Arena History

Wells Fargo Center History

The Wells Fargo Center, one of the busiest arenas in the world, is home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, and the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League. After opening its doors for the first time with the World Cup of Hockey on August 31, 1996, the Wells Fargo Center has hosted a variety of nationally-recognized events, including:

1998 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
1999 AHL All-Star Weekend
2000 NCAA Women’s Final Four
2000 Republican National Convention
2001 NCAA Men’s East Regional
2001 NBA Finals
2001 and 2002 ESPN X-Games
2002 NBA All-Star Weekend
2006 NCAA Men’s First and Second Rounds
2008 U.S. Gymnastics Championships
2009 NCAA Men’s First and Second Round Tournament Games
1997 and 2010 Stanley Cup Final
2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships
2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Second and Third Round Tournament Games
2014 NCAA Frozen Four
2016 NCAA Men's Basketball East Regional Tournament Games

August 21, 1996

The ribbon cutting ceremony: The voice of the Flyers, Gene Hart, served as master of ceremonies. Ed Snider cut the ribbon as Flyers President Bob Clarke and 76ers President Pat Croce held the ribbon. Everyone attending the event received a commemorative coin.

August 31, 1996

The inaugural event: Team USA vs. Team Canada in a first round game of the World Cup of Hockey. A crowd of 19,500 attended the event. Team USA’s John LeClair scored the first goal ever in the CoreStates Center at 5:01 of the first period. Team USA went on to win the contest 5-3.

September 2, 1996

The inaugural concert: Oasis with Manic Street Preachers and Screaming Trees. An estimated crowd of 12,000 attended the show. Prior to the show, CoreStates Complex President Peter Luukko and promoters Larry Magid and Allen Spivak presented the band with a bronzed “first ticket” to the first concert ever at the CoreStates Center.

September 10, 1996

Game One of the World Cup of Hockey Finals: Team USA vs. Team Canada. Despite Team USA scoring with seven seconds remaining in regulation on a John LeClair goal, Team Canada prevailed in sudden-death overtime.

October 5, 1996

The Flyers played their first regular season game at the CoreStates Center, a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. Dainius Zubrus became the youngest player in Flyers history at 18 years, three months and 20 days old on opening night. Zubrus also recorded his first NHL goal in the game.

October 7, 1996

The Flyers’ first win at the CoreStates Center was also the 700th home victory in franchise history–a 3-1 win vs. New Jersey.

October 8, 9 & 11, 1996

KISS, in full make-up, became the first band to play three nights at the Center. The band was presented with bricks from “The Walk” prior to the third and final night. October 11 was the first time that events took place in both buildings simultaneously. The Phantoms hosted the Binghamton Rangers at the CoreStates Spectrum.

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.

March 31, 2000 and 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 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.

July 27, 2010

The Center changes its name to the Wells Fargo Center.

Spectrum History

The Spectrum opened its doors to thousands of events from September 30, 1967, to its closing on October 31, 2009. From NHL to NBA championships with the Flyers and 76ers, to Dorothy Hamill’s first appearance with the Ice Capades and Elvis Presley’s last live performance, the building, known as America's Showplace, hosted just about everything.

Construction of the arena occurred at a rapid pace so that the city’s first National Hockey League franchise, the Philadelphia Flyers, could compete in the 1967-68 NHL season. Eleven months later, the Spectrum opened house for its first event ever, the Quaker City Jazz Festival. The two-day concert appeared from September 30 to October 1, 1967.

“This building was just an idea 16 months ago”, said Ed Snider at the time. “We got it done in record time.”

First night patrons fought huge traffic tie-ups going into the parking lots, delaying the jazz festival by fifty-five minutes.

The last of six main acts, which included Ramsey Lewis, Hugh Masakela and comedian Flip Wilson, did not finish until 3 a.m. The second performance drew a full house of 17,500 fans. It was the largest indoor audience in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania history. A 12-day run of Holiday on Ice followed. Boxing was the first sporting event at the young building, featuring a Joe Frazier vs. Tony Doyle card, on Tuesday, October 17, 1967.

The next morning, the official dedication of the Spectrum took place under a canopy by the main entrance. The 76ers played their first game at the Spectrum that night, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, 103-87.

The Flyers debuted in their new home on Thursday, October 19, 1967 with a 1-0 triumph over Pittsburgh.

