The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (formerly San Francisco Civic Auditorium and San Francisco Exposition Auditorium) is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California, named after promoter Bill Graham. The arena holds 8,500 people.
About the venue
The auditorium was designed by renowned Bay Area architects John Galen Howard, Frederick Herman Meyer and John W. Reid Jr. and built in 1915 as part of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. The auditorium hosted the 1920 Democratic National Convention, the San Francisco Opera from 1923 to 1932 and again for the 1996 season, and the National AAU boxing trials in 1948. It was the home of the San Francisco Warriors of the National Basketball Association from 1964 to 1967. An underground expansion, named Brooks Hall, was completed in 1958 under the Civic Center Plaza, immediately north of the Civic Auditorium. The famous Mother of All Demos was presented here during the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference, and the World Cyber Games 2004 were also held here.
In 1992, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to rename the auditorium after the rock concert impresario Bill Graham, who had died the previous year in a helicopter crash.
Long before Bill Graham came along, James T. Graham (no relation) managed the Civic Auditorium from 1954 to 1970 and booked some of the biggest names in show business there. During Jim Graham's tenure, the Civic Auditorium hosted Elvis Presley (October 26, 1957), Judy Garland (September 13, 1961), Ray Charles, the Tijuana Brass, Donovan, the Jefferson Airplane (June 4, 1966), the Mamas and the Papas (October 10, 1966), The Temptations and Gladys Knight & the Pips (January 26, 1968), Jose Feliciano, Bobby Darin and more, which prompted San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen to opine that the Board of Supervisors had named the Civic Auditorium after the wrong Graham (January 12, 1993).
Jim Graham signed the Warriors to a contract at the Civic in 1962 when they first moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco. The Warriors would play their first few seasons at the Civic before they moved to the Cow Palace, a larger venue. Jim Graham was manager of the Auditorium when Brooks Hall was built as an adjacent, underground convention center. He also managed Brooks Hall after its dedication on April 11, 1958, and booked American Medical Association conventions, the Harvest Festival, the San Francisco Gift Show and more.
Under Jim Graham's management, the Civic Auditorium also hosted Barnum & Bailey circuses, the San Francisco Roller Derby, Golden Gloves Boxing matches, professional wrestling, Holiday on Ice, the Ice Capades, car shows, the International Dog Show, the Black and White Ball and the Folderol. In addition, President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke there on August 23, 1956, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republican Party, and a fundraising gala was held there on June 1, 1968, for Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Robert F. Kennedy, four days before he was assassinated in Los Angeles. At the time, the Civic Auditorium was ground zero in San Francisco for conventions and entertainment events. There were no other major venues for large gatherings outside of the Cow Palace, which was considered ill-equipped for such events (despite the fact that it was larger).
Later, the Civic Auditorium arena would continue to host concerts by many other famous artists, spanning many different genres. It is owned by the City and County of San Francisco and since 2010 has been operated by Another Planet Entertainment.
