# Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (formerly San Francisco Civic Auditorium and San Francisco Exposition Auditorium) is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California, named after promoter Bill Graham. The arena holds 8,500 people.

## About the venue

The auditorium was designed by renowned Bay Area architects John Galen Howard, Frederick Herman Meyer and John W. Reid Jr. and built in 1915 as part of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. The auditorium hosted the 1920 Democratic National Convention, the San Francisco Opera from 1923 to 1932 and again for the 1996 season, and the National AAU boxing trials in 1948. It was the home of the San Francisco Warriors of the National Basketball Association from 1964 to 1967. An underground expansion, named Brooks Hall, was completed in 1958 under the Civic Center Plaza, immediately north of the Civic Auditorium. The famous Mother of All Demos was presented here during the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference, and the World Cyber Games 2004 were also held here.
In 1992, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to rename the auditorium after the rock concert impresario Bill Graham, who had died the previous year in a helicopter crash.
Long before Bill Graham came along, James T. Graham (no relation) managed the Civic Auditorium from 1954 to 1970 and booked some of the biggest names in show business there. During Jim Graham's tenure, the Civic Auditorium hosted Elvis Presley (October 26, 1957), Judy Garland (September 13, 1961), Ray Charles, the Tijuana Brass, Donovan, the Jefferson Airplane (June 4, 1966), the Mamas and the Papas (October 10, 1966), The Temptations and Gladys Knight & the Pips (January 26, 1968), Jose Feliciano, Bobby Darin and more, which prompted San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen to opine that the Board of Supervisors had named the Civic Auditorium after the wrong Graham (January 12, 1993).
Jim Graham signed the Warriors to a contract at the Civic in 1962 when they first moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco. The Warriors would play their first few seasons at the Civic before they moved to the Cow Palace, a larger venue. Jim Graham was manager of the Auditorium when Brooks Hall was built as an adjacent, underground convention center. He also managed Brooks Hall after its dedication on April 11, 1958, and booked American Medical Association conventions, the Harvest Festival, the San Francisco Gift Show and more.
Under Jim Graham's management, the Civic Auditorium also hosted Barnum & Bailey circuses, the San Francisco Roller Derby, Golden Gloves Boxing matches, professional wrestling, Holiday on Ice, the Ice Capades, car shows, the International Dog Show, the Black and White Ball and the Folderol. In addition, President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke there on August 23, 1956, on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republican Party, and a fundraising gala was held there on June 1, 1968, for Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Robert F. Kennedy, four days before he was assassinated in Los Angeles. At the time, the Civic Auditorium was ground zero in San Francisco for conventions and entertainment events. There were no other major venues for large gatherings outside of the Cow Palace, which was considered ill-equipped for such events (despite the fact that it was larger).
Later, the Civic Auditorium arena would continue to host concerts by many other famous artists, spanning many different genres. It is owned by the City and County of San Francisco and since 2010 has been operated by Another Planet Entertainment.

