Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center
Encyclopedia
The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a convention center
located in Long Beach, California
. It was built on the site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium beginning in 1962. The primary venues of the complex include:
, 13,609 for basketball
, and either 4,550, 9,200 or 13,500 for concerts depending on the seating chart.
The Arena has hosted various entertainment and professional and college sporting events, most notably the volleyball
events of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
For trade shows, the arena features 46,000 square feet (4300 m²) of space, with an additional 19,000 square feet (1800 m²) of space in the lobby and 29,000 square feet (2700 m²) in the concourse. Hanging from the arena's 77 foot (23 m) high ceiling is a center-hung scoreboard with four White Way "Mega Color" Animation Screens. There is an 11 by 15 foot SACO Smartvision LED Wall located on the south end of the arena.
Long Beach Arena was the site of the first National Hockey League
game involving an expansion team, as the Los Angeles Kings
and the Philadelphia Flyers
, both expansion teams, played on October 14, 1967. The Kings won, 4–2. The Kings played in Long Beach for the first half of their expansion season while the Forum was being completed.
The arena was also one of the sites of the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
Rounds of 64 and 32. The teams which played at Long Beach Arena included Maryland, Pepperdine & UNLV. Maryland's Len Bias played his final collegiate game at the Long Beach Arena on March 14, 1986 in a loss to UNLV in the Round of 32. The Arena was also the site of the Big West Conference
men's basketball tournament from 1989 to 1993. Volleyball matches were held at the arena during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games.
In the 1970s the arena hosted several games of the Los Angeles Sharks of the World Hockey Association and regular appearances of the Los Angeles Thunderbirds Roller Derby team.
The Arena was home to the former Long Beach Ice Dogs team, which played professional ice hockey
in the ECHL
. The Ice Dogs ceased operations of the team in 2007.
Whaling Walls, which was dedicated on July 9, 1992. At 116,000 square feet (11,000 m²), it is the world's largest mural
(according to the Guinness Book of Records). The mural depicts migratory gray whale
s and other aquatic life
that can be found in the waters off Long Beach.
In celebration of Earth Day
in 2009, Wyland touched up the existing Whaling Wall and added a large mural of the earth on the roof of the arena.
The convention center and theatre part served as host of the fencing
competitions during the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
located in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. It was built on the site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium beginning in 1962. The primary venues of the complex include:
Long Beach Arena
The Long Beach Arena was the first building to be completed in the complex. Capacities are as follows: 11,200 for hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, 13,609 for basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and either 4,550, 9,200 or 13,500 for concerts depending on the seating chart.
The Arena has hosted various entertainment and professional and college sporting events, most notably the volleyball
Volleyball at the 1984 Summer Olympics
This page presents the results of male and female volleyball during the Olympic Games of Los Angeles in the summer of 1984. The competition was held in the Long Beach Arena, which had a capacity of 12,033.-Medal table:-Medal summary:- Highlights :...
events of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
For trade shows, the arena features 46,000 square feet (4300 m²) of space, with an additional 19,000 square feet (1800 m²) of space in the lobby and 29,000 square feet (2700 m²) in the concourse. Hanging from the arena's 77 foot (23 m) high ceiling is a center-hung scoreboard with four White Way "Mega Color" Animation Screens. There is an 11 by 15 foot SACO Smartvision LED Wall located on the south end of the arena.
Long Beach Arena was the site of the first National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
game involving an expansion team, as the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
and the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, both expansion teams, played on October 14, 1967. The Kings won, 4–2. The Kings played in Long Beach for the first half of their expansion season while the Forum was being completed.
The arena was also one of the sites of the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
Rounds of 64 and 32. The teams which played at Long Beach Arena included Maryland, Pepperdine & UNLV. Maryland's Len Bias played his final collegiate game at the Long Beach Arena on March 14, 1986 in a loss to UNLV in the Round of 32. The Arena was also the site of the Big West Conference
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
men's basketball tournament from 1989 to 1993. Volleyball matches were held at the arena during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games.
In the 1970s the arena hosted several games of the Los Angeles Sharks of the World Hockey Association and regular appearances of the Los Angeles Thunderbirds Roller Derby team.
The Arena was home to the former Long Beach Ice Dogs team, which played professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
in the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
. The Ice Dogs ceased operations of the team in 2007.
Wyland murals
Along the exterior wall of the drum-shaped Arena is "Planet Ocean", one of environmental artist Wyland'sWyland
Robert Wyland , known simply as Wyland, is an artist best known for painting large, outdoor murals of whales and other ocean life.-Personal life:...
Whaling Walls, which was dedicated on July 9, 1992. At 116,000 square feet (11,000 m²), it is the world's largest mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
(according to the Guinness Book of Records). The mural depicts migratory gray whale
Gray Whale
The gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about , a weight of , and lives 50–70 years. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were...
s and other aquatic life
Aquatic ecosystem
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems....
that can be found in the waters off Long Beach.
In celebration of Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
in 2009, Wyland touched up the existing Whaling Wall and added a large mural of the earth on the roof of the arena.
