Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (Maryland Heights, Missouri)
The Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (originally Riverport Amphitheatre and formerly the UMB Bank Pavilion and Verizon Wireless Amphitheater) is an outdoor concert venue in Maryland Heights, Missouri, near St. Louis.
 Venue before a concert (c.2017) | |
 | |
| Former names | Riverport Amphitheatre (1991–2002) UMB Bank Pavilion (2002–2006) Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (2007–2014) |
|---|---|
| Address | 14141 Riverport Dr Maryland Heights, MO 63043-4807 |
| Location | Greater St. Louis |
| Public transit |  MetroBus |
| Owner | Live Nation |
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 14, 1991 |
| Construction cost | $12 million ($26.8 million in 2023 dollars)[1] |
History
editThe venue was built for approximately $12 million, and opened on June 14, 1991, with a performance by Steve Winwood.[2]
Shortly after opening, the amphitheater became the site of the infamous Riverport Riot, July 2, 1991, during a Guns N' Roses concert, during their Use Your Illusion Tour.[3]
In 1998, the local promoter Contemporary Group, who built the amphitheater, was acquired by SFX.[4] SFX corporate successor Live Nation Entertainment continues to own and operate the venue.
In 2002, UMB Bank acquired the naming rights to the venue for five years.[5] Verizon Wireless then purchased the naming rights in November 2006.[6]
Venue owner Live Nation announced December 17, 2014, that they had signed a multiyear agreement with Hollywood Casino in Maryland Heights, which is owned and operated by Penn National Gaming, to be the amphitheater's title sponsor.[7] The length of the agreement was not disclosed.[8] Even with naming rights changes, many in the St. Louis area still call it by its original name "Riverport".[citation needed]
Notable events
editGuns and Roses Riot - On July 2, 1991 concert at the then-brand new Riverport Amphitheatre (now known as Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre) in nearby Maryland Heights, Mo., erupted into a violent and bloody riot, injuring 65 people — including 25 police officers — and resulting in dozens of arrests and hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage.
On June 9, 2000, the bands REO Speedwagon and Styx performed at the venue together and released Arch Allies Live at Riverport and releasing 2 single-disc versions for Styx and one for REO.
Sting performed during his Symphonicities Tour on June 23, 2010, along with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
On July 23, 2010, Kings of Leon abruptly ended their set, after only three songs, allegedly being pelted with feces by pigeons while onstage. The band gave fans their money back and later announced a makeup show. The new date was scheduled to be on September 25, 2010. Tickets were free for those who attended their last show and were $10.00 for other fans planning on attending.[9]
On May 31, 2022, AJR headlined the amphitheatre for their tour supporting their album "OK Orchestra".
The amphitheatre has played host to many music festivals, including 60's Summer Spectacular, All That! Music and More Festival, Anger Management Tour, Crüe Fest, Crüe Fest 2, Family Values Tour, Farm Aid, H.O.R.D.E. Festival, Honda Civic Tour, Lilith Fair, Lollapalooza, Mayhem Festival, Ozzfest, Pointfest, Projekt Revolution, Uproar Festival and Vans Warped Tour.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Richmond, D; Schankman, S. (2008): "Produced By Contemporary", pp. 201-202, Virginia Publishing Co., St. Louis. ISBN 978-1-891442-47-6
- ^ Richmond, D; Schankman, S. (2008): "Produced By Contemporary", p. 207, Virginia Publishing Co., St. Louis. ISBN 978-1-891442-47-6
- ^ Contemporary bought by SFX for $90 million
- ^ "UMB Bank acquires naming rights to Riverport Amphitheatre", "St. Louis Business Journal", February 13, 2002.
- ^ "Verizon buys naming rights to Riverport venue", "St. Louis Business Journal", November 15, 2006.
- ^ "Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - St. Louis, MO". Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ "Verizon Wireless Amphitheater gets new name - St. Louis Business Journal". Archived from the original on 2014-12-24.
- ^ "Kings of Leon Bail in St. Louis Due to Pigeon Droppings". MTV. Archived from the original on July 28, 2010.