000 | ||||||
| August 1, 2000 | Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Eminem | Up in Smoke Tour | ||||
| October 4, 2000 | Sarah Brightman | — | La Luna World Tour | — | — | The concert was recorded and released for PBS as well as video in VHS and later on DVD, entitled La Luna: Live in Concert |
| January 22, 2001 | Backstreet Boys | Myra Krystal Harris | Black & Blue Tour | — | — | |
| January 23, 2001 | ||||||
| January 24, 2001 | ||||||
| March 3, 2001 | Kid Rock | Fuel | American Badass Tour[20] | |||
| March 24, 2001 | U2 | The Corrs | Elevation Tour | 37,969 / 37,969 | $3,032,028 | These two shows were the opening dates of the Elevation Tour. |
| March 26, 2001 | ||||||
| July 20, 2001 | Dave Matthews Band | Junior Brown | — | — | — | There was a power interruption during the performance; they have not returned to the venue since.[21] |
| August 14, 2001 | Madonna | — | Drowned World Tour | 31,572 / 31,572 | $3,603,573 | |
| August 15, 2001 | ||||||
| October 28, 2001 | Janet Jackson | — | All for You Tour | Originally scheduled for September 13 & 14, 2001, but was postponed due to September 11 attacks | ||
| October 29, 2001 | ||||||
| May 18, 2002 | Paul McCartney | — | Driving World Tour | 29,321 / 29,321 | $3,752,002 | |
| May 19, 2002 | ||||||
| July 13, 2002 | Britney Spears | O-Town | Dream Within a Dream Tour | — | — | |
| September 30, 2004 | Phil Collins | — | First Final Farewell Tour | — | — | This was the final stop on the North American leg of the tour. |
| July 28, 2004 | Madonna | — | Reinvention World Tour | 28,208 / 28,208 | $3,834,522 | |
| July 29, 2004 | ||||||
| August 13, 2004 | Hilary Duff | Haylie Duff | Most Wanted Tour | — | — | |
| August 26, 2005 | Green Day | — | American Idiot World Tour | — | — | |
| October 28, 2006 | Barbra Streisand | — | Streisand: The Tour | 31,931 / 31,931 | $9,572,573 | Highest grossing events in venue history |
| October 30, 2006 | ||||||
| November 20, 2006 | The Who | — | The Who Tour 2006-2007 | — | — | Recorded a live CD as part of the Encore Series |
| February 25, 2007 | Justin Timberlake | – | FutureSex/LoveShow | – | – | |
| July 22, 2007 | Beyoncé | — | The Beyoncé Experience | — | — | |
| November 20, 2007 | Miley Cyrus | Jonas Brothers | Best of Both Worlds Tour | — | — | |
| April 26, 2008 | Bon Jovi | — | Lost Highway Tour | 18,307 / 18,307 | $1,554,550 | The concert was delayed several hours when someone called in a bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax.[22] |
| May 2, 2008 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band | — | Magic Tour | — | — | Rescheduled from April 18 due to death of Danny Federici. |
| August 3, 2008 | George Michael | — | 25 Live | — | — | It was his first South Florida concert appearance in 20 years |
| November 2, 2008 | Tina Turner | — | Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour | 12,769 / 12,769 | $1,468,461 | |
| November 9, 2008 | Coldplay | Sleepercar | Viva la Vida Tour | 15,096 / 15,096 | $1,258,098 | Show was initially scheduled for early September of that year but was delayed due to production issues |
| June 29, 2009 | Beyoncé | RichGirl | I Am... World Tour | 12,629 / 13,209 | $1,015,893 | |
| September 5, 2009 | Depeche Mode | — | Tour of the Universe | 12,665 / 12,665 | — | The show was recorded for the group's live albums project Recording the Universe |
| September 13, 2009 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band | — | Working on a Dream Tour | 11,586 / 12,839 | $1,049,482 | |
