 | |
  Knoxville Civic Coliseum Location within Tennessee  Knoxville Civic Coliseum Location within the United States | |
| Full name | General James White Memorial Civic Auditorium and Coliseum |
|---|---|
| Location | 500 Howard Baker Jr. Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37915 |
| Owner | City of Knoxville |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | 6,500 (coliseum) 2,500 (auditorium) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1961 |
| Architect | Painter, Weeks, and McCarty |
| Tenants | |
| Knoxville Knights (EHL) (1961–1968) Knoxville Cherokees (ECHL) (1988–1997) Tennessee Volunteers ice hockey (CHS) (1992–present; half of home games) Knoxville Speed (UHL) (1999–2002) Tennessee ThunderCats/Riverhawks (IPFL/NIFL) (2001–2003) Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL) (2002–present) Knoxville NightHawks (PIFL) (2012–2013) | |
| Website | |
| knoxvillecoliseum.com | |
General James White Memorial Civic Auditorium and Coliseum (usually shortened to Knoxville Civic Coliseum) is a multi-purpose events facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, owned by the Knoxville city government and managed by ASM. Its components are an auditorium with a maximum seating capacity of 2,500,[1] a multi-purpose arena with a maximum seating capacity of 6,500,[2] an exhibition hall and a reception hall. It was built in 1961.[3]
The arena is home to the Knoxville Ice Bears, of the SPHL and the University of Tennessee Ice Vols, of the ACHA. In the past, the arena hosted the Knoxville Speed, of the UHL, the Knoxville Cherokees, of the ECHL and the Knoxville Knights, of the EHL. It was also the home of the Tennessee ThunderCats/Riverhawks professional indoor football franchise.
It was the main home arena for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, a regional wrestling promotion, run by pro wrestling Hall of Famer Jim Cornette from 1992 to 1995.
Performances hosted in the facility have included circuses, plays and musicals, symphony orchestra concerts, popular music concerts, and comedians.[3] On March 18, 1982, the venue was notable to be the site of Randy Rhoads' final show, before his death in a plane crash the very next day.[4][5]
The Coliseum hosted the final concert of George Jones on April 6, 2013. Jones checked into Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville on April 18, dying there on the morning of April 26.
Chicago broke the record (at that time) for the fastest sellout to a concert at the Coliseum for their August 26, 1971, performance.
