Swing Auditorium
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Swing Auditorium was an indoor arena located on E Street in San Bernardino, California.
Swing Auditorium was built in 1949 on the grounds of the National Orange Show to serve as the main entertainment venue. It was named after Senator Ralph E. Swing and had a capacity of 10,000 patrons.[1]
Many musicians performed at the venue, including Jack Benny, George Burns and Louis Armstrong. Bob Hope was a regular, performing annually for 13 years as part of Armed Services Day.[2]
In 1958, Sammy Davis Jr., who four years earlier had been treated at the then-San Bernardino Community Hospital for injuries sustained in a car crash, thanked the hospital with a star-studded benefit at the venue. Judy Garland, Jerry Lewis, Tony Curtis, Danny Thomas and Shirley MacLaine were on the bill.[2]
In the 1960s the venue became one of the West Coast's preeminent rock palaces. The Rolling Stones began their first American tour with a performance on June 5, 1964. In the following years, many other popular artists performed at the Swing Auditorium, including The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, The Jackson Five, and Deep Purple.[2]
On September 11, 1981, a private plane crashed into Swing Auditorium, damaging it beyond repair, and it was subsequently demolished.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Venue information and background
- ^ a b c d Weeks, John. "From Rolling Stones...to Broken Bones", San Bernardino County Sun, 2006-03-09. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