## Concerts

| Date | Artist | Opening act(s) | Tour / Concert name | Attendance | Revenue |
| May 14, 1965 | The Rolling Stones | | 1965 1st American Tour | | |
| February 14, 1982 | Prince | Zapp and Roger, The Time | Controversy Tour | | |
| February 15, 1982 | Prince | Zapp and Roger, The Time | Controversy Tour | | |
| March 29, 1982 | J. Geils Band | U2 | October Tour | | |
| March 30, 1982 | J. Geils Band | U2 | October Tour | | |
| June 17, 1982 | Elton John | | Jump Up Tour | 6,713 / 6,713 | |
| April 3, 1983 | Kiss | Mötley Crüe | Creatures of the Night Tour/10th Anniversary Tour | | |
| June 1, 1983 | U2 | | War Tour | | |
| December 15, 1984 | U2 | | The Unforgettable Fire Tour | | |
| April 23, 1985 | Madonna | Beastie Boys, Run DMC | The Virgin Tour | 8,500 / 8,500 | $127,500 |
| September 25, 1985 | Y&T | | Down For The Count Tour |
| March 30, 1988 | Kiss | Anthrax | Crazy Nights World Tour | | |
| October 2, 1993 | Luis Miguel | | Aries Tour | | |
| April 13, 1996 | Oasis | Third Eye Blind | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Tour | | |
| January 26, 1998 | Oasis | Cornershop | Be Here Now Tour | | |
| November 4, 1999 | Blink-182 | | Loserkids Tour | | |
| November 25, 1999 | Kid Rock | | Devil Without a Cause Tour | | |
| October 13, 2001 | Bob Dylan | | Never Ending Tour 2001 | | |
| September 16, 2004 | Beastie Boys | Talib Kweli | Pageant Tour | | |
| September 17, 2004 | Beastie Boys | Talib Kweli | Pageant Tour | | |
| November 24, 2004 | Green Day | New Found Glory, Sugarcult | American Idiot World Tour | | |
| July 15, 2006 | Pearl Jam | | Pearl Jam 2006 World Tour | | |
| July 16, 2006 | Pearl Jam | | Pearl Jam 2006 World Tour | | |
| July 18, 2006 | Pearl Jam | | Pearl Jam 2006 World Tour | | |
| October 16, 2006 | Bob Dylan | Kings of Leon | Never Ending Tour 2006 | | |
| October 17, 2006 | Bob Dylan | Kings of Leon | Never Ending Tour 2006 | | |
| October 29, 2006 | Snoop Dogg | | | | |
| November 7, 2006 | Pet Shop Boys | | Fundamental Tour | | |
| November 20, 2006 | Tenacious D | Neil Hamburger | The Pick of Destiny Tour | | |
| March 1, 2007 | Snow Patrol | | Eyes Open Tour | | |
| April 9, 2007 | Muse | | Black Holes and Revelations Tour | | |
| September 27, 2007 | Arctic Monkeys | | Favourite Worst Nightmare Tour | | |
| December 13, 2009 | Lady Gaga | Kid Cudi, Semi Precious Weapons | The Monster Ball Tour | 17,000 / 17,000 | $840,960 |
| December 14, 2009 | Lady Gaga | Kid Cudi, Semi Precious Weapons | The Monster Ball Tour | 17,000 / 17,000 | $840,960 |
| April 9, 2011 | Rise Against | | Endgame Tour | | |
| June 8, 2011 | Bruno Mars | Mayer Hawthorne & the County | Hooligans in Wondaland Tour | | |
| December 10, 2011 | Sara Bareilles | | Kaleidoscope Heart Tour | | |
| August 17, 2012 | Phish | | 2012 Summer Tour | | |
| August 18, 2012 | Phish | | 2012 Summer Tour | | |
| August 19, 2012 | Phish | | 2012 Summer Tour | | |
| October 17, 2012 | Bob Dylan/Mark Knopfler | | Bob Dylan Tour with Mark Knopfler 2012 | | |
| October 18, 2012 | Bob Dylan/Mark Knopfler | | Bob Dylan Tour with Mark Knopfler 2012 | | |
| February 13, 2013 | Swedish House Mafia | | One Last Tour | | |
| February 14, 2013 | Swedish House Mafia | | One Last Tour | | |
| February 15, 2013 | Swedish House Mafia | | One Last Tour | | |
| February 16, 2013 | Swedish House Mafia | | One Last Tour | | |
| February 17, 2013 | Swedish House Mafia | | One Last Tour | | |
| April 27, 2013 | The Killers | The Felice Brothers | Battle Born World Tour | | |
| April 28, 2013 | The Killers | The Felice Brothers | Battle Born World Tour | | |
| August 2, 2013 | Phish | | 2013 Summer Tour | | |