| March 7, 2010 | Taylor Swift | Gloriana Kellie Pickler | Fearless Tour | — | — | |
| August 5, 2010 | Justin Bieber | N/A | My World Tour | — | — | |
| September 25, 2010 | Shakira | — | The Sun Comes Out World Tour | 12,994 / 12,994 | $1,138,788 | |
| January 20, 2011 | Linkin Park | — | A Thousand Suns Tour | 10,150 / 10,150 | $550,558 | |
| May 7, 2011 | Kylie Minogue | — | Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour | 4,000 / 4,441 | $253,756 | |
| June 11, 2011 | Katy Perry | Robyn | California Dreams Tour | — | — | |
| February 25, 2013 | P!nk | The Hives | The Truth About Love Tour | 13,732 / 13,732 | $979,399 | |
| April 20, 2013 | Rihanna | ASAP Rocky | Diamonds World Tour | 13,959 / 13,959 | $1,042,363 | |
| June 13, 2013 | One Direction | 5 Seconds of Summer | Take Me Home Tour | — | — | |
| July 9, 2013 | Beyoncé | Luke James | The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour | 12,269 / 12,269 | $1,328,330 | |
| September 15, 2013 | Depeche Mode | — | Delta Machine Tour | 10,760 / 10,760 | $683,192 | |
| October 29, 2013 | Selena Gomez | Emblem3 Christina Grimmie | Stars Dance Tour | — | — | |
| October 30, 2013 | Nine Inch Nails | Gary Numan | Twenty Thirteen Tour | — | — | |
| February 25, 2014 | Demi Lovato | Fifth Harmony Little Mix Collins Key | The Neon Lights Tour | — | — | |
| March 4, 2014 | Justin Timberlake | – | The 20/20 Experience World Tour | – | – | |
| April 29, 2014 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band | — | High Hopes Tour | 14,327 / 18,859 | $1,434,757 | |
| May 4, 2014 | Lady Gaga | Lady Starlight | ArtRave: The Artpop Ball | 12,977 / 12,977 | $1,173,695 | Gaga was also going to perform on March 15, 2013, for her Born This Way Ball, but the show was cancelled due to her hip injury |
| May 17, 2014 | Cher | Cyndi Lauper | Dressed to Kill Tour | 12,178 / 12,178 | $1,348,709 | |
| July 2, 2014 | Katy Perry | Capital Cities Ferras | Prismatic World Tour | 12,888 / 12,888 | $1,382,655 | |
| July 18, 2015 | Ariana Grande | Prince Royce | The Honeymoon Tour | N/A | N/A | |
| February 16, 2016 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band | — | The River Tour | 18,658 / 18,658 | $2,174,905 | |
| February 24, 2016 | Iron Maiden | The Raven Age | The Book of Souls World Tour | 12,478 / 12,478 | $954,111 | |
| April 8, 2016 | Pearl Jam | — | Pearl Jam 2016 North America Tour | — | — | [23][24] |
| April 13, 2016 | Pentatonix | Us The Duo AJ Lehrman | Pentatonix World Tour 2016 | 4,609 / 7,008 | $250,805 | |
| July 1, 2016 | Demi Lovato Nick Jonas | Marshmello | Future Now Tour | 7,251 / 10,314 | $400,809 | |
| July 2, 2016 | Twenty One Pilots | Mutemath Chef'Special | Emotional Roadshow World Tour | 11,705 / 11,916 | $393,775 | |
| December 3, 2016 | Barbra Streisand | — | Barbra: The Music, The Mem'ries, The Magic | 12,262 / 12,262 | $3,247,670 | Third highest-grossing concert in venue history |
| April 15, 2017 | Panic! at the Disco | MisterWives | Death of a Bachelor Tour | — | — | |
| December 31, 2017 | Billy Joel | New Year's Eve | ||||
| February 1, 2018 | Lana Del Rey | Kali Uchis | LA to the Moon Tour | 7,241 / 13,270 | $589,582 | |
| February 26, 2018 | Dead & Company | — | Fall Tour 2017 | 12,437 /12,848 | $1,365,862 | The show was originally scheduled for December 8, 2017, but was postponed due to John Mayer needing an emergency appendectomy. The band paid tribute to the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting which took place the previous week in nearby Parkland. |
| April 25, 2018 | P!nk | KidCutUp | Beautiful Trauma World Tour | 15,999 / 15,999 | $2,184,919 | |
