Bryce Jordan Center
The Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. The arena opened in 1995 and is the largest such venue between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It replaced Rec Hall as the home to the Nittany Lions men's and women's basketball teams, the Pride of the Lions Pep Band, and its student section, Legion of Blue. It also plays host to a number of events such as music concerts, circuses, and commencement ceremonies for colleges within the university. The arena is named after former Penn State University president Bryce Jordan who was instrumental in acquiring the funding needed to build it. The arena is associated with the Arena Network, a marketing and scheduling group of 38 arenas.[3]
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| Location | 127 Bryce Jordan Center University Park, PA 16802 |
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| Coordinates | 40°48′32″N 77°51′21″W |
| Owner | Pennsylvania State University |
| Operator | Pennsylvania State University |
| Capacity | Basketball: 15,261 Concerts: 16,000+ |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 7, 1993 |
| Opened | January 6, 1996 |
| Construction cost | $52.762 million ($86 million in 2019 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Rosser International Inc. |
| General contractor | Gilbane Building Company[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Penn State Nittany Lions (NCAA) Men's basketball (1996–present) Women's basketball (1996–present) | |
Location and layout
The arena is located across the street from Beaver Stadium on Curtin Road, on the eastern part of the campus. This part of campus is home to many of the school's athletic facilities, including the recently built Medlar Field at Lubrano Park baseball facility, Pegula Ice Arena, and Jeffrey Field soccer stadium. There is a large electronic display outside the arena which provides advertisements for future events. The university also recently contracted with ANC Sports to install over 900 feet (270 m) of LED ribbon board signage to be used for sponsor advertisements and game prompts.[4]
Operations
The Jordan Center is owned by Penn State University and operated through its Auxiliary & Business Services Unit.
Notable events
It hosts numerous concerts and World Wrestling Entertainment events, including RAW.
Parts of Aerosmith's 1998 live album, A Little South of Sanity, were recorded at the Jordan Center. Lead singer Steven Tyler can be heard yelling "State College" out to the audience in order to rile them up during "Love in an Elevator".
The music video for The Backstreet Boys' 2000 hit, "The One", was filmed at the arena.
Tina Turner was scheduled to perform during her Twenty Four Seven Tour on September 29, 2000, but the show was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.
Britney Spears played a concert in 2001 as part of her Dream Within a Dream Tour. Some performances were taped with a new technology, at the time, called First-person shooter engine and were released as bonus videos in her video game "Britney's Dance Beat", for PlayStation 2.
On May 3, 2003, Pearl Jam played their longest concert (up to that point) at the venue.
The arena played host to the politically motivated Vote for Change Tour on October 1, 2004, featuring performances by My Morning Jacket, Jurassic 5, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, and The Dave Matthews Band.[5]
In March 2006, the arena hosted first and second rounds of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship. The arena also hosts the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Basketball Championships on a yearly basis.[6]
In 2007, the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, commonly known as THON, was moved to the Jordan Center.[7] The event, designed to raise money to fight pediatric cancer, raises millions of dollars every year.
On October 13, 2008, it played host to Change Rocks: A Concert to Benefit Obama, among guests playing included The Allman Brothers Band and Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, all four of whom were members of The Grateful Dead.
In March 2013, Lady Gaga was to take her Born This Way Ball Tour to the Jordan Center; however, the date was ultimately cancelled due to the singer needing hip surgery.[8]
In May 2015, Garth Brooks brought the Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood to the arena. It is Brooks' first tour since the late 1990s. It is also the first time he has played in the same state twice on this tour, having played at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh from February 5 to the 8th.
On January 26, 2018, Lana Del Rey performed at the venue for her LA to the Moon Tour with Kali Uchis.[9]
On October 20, 2018, Metallica set the attendance record with a crowd of 15,588 people.[10]
References
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- Caldwell, Hope (August 29, 1995). "Bryce Jordan Center on Track for Nov. 28 Opening". The Daily Collegian (Penn State). Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
- Coploff, Reid (April 23, 2004). "Backstage at the BJC". The Daily Collegian (Penn State). Archived from the original on May 17, 2004. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- Jones, David (July 23, 2008). "New Message Ribbons at Beav, Jordan Center". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
- "2004 Setlists". Backstreets Magazine. July 17, 2004. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
- "Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center Awarded 2007 & 2008 PIAA Basketball Championships" (Press release). Penn State Athletics. May 26, 2006. Archived from the original on June 29, 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2006.
- – Pritchett, Mollie (February 16, 2007). "BJC to See First THON". The Daily Collegian (Penn State). Archived from the original on February 20, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
- "Lady Gaga Concert at Jordan Center Canceled". Penn State University. February 14, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
- "Lana Del Rey Announces Tour | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
- https://onwardstate.com/2018/10/22/metallica-shreds-at-the-bryce-jordan-center-in-front-of-a-record-crowd/