Mid-South Coliseum

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The Mid-South Coliseum, also known as "The Entertainment Capital of the Mid-South", is a multipurpose arena that seats 10,085 people in Memphis, Tennessee. It was built in 1963.

[edit] History

The Coliseum was one of the few stops on the Beatles' final American tour. Their August 19, 1966, performance is infamously known as "the firecracker concert" due to a crowd member exploding a firecracker (which some thought was a gunshot) during the show. Television news footage of a Ku Klux Klansman making a threat to a news reporter during the show, in response to John Lennon's statement that The Beatles had become more popular than Jesus Christ.

The Mid-South Coliseum was also well-known in professional wrestling as the home base for the United States Wrestling Association and its predecessors; Jerry Lawler headlined countless shows at the facility. Among many notable events, Lawler faced Terry Funk in a now-legendary "empty arena fight" at the Coliseum in 1981.

It was home to the University of Memphis Tigers basketball team before the Pyramid opened in 1991 and the Memphis RiverKings before the DeSoto Civic Center opened in 2000.

Much like many other coliseums and arenas built in the '50s and '60s in America, it is a treasure trove of memories and great concerts. In 2006, the musical group 311 held their annual "3/11" (March 11) show at the venue to a sold-out crowd of 9,000.

The venue is scheduled to close at the end of 2006. [1]