Blaisdell Concert Hall

The Neal S. Blaisdell Center is a community center near downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. The complex has a multi-purpose arena, concert hall, exhibition hall, galleria, meeting rooms, Waikiki Shell and others.

Constructed in 1964 on the historic Ward Estate and originally called the Honolulu International Center, the center was renamed after Mayor of Honolulu Neal S. Blaisdell, who oversaw its construction. It was remodeled and expanded in 1994. The complex is overseen by the city's Department of Enterprise Services, which also oversees the Waikiki Shell. the city is seeking to redevelop the site with extensive stakeholder and public involvement to assess the community's goals.

Facilities and events

Arena

The Neal S. Blaisdell Arena is a circular performance facility used for concerts and major sporting events. The arena can accommodate 7,700 seats for sports events, and up to 8,800 seats for stage events with seats set up on the arena floor.

On December 3, 1966, The Monkees gave their first live concert here. They played a 40-minute set. Loggins and Messina performed their final two concerts here on September 24 and 25, 1976.

Elvis Presley's ''Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite'' concert was held here on January 14, 1973. In recognition of the concert, a bronze statue of Presley was installed in 2007 outside the front of the arena. The statue was sponsored by the cable channel TV Land.

Other events at the arena include WWE live events, Disney on Ice, '' American Idol Live!'', ''Sesame Street Live'', college basketball and volleyball, and international gymnastics, as well as a fundraising concert for victims of Hurricane Iniki, with Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt, and a 1965 Billy Graham crusade.

Other music artists that have performed at the arena include The Beach Boys, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, The Rolling Stones, Mariah Carey, The Jackson 5, Metallica, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Santana, Toto, Journey, Halsey, Run-DMC, Coolio, Bruno Mars, No Doubt, America, Bread (band), Culture Club, Avenged Sevenfold, Janet Jackson, and Carrie Underwood.

During a circus performance in 1994, Tyke, an African Elephant, killed her trainer and charged out of the arena in a rage. The animal rampaged outside the arena for 30 minutes before police fired 87 rounds at the elephant, who eventually collapsed and died as a result of the shooting.

The Philippine TV show ''ASAP'' performed at the arena on June 30, 2018, through an international concert titled ''ASAP Live in Honolulu''.

Many graduation and commencement ceremonies are held by schools in the arena and concert hall in late May and June.

Sports

The Arena also hosts the start of the exhibition season for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association and the men's and women's basketball and volleyball games for Hawaii Pacific University, the state's largest private university. It served as the home court for University of Hawaii at Mānoa basketball until UH built the Stan Sheriff Center

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