| August 3, 2013 | Phish | | 2013 Summer Tour | | |
| August 4, 2013 | Phish | | 2013 Summer Tour | | |
| December 7, 2013 | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | Talib Kweli, Big K.R.I.T. | The Heist World Tour | | |
| March 29, 2014 | Robin Thicke | | Blurred Lines Tour | | |
| April 18, 2014 | Lana Del Rey | | Paradise Tour | | |
| April 19, 2014 | Ellie Goulding | St. Lucia | The Halcyon Days Tour | | |
| October 10, 2014 | The Weeknd | ScHoolboy QJhené Aiko | King of the Fall Tour | | |
| October 11, 2014 | The Weeknd | ScHoolboy QJhené Aiko | King of the Fall Tour | | |
| September 16, 2015 | Zedd | | True Colors Tour | 17,016 / 17,016 | $765,720 |
| September 17, 2015 | Zedd | | True Colors Tour | 17,016 / 17,016 | $765,720 |
| October 13, 2015 | Janet Jackson | | Unbreakable World Tour | 10,172 / 10,172 | $1,131,847 |
| October 14, 2015 | Janet Jackson | | Unbreakable World Tour | 10,172 / 10,172 | $1,131,847 |
| December 27, 2015 | Dead & Company | | Dead & Company 2015 Tour | 17,032 / 17,032 | $1,277,400 |
| December 28, 2015 | Dead & Company | | Dead & Company 2015 Tour | 17,032 / 17,032 | $1,277,400 |
| March 27, 2016 | Fall Out Boy | Finish Ticket, Awolnation | Wintour is Coming | 7,300 / 7,300 | $385,995 |
| May 28, 2016 | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | | An Evening with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | | |
| October 21, 2016 | Chance the Rapper | | Magnificent Coloring World Tour | | |
| April 15, 2017 | The xx | | I See You Tour | | |
| April 16, 2017 | The xx | | I See You Tour | | |
| April 17, 2017 | The xx | | I See You Tour | | |
| May 5, 2017 | The Chainsmokers | Kiiara Grandtheft | Memories Do Not Open Tour | 17,000 / 17,000 | $1,445,000 |
| May 6, 2017 | The Chainsmokers | Kiiara Kyle | Memories Do Not Open Tour | 17,000 / 17,000 | $1,445,000 |
| June 17, 2017 | Kehlani | | SweetSexySavage World Tour | | |
| October 4, 2017 | Gorillaz | Vince StaplesDanny Brown | Humanz Tour | | |
| January 22, 2018 | St. Vincent | | Fear the Future Tour | | |
| February 1, 2018 | Queens of the Stone Age | Eagles of Death Metal | Villains World Tour | | |
| May 5, 2018 | Khalid | PrettyMuch | Roxy Tour | | |
| May 6, 2018 | Khalid | PrettyMuch | Roxy Tour | | |
| September 7, 2018 | Shakira | | El Dorado World Tour | | |
| October 20, 2018 | Arctic Monkeys | Mini Mansions | Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Tour | | |
| October 21, 2018 | Arctic Monkeys | Mini Mansions | Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Tour | | |
| November 8, 2018 | Brockhampton | | I'll Be There Tour | | |
| April 22, 2019 | The 1975 | Pale Waves | Music for Cars | | |
| May 29, 2019 | Billie Eilish | Denzel Curry | When We All Fall Asleep Tour | | |
| June 28, 2019 | Carly Rae Jepsen | Mansionair | The Dedicated Tour | | |
| July 25, 2019 | Robyn | Troye Sivan | Honey Tour | 5,620 / 5,620 | $446,811 |
| October 27, 2019 | Lizzo | Empress Of | Cuz I Love You Too Tour | | |
| October 28, 2019 | Lizzo | Empress Of | Cuz I Love You Too Tour | | |
| November 11, 2021 | Playboi Carti | | King Vamp Tour | | |
| May 3, 2022 | Lorde | Remi Wolf | Solar Power Tour | | |
| May 27, 2022 | Olivia Rodrigo | Chappell Roan | Sour Tour | | |
| October 4, 2022 | Rosalía | | Motomami World Tour | | |
| October 23, 2022 | Lil Nas X | | Long Live Montero Tour | | |
| August 4, 2023 | (G)I-dle | | I Am Free-ty World Tour | | |
| June 6, 2023 | Melanie Martinez | | PORTALS Tour | | |
| October 29, 2023 | Kim Petras | | Feed the Beast World Tour | | |
| November 23, 2024 | Aurora | Biig Piig | What Happened to the Earth? | | |