This Week in History

On August 26, 2007, headliners TI and Ciara returned to their hometown of Atlanta for the Screamfest Tour. Both TI and Ciara are Grammy award winning artists. This tour was started in 2000 and has been an annual tradition that rap and R&B fans anxiously anticipate every year. T-Pain, Young Joc, Kanye West, and 50 Cent also joined this twenty-four city tour.

This Day in History

Over twenty years ago, three young men began their careers as punk rock artists at Rod’s Hickory Pit in California. In 1990, Green Day as we know it today was formed by the union of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool’s talents. They have won numerous awards, including three Grammys. In 2004 they introduced their most famous CD, American Idiot, which was their first #1 Billboard-ranked album. Their 2005 tour, which was their longest tour with 150 dates, brought them to Philips Arena on August 23, 2005. Three months later, Green Day released a DVD Bullet in a Bible that documented behind the scenes footage of their tour.

2008 Tout of Gymnastics Superstars comes to Atlanta

The Olympics are now in full swing and the USA Gymnastics mens and womens teams are doing great! Check them out in this clip....and then check them out live at Philips Arena on October 17 as they tour the US after their return from Beijing and the 2008 Olympics. Get your tickets by clicking here... http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0E0040FCD5CC852C?artistid=1244658&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=206

This Week in History

Saying that 2004 was a big year for Prince is a gross understatement. His colossal year kicked off in February with an acclaimed performance with Beyonce. A month later he released his Musicology CD, which chartered his summer Musicology Tour. This tour, which stopped at Philips Arena on August 9-10, was the most profitable tour in the music industry for 2004. Pop icon Prince entertained 96 venues! By the end of the year, Prince had acquired a #28 ranking on Rolling Stones’ list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and a formal induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pollstar Magazine also named him the top concert draw among musicians in America.

UFC-Dont miss it, LIVE at Philips Arena 9/6/2008

In his first fight since a stunning victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79, UFC legend Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell is back to face undefeated light heavyweight contender "Sugar" Rashad Evans. Will Evans plow through Liddell to jump to the top of the 205-lb. rankings? Or will Liddell successfully continue his crusade to regain the UFC Light Heavyweight Title?

UFC 88: BREAKTHROUGH UFC SPIKE.com

UFC 88-Philips Arena

UFC officially announces "UFC 88: Liddell vs. Evans" for Sept. 6 at Philips Arena
For the first time in the organization's history, the UFC is heading to Atlanta -- and the Sept. 6 show will feature a main event between UFC light heavyweight contenders Chuck Liddell (21-5 MMA, 16-4 UFC) and Rashad Evans (11-0-1 MMA, 6-0-1 UFC).

MMAjunkie.com first reported last month that an Atlanta event was in the works, and the UFC today made it official as part of a ticket-sales push.

The event takes place at Phillips Arena, a 19,000-capacity venue that is home to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. The event will air on pay per view, according to UFC.com.

Liddell, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, is 1-1 since losing his title to Quinton Jackson in May 2007. Four months after that loss, he suffered another defeat (via split decision) to Keith Jardine. It was the first back-to-back losses of his career, but he rebounded for a unanimous-decision victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79.

Earlier this month, a source close to the event told MMAjunkie.com that a Liddell vs. Anderson Silva fight had been discussed as a potential UFC 88 main event. Instead, the UFC will go with Evans, the UFC's undefeated winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 2."

It'll be Evans' first fight in nearly 10 months; he was expected to return earlier this month at UFC 85, but bouts with Liddell and Luiz Cane were eventually scrapped. After fighting to a draw with Tito Ortiz last summer, Evans most recently defeated Michael Bisping via split decision at UFC 78.

The UFC will be the second organization to host an MMA event at Phillips Arena. The young American Fight League christened the building late last month for its first major-venue event.

The UFC hasn't hosted an event in Georgia since UFC 13, which took place in May 1997 at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta.

Tickets for UFC 88 go on sale to members of the UFC's fan club on Wednesday. The general public can puchase tickets beginning on Saturday.

For the latest on UFC 88, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

This Week in History

On August 5, 2007, John Mayer returned to Atlanta on the southeast leg of his 2007 Summer Tour. Mayer moved to Atlanta in 1998, and found much of his inspiration for his first CD in Georgia, in particular hits like “Why Georgia” and “Neon” (which mentions Peachtree Street). Earlier in 2007, he won Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. That same year, he was named to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2007. John Mayer’s tours provide a unique fan experience, as he allows audio taping at most of his live performances and allows for the non-commercial trading of those recordings. He attributes these rules to a desire for fans to have a great experience and an ability to share this experience with others.