Macon Coliseum
Encyclopedia
The Macon Coliseum is a multi-purpose arena
and convention center
in Macon, Georgia
, United States
. It was home to the Macon Whoopee
and Macon Trax
ice hockey
team
s and also the Macon Knights
arena football
team until 2006. It is currently home to the Georgia Gwizzlies
, a basketball team that plays in the ABA. Seating 7,182 for hockey and arena football and up to 9,252 for concerts, it is the largest of three facilities comprising the Macon Centreplex, which also includes the adjacent Edgar H. Wilson Convention Centre and the City Auditorium
, located downtown.
Ronnie Thompson
was among its most influential backers. Thompson, who served from 1967-1975, blocked an appearance at the facility by the boxer
Muhammed Ali because the mayor objected to Ali's Conscientious Objector
status during the Vietnam War
.
The Coliseum quickly became Middle Georgia's premier sports, entertainment and trade show venue, with concerts by well-known performers such as Elvis Presley
. Elvis Presley performed at the coliseum on April 15, 1972 Afternoon show and evening show, April 24, 1975, August 31, 1976, and June 1, 1977. Many others have performed here including Led Zeppelin
, KISS
, Van Halen
, Jethro Tull
,
Aerosmith
, Rick James
, Prince
, The Time
, Vanity 6
, George Jones
, Reba McEntire
, Kenny Rogers
, Hank Williams Jr. and many others.
World Championship Wrestling
often came to the coliseum. It was in this very arena that Scott Hall
came out from the audience in a May 27, 1996 episode of Monday Nitro to mark the beginning of the NWO
. The World Wrestling Federation performed here as well before they became the WWE in 2002.
Thec arena underwent major renovations in 1996 including the addition of the Edgar H. Wilson Convention Centre, which hosts conventions, trade shows and banquets. The Convention Centre has 30,800 square feet (2900 m²) of exhibit space, which in addition to the Coliseum's 42,207 square feet (3921 m²) gives a total of 73,007 square feet (6783 m²) of exhibit space for the complex, which also has 26,279 square feet (2441 m²) of meeting space divided into 14 meeting rooms. Three luxury suites were added in 2003 and the Coliseum's exterior redone, resulting in the addition of a giant "M" at the main entrance on the arena's facade.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
and convention center
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was home to the Macon Whoopee
Macon Whoopee
The Macon Whoopee was the name given to two distinct former ice hockey teams, both of which were located in Macon, Georgia. The teams played their home games at the Macon Coliseum....
and Macon Trax
Macon Trax
The Macon Trax were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Macon, Georgia. They played in the low minor leagues Atlantic Coast Hockey League , World Hockey Association 2 and Southern Professional Hockey League , playing their home games at the Macon Coliseum...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
s and also the Macon Knights
Macon Knights
The Macon Knights were a professional arena football team, playing in the af2 league. They were a 2001 expansion member of af2. They played their home games at Macon Coliseum. The Knights were owned and operated by Beverly Olson. The Knights were formerly coached by Derek Stingley, who was a...
arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
team until 2006. It is currently home to the Georgia Gwizzlies
Georgia Gwizzlies
The Georgia Gwizzlies are a basketball team that currently plays in the American Basketball Association. They once played in various men's minor leagues: the Continental Basketball League , the American National Basketball League, and their original stint in the American Basketball Association...
, a basketball team that plays in the ABA. Seating 7,182 for hockey and arena football and up to 9,252 for concerts, it is the largest of three facilities comprising the Macon Centreplex, which also includes the adjacent Edgar H. Wilson Convention Centre and the City Auditorium
Macon City Auditorium
The Macon City Auditorium is a historic structure in Macon, Georgia that has hosted performances, meetings, and events for the community since 1925...
, located downtown.
History
Macon Coliseum was built in 1968 as the first facility of its size and kind in the state. MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Ronnie Thompson
Ronnie Thompson (Georgia politician)
Ronald John Thompson, known as Ronnie Thompson or Machine Gun Ronnie' Thompson , is a former Georgia Republican politician who was the first member of his party to have been elected mayor of Macon, the seat of Bibb County in central Georgia. Thompson served two controversial terms from 1967-1975...
was among its most influential backers. Thompson, who served from 1967-1975, blocked an appearance at the facility by the boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
Muhammed Ali because the mayor objected to Ali's Conscientious Objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
status during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
The Coliseum quickly became Middle Georgia's premier sports, entertainment and trade show venue, with concerts by well-known performers such as Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. Elvis Presley performed at the coliseum on April 15, 1972 Afternoon show and evening show, April 24, 1975, August 31, 1976, and June 1, 1977. Many others have performed here including Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
,
Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Rick James
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
, Vanity 6
Vanity 6
Vanity 6 was a female vocal trio assembled by Prince in the early 1980s.They released one studio album, which blended the sounds of pop, New Wave, dance music, R&B, and funk.-Formation:...
, George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
, Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, Hank Williams Jr. and many others.
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
often came to the coliseum. It was in this very arena that Scott Hall
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
came out from the audience in a May 27, 1996 episode of Monday Nitro to mark the beginning of the NWO
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
. The World Wrestling Federation performed here as well before they became the WWE in 2002.
Thec arena underwent major renovations in 1996 including the addition of the Edgar H. Wilson Convention Centre, which hosts conventions, trade shows and banquets. The Convention Centre has 30,800 square feet (2900 m²) of exhibit space, which in addition to the Coliseum's 42,207 square feet (3921 m²) gives a total of 73,007 square feet (6783 m²) of exhibit space for the complex, which also has 26,279 square feet (2441 m²) of meeting space divided into 14 meeting rooms. Three luxury suites were added in 2003 and the Coliseum's exterior redone, resulting in the addition of a giant "M" at the main entrance on the arena's facade.