| June 9, 2018 | Harry Styles | Kacey Musgraves | Harry Styles: Live on Tour[25] | 16,678 / 16,678 | $1,302,904 | |
| July 31, 2018 | Panic! at the Disco | — | Pray for the Wicked Tour | — | — | |
| August 15, 2018 | Shakira | Salva | El Dorado World Tour | 10,693 / 10,693 | $1,058,920 | |
| October 5, 2018 | Phil Collins | — | Not Dead Yet Tour | 13,750 / 13,750 | $2,079,690 | |
| November 4, 2018 | Twenty One Pilots | Awolnation Max Frost | Bandito Tour | — | — | |
| November 23, 2018 | Elton John | — | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | 14,182 / 14,182 | $2,055,879 | |
| March 1, 2019 | P!nk | Julia Michaels KidCutUp | Beautiful Trauma World Tour | 14,883 / 14,883 | $2,463,165 | Beginning of the tour's second North American leg due to high demand. One of the largest single night grosses of the venue's history. |
| March 16, 2019 | Elton John | — | Farewell Yellow Brick Road | 14,517 / 14,517 | $2,109,042 | |
| July 9, 2019 | Jeff Lynne's ELO | Dhani Harrison | Jeff Lynne's ELO Tour 2019 | — | — |
Notable events
NHL
- The Florida Panthers hosted the 2001 NHL Entry Draft & 2015 NHL Entry Draft at the arena.
- The arena served as the site for the 2003 NHL All-Star Game on February 2, 2003. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 6–5, in a shootout victory. It marked the first "official" shootout in the NHL.
- The arena was due to host the 2021 NHL All-Star game, but this was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The arena hosted the 2023 NHL All-Star Game on February 4, 2023.
Boxing, mixed martial arts
The arena has held boxing and mixed martial arts events such as EliteXC: Heat featuring the main event of Seth Petruzelli and Kimbo Slice took place on October 4, 2008. On February 15, 2009, a lightweight bout between Nate Campbell and Ali Funeka took place in the arena.
Strikeforce MMA made their debut at the arena on January 30, 2010, with the Strikeforce: Miami event on Showtime.[26]
UFC on FX 3 took place at the arena on June 8, 2012. It was the first UFC event ever held at the arena.[27]
UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson (also known as UFC Fight Night 150 or UFC on ESPN+ 8) took place at the arena on April 27, 2019. It was the first time UFC returned to the arena since 2012.
Professional wrestling
- WCW Bash At The Beach - July 11, 1999
- WWF Armageddon – December 12, 1999
- WWE Armageddon – December 15, 2002
Rodeo
The Professional Bull Riders brought their Built Ford Tough Series tour to the BB&T Center in September 2005 for a bull riding event, which was won by Kody Lostroh (who ultimately became the Rookie of the Year that same year).
Other events
- On May 23, 2008, Senator Barack Obama held a rally as part of his presidential primary campaign.
- Several months later on October 29, Obama returned to the arena to hold a rally as part of his presidential campaign. The rally was presented as a paid programm airing on several major broadcast and cable networks live.
- On August 10, 2016, Candidate Donald Trump held a rally as part of his presidential campaign.
- On February 21, 2018, the venue hosted a CNN town hall meeting on gun control in response to the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that occurred a week earlier; it was attended by 7,000 people, including survivors of the shooting and relatives of the victims.[28]
- On June 27, 2018, rapper XXXTentacion's fan memorial and public funeral was held at the arena.[29][30]
- On November 26, 2019, President Donald Trump held a campaign rally.