Meeting rooms
There are two ballrooms: the 20,456 square foot (1900 m²) Grand Ballroom (seating up to 2,100) and the 13,200 square foot (1300 m²) Promenade Ballroom (seating up to 1,400) plus 34 meeting rooms totalling 82,823 square feet (7695 m²).The convention center and theatre part served as host of the fencing
Fencing at the 1984 Summer Olympics
At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, eight events in fencing were contested. Men competed in both individual and team events for each of the three weapon types , but women competed only in foil events...
competitions during the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Live concert albums and videos
The Long Beach Arena has been used to record part or all of several live concert albums and videos, including:- BerthBerth (album)Berth is a live album by American post-hardcore band The Used that was released on February 6, 2007. It has since been certified gold.- Information :...
: The UsedThe UsedThe Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah. The band was founded in 2001 and signed to Reprise Records the same year. They rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their self-titled debut album. They followed up with their second album, In Love and Death, in September 2004 and their third...
live CD/DVD combination, February 6, 2007 - Louder Now:Partone and Louder Now:Parttwo: Taking Back SundayTaking Back SundayTaking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
live CD/DVD - How the West Was Won album, Led ZeppelinLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, June 27, 1972 - Leon Live album, Leon RussellLeon RussellClaude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
, August 28, 1972 - The Night the Light Went On (In Long Beach)The Night the Light Went On (In Long Beach)The Night the Light Went On in Long Beach is a 1974 live album by the Electric Light Orchestra recorded at the Long Beach Auditorium on the evening of 12 May 1974 Long Beach, California and its title lampoons The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia by Vicki Lawrence from '73.-History:Although this...
album, Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
, May, 1974 - Crossroads 2: Live in the SeventiesCrossroads 2: Live in the SeventiesCrossroads 2: Live in the Seventies is a box set by Eric Clapton, released in 1996. Unlike the first Crossroads box set that encompasses more than three decades of Clapton's work, Crossroads 2 is a chronicle of Clapton's live shows between 1974 through 1978...
album, Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, July 19, 1974 & July 20, 1974 - Turn Around, Live Long Beach, Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, July 1971 - King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in ConcertKing Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in ConcertKing Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert is a live album taken from a Deep Purple performance originally broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour, released in July 1995. The album was released in the U.K. under the title On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat...
album, Deep PurpleDeep PurpleDeep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, February 1976 - Live After DeathLive After DeathLive After Death was well received by the music press, with Kerrang! describing it as "possibly the greatest live album of all time." Allmusic shared this sentiment, describing Live After Death as "easily one of heavy metal's best live albums."...
album & Live After Death (video)Live After Death (video)Live After Death is the video compendium to the double-live Iron Maiden album of the same name. Released in VHS/Beta/LaserDisc/VHD/Hi-8 and DVD....
, Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, October 14, 1985
- Singer Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
orders the crowd, "Scream for me Long Beach"- Live...In the RawLive...In the RawLive...In The Raw is the first live album by W.A.S.P. , released in 1987. This album can be seen as something of a breakwater between the 'old' W.A.S.P. of the first three albums and the more mature sound of the releases that would follow...
album by W.A.S.P., March 10, 1987 - Psychedelic Sexfunk Live from HeavenPsychedelic Sexfunk Live from HeavenPsychedelic Sexfunk Live from Heaven is a video album filmed in concert at Long Beach Arena, California on December 30, 1989 and released in 1990 on VHS...
video, Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, 1990 - I Heard a Voice – Live from Long Beach Arena DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by AFIAFI (band)AFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...
(release date 2006–12–12) - Rock Steady LiveRock Steady LiveRock Steady Live is a video album by American ska punk band No Doubt, released on DVD on November 25, 2003 under the Interscope records label. The DVD was directed by Sophie Muller. It is a recording of two of No Doubt's concerts during their Rock Steady Tour in 2002 to promote their fifth studio...
DVD by No DoubtNo DoubtNo Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
2002 - St. Valentine's Day Rock & Roll Massacre: HustlerHustlerHustler is a monthly pornographic magazine aimed at men and published in the United States. It was first published in 1974 by Larry Flynt. It was a step forward from the Hustler Newsletter which was cheap advertising for his strip club businesses at the time. The magazine grew from a shaky start to...
DVD re-issue, West Coast Sound February 14, 1980 - Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the RoughLive in the LBC & Diamonds in the RoughDiamonds in the Rough -Personnel:Avenged Sevenfold* M. Shadows – lead vocals* Synyster Gates – lead guitar, backing vocals* Zacky Vengeance – rhythm guitar, backing vocals...
DVD by Avenged SevenfoldAvenged SevenfoldAvenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
16 September 2008 - Street Songs (album)Street Songs (album)-Track listing:All tracks composed and arranged by Rick James; except where indicated# "Give It to Me Baby" # "Ghetto Life" # "Make Love to Me" # "Mr...
Deluxe Edition, Live CD by Rick JamesRick JamesJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
July 30, 1981 - Medusa: Dare to be TruthfulMedusa: Dare to Be TruthfulMedusa: Dare to Be Truthful is an American 1992 mockumentary film starring comedienne Julie Brown as the title character, with Kathy Griffin and Donal Logue in supporting roles...
TV special by Julie BrownJulie BrownJulie Ann Brown is an American actress, comedienne, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, television director. Brown is perhaps best known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl character...
mid-September 1991 (was also filmed at the Center Theater and Exhibition Hall
- Live...In the Raw