October 15-20, 1996
The first family show to play at the Center was Walt Disney’s World on Ice - The Spirit of Pocahontas. There were a total of 10 shows during the run.
April 26, 1997
The Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3, in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to win the series four games to one. It was the final game in the illustrious career of Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux. The crowd gave Lemieux a standing ovation at the end of the game.
May 31, 1997
In Game One of the Stanley Cup finals, 20,291 fans set a record for the largest audience in Pennsylvania history to attend a hockey game.
January 5-11, 1998
Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski were among the skaters who earned berths to the 1998 Winter Olympic Games with their performances in the 1998 U.S. National Championships held in the CoreStates Center.
April 26, 1998
The Philadelphia Wings win game one of a best of three NLL Championship series against the Baltimore Thunder. The Wings would go on to defeat Baltimore two days later at the Baltimore Arena to capture their fifth Championship in franchise history.
September 8, 1998
The first event at the Center under its new name, the First Union Center. On July 15, 1998 an announcement was made about the name change and the beginning of the transition. Garth Brooks, on the opening night of six sold out shows, took the honor as the first event ever in the First Union Center.
January 24-25, 1999
During the AHL All-Star Weekend festivities, 13,028 fans filed into the First Union Center to watch Team Canada defeat Planet USA 15-12 in the skills competition. Planet USA exacted revenge the following day with a 5-4 victory on Chris Ferraro’s game winning goal in front of 14,120 spectators.
September 13-25, 1999
Bruce Springsteen sold out six shows at the First Union Center pushing his total to 37 Philadelphia sellouts.
Friday, March 31, 2000 and Sunday, April 2, 2000
The road to the Final Four ended in Philadelphia, as “March Madness” culminated with the sold out NCAA Women’s Final Four at the First Union Center. The April 2nd game drew 20,060 people, making this the largest crowd to see a college basketball game—men’s or women’s—in Pennsylvania.
July 31, 2000
40,000 people attended the Republican National Convention each day either as a media member, delegate, worker, or VIP, the First Union Complex became Pennsylvania’s 13th largest municipality for the four-day run of the convention.
March 22-24, 2001
The NCAA Tournament returned to Philadelphia for the first time since the historic regional game between Kentucky and Duke in 1992 as the East Regional was held in the First Union Center. Duke went on to defeat the University of Southern California 79-69 to claim the region and advance to the Final Four in a game that set a single-game attendance record for Pennsylvania college basketball with 20,270 people.
June 13, 2001
20,900 fans packed the First Union Center to watch the 76ers take on the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It was the 76ers’ first appearance in the finals since their championship season in 1983.
July 21-22, 2001
Madonna opened the United States portion of her Drowned Tour in Philadelphia on July 21. The “Material Girl” sold out both of her scheduled concerts at the First Union Center in 75 minutes.
August 17-22, 2001
The most anticipated event of the 2001 X-Games actually took place inside the First Union Center as Kenny Bartram won the first ever Moto X Big Air competition while AC/DC blasted throughout the arena, pumping up the crowd. The six-day event hosted 235,000 people.
February 9-10, 2002
Lower Merion product Kobe Bryant took home the MVP award for the NBA All-Star game as he outplayed 76ers guard Allen Iverson in helping the Western Conference outlast the East, 135-120. In the skills competition, Sacramento’s Peja Stojakovic won the 1 800 CALL ATT Shootout and Golden State’s Jason Richardson took home first place in the 2002 NBA.com Slam Dunk presented by RealOne.
February 13-24, 2002
The piano playing dynamic duo Billy Joel and Elton John sold out six shows at the First Union Center. The six shows, totaling in excess of 110,000 Tickets, are the most performances in one city on the “Face to Face” Tour.
August 15-19, 2002
The ESPN X-games welcomed its 2 millionth fan when the games came to Philadelphia. The athletes showcased unprecedented tricks, introduced women’s exhibitions, and experienced a spectator fan base that exceeded the averages from 2001.
July 27, 2003
The Center changes its name to the Wachovia Center. That evening, the American Idols Live Tour performed as the first event in the Wachovia Center. |
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