Concerts DateArtistOpening act(s)Tour / Concert nameAttendanceRevenueNotesMay 14, 1965The Rolling Stones1965 1st American TourFebruary 14, 1982PrinceZapp and Roger, The TimeControversy TourFebruary 15, 1982March 29, 1982J. Geils BandU2October TourMarch 30, 1982June 17, 1982Elton JohnJump Up Tour6,713 / 6,713April 3, 1983KissMötley CrüeCreatures of the Night Tour/10th Anniversary TourJune 1, 1983U2War TourDecember 15, 1984U2The Unforgettable Fire TourApril 23, 1985MadonnaBeastie Boys, Run DMCThe Virgin Tour8,500 / 8,500$127,500September 25, 1985Y&TDown For The Count TourMarch 30, 1988KissAnthraxCrazy Nights World TourOctober 2, 1993Luis MiguelAries TourApril 13, 1996OasisThird Eye Blind(What's the Story) Morning Glory? TourJanuary 26, 1998OasisCornershopBe Here Now TourNovember 4, 1999Blink-182Loserkids TourNovember 25, 1999Kid RockDevil Without a Cause TourOctober 13, 2001Bob DylanNever Ending Tour 2001September 16, 2004Beastie BoysTalib KweliPageant Tour September 17, 2004November 24, 2004Green DayNew Found Glory, SugarcultAmerican Idiot World TourJuly 15, 2006Pearl Jam Pearl Jam 2006 World TourJuly 16, 2006July 18, 2006October 16, 2006Bob DylanKings of LeonNever Ending Tour 2006October 17, 2006October 29, 2006Snoop DoggNovember 7, 2006Pet Shop BoysFundamental TourNovember 20, 2006 Tenacious DNeil HamburgerThe Pick of Destiny TourMarch 1, 2007Snow PatrolEyes Open TourApril 9, 2007MuseBlack Holes and Revelations TourSeptember 27, 2007Arctic MonkeysFavourite Worst Nightmare TourDecember 13, 2009Lady GagaKid Cudi, Semi Precious WeaponsThe Monster Ball Tour17,000 / 17,000$840,960December 14, 2009April 9, 2011Rise AgainstEndgame TourJune 8, 2011Bruno MarsMayer Hawthorne & the CountyHooligans in Wondaland TourDecember 10, 2011Sara BareillesKaleidoscope Heart TourAugust 17, 2012Phish2012 Summer TourAugust 18, 2012August 19, 2012October 17, 2012Bob Dylan/Mark KnopflerBob Dylan Tour with Mark Knopfler 2012October 18, 2012February 13, 2013Swedish House MafiaOne Last TourFebruary 14, 2013February 15, 2013February 16, 2013February 17, 2013April 27, 2013The KillersThe Felice BrothersBattle Born World TourApril 28, 2013August 2, 2013Phish2013 Summer TourAugust 3, 2013August 4, 2013December 7, 2013Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Talib Kweli, Big K.R.I.T.The Heist World Tour March 29, 2014Robin ThickeBlurred Lines TourApril 18, 2014Lana Del ReyParadise TourApril 19, 2014Ellie GouldingSt. LuciaThe Halcyon Days TourOctober 10, 2014The WeekndScHoolboy Q, Jhené AikoKing of the Fall TourOctober 11, 2014October 27, 2014Phish2014 Fall TourOctober 28, 2014October 29, 2014September 16, 2015ZeddTrue Colors Tour17,016 / 17,016$765,720September 17, 2015October 13, 2015Janet JacksonUnbreakable World Tour10,172 / 10,172$1,131,847October 14, 2015December 27, 2015Dead & CompanyDead & Company 2015 Tour17,032 / 17,032$1,277,400December 28, 2015March 27, 2016Fall Out BoyFinish Ticket, AwolnationWintour is Coming7,300 / 7,300$385,995May 28, 2016Macklemore & Ryan LewisAn Evening with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis July 18, 2016Phish2016 Summer TourJuly 19, 2016July 20, 2016October 21, 2016Chance the RapperMagnificent Coloring World TourApril 15, 2017The xxI See You TourApril 16, 2017April 17, 2017May 5, 2017The ChainsmokersKiiara
GrandtheftMemories Do Not Open Tour17,000 / 17,000$1,445,000May 6, 2017Kiiara
KyleJune 17, 2017KehlaniSweetSexySavage World TourAugust 9, 2017SlayerLamb of God, Behemoth5,833 / 6,500$301,560October 4, 2017GorillazVince StaplesDanny BrownHumanz TourJanuary 22, 2018St. VincentFear the Future TourFebruary 1, 2018Queens of the Stone AgeEagles of Death MetalVillains World TourMay 5, 2018Khalid PrettyMuchRoxy TourMay 6, 2018July 24, 2018Phish2018 Summer TourJuly 25, 2018September 7, 2018ShakiraEl Dorado World TourOctober 20, 2018Arctic MonkeysMini MansionsTranquility Base Hotel & Casino TourOctober 21, 2018November 8, 2018Brockhampton I'll Be There TourApril 22, 2019The 1975Pale WavesMusic for CarsMay 29, 2019Billie EilishDenzel CurryWhen We All Fall Asleep TourJune 28, 2019Carly Rae JepsenMansionairThe Dedicated TourJuly 25, 2019RobynTroye SivanHoney Tour5,620 / 5,620$446,811October 27, 2019LizzoEmpress OfCuz I Love You Too TourOctober 28, 2019November 11, 2021Playboi CartiKing Vamp TourMay 3, 2022LordeRemi WolfSolar Power TourMay 27, 2022Olivia RodrigoChappell RoanSour TourOctober 4, 2022RosalíaMotomami World TourOctober 23, 2022Lil Nas XLong Live Montero TourAugust 4, 2023(G)I-dleI Am Free-ty World TourJune 6, 2023Melanie MartinezPORTALS TourOctober 29, 2023Kim PetrasFeed the Beast World TourNovember 23, 2024AuroraBiig PiigWhat Happened to the Earth?April 22, 2025Phish2025 Spring TourApril 23, 2025June 17, 2025BINIBiniverse World Tour 2025April 7, 2026FKA TwigsEartheaterBody High TourDecember 17, 2026Victoria MonetFrequency of Love Tour
See also List of convention centers in the United States List of tennis stadiums by capacity
References