Great Memories at The Spectrum

Click here for an alphabetical list of all Spectrum concerts.

First Concert (Quaker City Jazz Festival) September 30, 1967
First Family Show (Holiday on Ice) October 3-15, 1967
First Sport Event (Boxing/Joe Frazier v. Tony Doyle) Oct. 17, 1967
First 76ers game October 18, 1967
First Flyers game October 19, 1967
20th Annual NBA All-Star Game January 20, 1970
Kate Smith first sings before a Flyers game October 11, 1973
Flyers win first Stanley Cup May 19, 1974
Olga Korbut appears w/ Russian Gym Team November 10, 1974
Flyers vs. Soviet Red Army January 11, 1976
29th Annual NHL All-Star Game January 20, 1976
26th Annual NBA All-Star Game February 3, 1976
Luciano Pavarotti April 5, 1976
First Flyers Wives Fight For Lives Carnival February 1, 1977
Elvis Presley’s last Spectrum appearance May 28, 1977
Bruce Springsteen’s eight sold-out shows 1981
1981 NCAA Final Four- Indiana v. North Carolina March 30, 1981
Bobby Clarke Night November 15, 1984
Julius Erving Night April 17, 1987
Flyers v. Edmonton Oilers-Game 6-Stanley Cup Finals May 28, 1987
Frank Sinatra/Liza Minelli/Sammy Davis Jr September 27, 1988
The Philadelphia Wings win their first National Lacrosse League
Championship April 7, 1989
Billy Joel’s six-night engagement January 1990
Wilt Chamberlain Night March 18, 1990
Luther Vandross three sold-out shows October 1991
43rd Annual NHL All-Star Game January 18, 1992
1992 NCAA East Regionals-Duke vs. Kentucky March 28, 1992
Grateful Dead’s 50th Spectrum concert October 7, 1992
Billy Joel’s six-night engagement Sept.-Oct., 1993
The Philadelphia Wings win their fourth NLL Championship April 8, 1995
Mike Tyson vs. Buster Mathis Jr December 16, 1995
76ers final Spectrum home game April 19, 1996
Flyers final Spectrum home game (playoffs) May 12, 1996
Phantoms win the Calder Cup June 10, 1998
Pearl Jam closes the Spectrum October 28-29 and 30-21, 2009

Wells Fargo Center Facts

Owner	Comcast spectacor
Capacity	21,000
Construction Company	Driscoll
Architect	Ellerbee-Beckett
Food Provider	Aramark
Opening Date	August 31, 1996

Did You Know?

Team USA defeated Team Canada in the World Cup of Hockey in the inaugural event at the Wells Fargo Center on August 31, 1996.
Most Shows by One Entertainer: Billy Joel (18)
Largest Crowd: 21,424 (Backstreet Boys - September 30, 1999)
Largest Basketball Crowd: 21,305 (Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls - April 17, 1998)
Largest Hockey Crowd: 20,327 (Philadelphia Flyers vs. Chicago Blackhawks - June 9, 2010 – Game Six, Stanley Cup Final)
It takes 2 hours and 10 minutes to change the floor of the Wells Fargo Center from ice hockey to basketball.
A 35-member crew covers the ice with 550 sheets of Ice Pro, removes 156 sheets of hockey glass, and then installs two 120’x20’ nets and builds a 225-piece basketball court with 900 screws.
Walking four and 3/8 laps around the Main Concourse of the Wells Fargo Center is equivalent to a mile.

Venue Features

The construction of Wells Fargo Center required:

7,000 tons of steel
19,000 cubic yards of concrete
32,500 square feet of glass
62,000 lineal feet of driven piles
400,000 square feet of dry wall

Capacities:

19,600 for Flyers’ hockey games.
21,000 for 76ers’ basketball games.

Design and Layout:

A unique oval design, which ensures there are no obstructed view seats
Five separate concourses
Six escalators and six elevators
18 public restroom facilities
18 box office ticket windows

Technology

The Wells Fargo Center features a newly upgraded, state-of-the-art Xfinity WiFi networks comprised of 3501 WiFi access points and 700 beacons, allowing for enhanced communication and in-game interaction for fans, media, and businesses within the arena.
By utilizing Cisco's latest-generation Cisco Connected Stadium solution, and equipping it with a 1Gigabit per second Ethernet Dedicated Internet connection, the Wells Fargo Center features faster upload and download speeds than ever before.