Regular events
In addition to the Panthers, the arena was formerly home to the Florida Pit Bulls of the American Basketball Association, the Miami Caliente of the Lingerie Football League, and the Florida Bobcats of the AFL, along with the only season of the Florida ThunderCats. This arena also serves as the host for the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic held every December in conjunction with the namesake college football game.
Arena information
Seating
- Basketball: 20,737
- Hockey: 19,250
- End-Stage Concerts: 15,207 – 23,000
- Center-Stage Concerts: 25,000
- 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of arena floor space for trade shows and other events such as circuses and ice shows.[2]
Parking and loading docks
- Total: 7,045 spaces (Does not include production or bus/oversized vehicle parking)
- General parking: 4,787 Spaces
- Suite/club seat parking: 1,430 spaces
- Garage: 226 spaces
- Disabled parking: 90 spaces
- Event staff: 512 spaces
- Truck doors: 5
- Waste removal docks: 2[2]
Food and novelty concessions
- Plaza Level: 3 food courts and Pantherland Retail
- Mezzanine Level: 3 food courts and two points of purchase kiosks[2]
References
- ^ "Google Groups". groups.google.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e . BB&T Center. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
- ^ 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 April 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c "History". BB&T Center. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ a b "Panthers History: Arenas". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Lapointe, Joe (December 11, 1992). "N.H.L. Is Going to Disneyland, and South Florida, Too". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ "Sunrise Gets Serious About Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. December 16, 1995. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ "Prospects Good For Broward Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. February 1, 1996. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Snell, Alan; Fleshler, David (July 11, 1998). "Huizenga's National Car Rental To Be Name Gracing Hockey Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Nolin, Robert (September 12, 1998). "Sunrise Arena Ok'd For Occupancy". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Talalay, Sarah (August 16, 2002). "Panthers Want Car Rental Name Taken Off Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ "BB&T Center Naming Rights Headline Long-term Florida Panthers-BB&T Partnership". NHL.com (Press release). Florida Panthers. September 10, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ^ Richards, George (September 11, 2012). "Florida Panthers' Arena Now BB&T Center". The Miami Herald. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ "Panthers See Red In BankAtlantic Center Lower Bowl". National Hockey League. July 25, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Valverde, Miriam (January 29, 2013). "Club Red elevates experiences at BB&T Center". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Nolin, Robert (May 14, 2013). "County to Fund New Scoreboard for Panthers Arena". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Davis, Craig (October 11, 2013). "Huizenga Joins Viola to Christen New Panthers Era Before 6-3 Win". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ "SunTrust, BB&T have their names on sports". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 7, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ^ "Panthers home temporarily renamed FLA Live Arena". NHL.com. September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ "Kid Rock/Fuel".
- ^ "Tour: 2001 summer". DMB Almanac. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
- ^ Haas, Brian; Gollan, Jennifer (April 27, 2008). "Cell Phone Bomb Threat Delays Bon Jovi Concert". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ "Review: Pearl Jam opens 2016 North American tour at the BB&T Center in Sunrise". South Florida. April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "Live Review: Pearl Jam kicks off tour at Ft. Lauderdale's BBT Center". Consequence of Sound. April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "Harry Styles Expands Tour Into 2018". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ . mmajunkie.com. November 19, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- ^ . MMAJunkie.com. April 5, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
- ^ Man, Anthony; Barszewski, Larry (February 21, 2018). "Rubio is jeered as CNN town hall meeting about Florida school shooting turns angry". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- ^ Halle, Kiefer. "XXXTentacion Fans Invited to Open Casket Memorial at Florida Panthers Stadium". Vulture.com. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ "XXXTentacion fans queue to pay respects at Florida service". BBC News. June 28, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
External links
- FLA Live Arena
- BB&T Center aerial video
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Home of the Florida Panthers 1998 – present | Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by | Host of the NHL All-Star Game 2003 2023 | Succeeded by |