This Week in History

Just twelve days shy of his 26th birthday, Usher performed at Philips Arena on October 2-3, 2004. Usher spent all of his youth in the South; after living in Texas and Tennessee, his family moved to Atlanta believing that the city would provide better opportunities for the growth of his career. Usher was discovered on an episode of Star Search, and his career blossomed quickly during the mid-1990s. His 2004 Truth Tour boasted many sold-out shows with promises of his performing “Yeah”, “Burn”, and “Confessions Part II”; these singles were all featured on his March 2004 album Confessions and each spent several weeks on the Billboard Top 100.

Sneak Peak with Tina Turner!!!!

Check out this behind the scenes sneak peak of Tina Turner preparing for her 2008 North American tour. A second show date has been added for Atlanta and tickets are on sale now. Click here to purchase tickets for the November 10 show! http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0E0040A295E05CD0?artistid=736358&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1

This Week in History

September 24, 1999 is perhaps the most memorable day in Philips Arena history. Elton John, arguably the biggest name in music entertainment, drew a large crowd for the venue’s first concert. Elton John had been spending a lot of time in Atlanta in the late 1990s as he was working to produce Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida, his collaborative effort with Tim Rice that debuted at the Alliance Theatre. Howard Rose, longtime agent for Elton John, voiced the artist’s awe for the arena: “Elton John was thrilled to perform at the Grand Opening of Philips Arena. Elton loved the venue and his sound engineers applauded the acoustics; a great venue for everyone!”

This Week in History

Thirty two years after their inception, Van Halen performed at Philips Arena on September 17, 2004. This tour came immediately after the release of their July 2004 Second Greatest Hits Compilation. Van Halen has experienced great success and their music has permeated numerous generations. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Van Halen is the 19th best selling band/artist of all times with sales of over $56 million in the US. Their 2004 tour was ranked in the top ten grossing tours of 2004 by Pollstar Magazine.

This Day in History

On September 13-16, 2007, Elmo and friends entertained an enthusiastic crowd at Philips Arena. The “Elmo Makes Music” tour personified the tale of the Sesame Street gang’s quest to help Jenny find her missing instruments. Sesame Street favorites Elmo, Big Bird, Zoe, Count von Count, and Baby Bear (among many others) taught Jenny about making music out of unconventional items such as Bert’s rubber ducky, Cookie Monster’s cookie jar, and Oscar’s trashcan lids. With themes of friendship and creative expression and hits like “Hustle”, “You Should be Dancing”, and “Rockin Robin”, children and parents alike enjoyed this didactic ninety-minute program.

This Week in History

Millions of years of history came to life at Philips Arena on September 5-9, 2007 when dinosaurs invaded the arena! The spectacular Walking with Dinosaurs: The Live Experience tour wowed crowds with fifteen life-size mechanical dinosaurs operated by puppeteers. The largest of these dinos was a brachiosaurus, measuring 36 ft tall and 56 ft long from nose to tail; that’s nearly seven times the height of the average American! This tour was an adaptation of a six part series that was originally aired on BBC in 1999, and later on the Discovery Channel in the United States.