Royal Farms Arena Royal Farms Arena ( formerly Baltimore Arena , 1st Mariner Arena and Baltimore Civic Center ) is an arena located in Baltimore . The arena is located about a block away from the Baltimore Convention Center on the corner of Baltimore Street and Hopkins Place ; it is also only a short distance from the Inner Harbor . It seats up to approximately 14 , 000 people though this number varies depending on the type of event . The arena officially opened in 1962 as the Baltimore Civic Center . It was built on the site of " Old Congress Hall " , where the Continental Congress met in 1776 . As a major cornerstone for the Inner Harbor redevelopment during the 1980s , it was reopened after renovations and was renamed the Baltimore Arena in 1986 . In 2003 , it was renamed by 1st Mariner Bank , which purchased naming rights to the arena for 10 years . It was reported that 1st Mariner Bank paid the city $ 75 , 000 a year to keep the naming rights to the complex . When the naming rights agreement with 1st Mariner Bank ended in 2013 , the arena was briefly returned to its " Baltimore Arena " name , until Royal Farms purchased the naming rights to the arena in September 2014 . The new naming rights deal calls for Royal Farms to pay $ 250 , 000 annually for five years to the city , and gives Royal Farms first rights to renew / restructure their deal at the end of the contract , or in the event that the city constructs a new arena . The Royal Farms Arena is owned by the city of Baltimore and is currently managed by SMG , a private management company . Annually , the Royal Farms Arena is host to 800 , 000 people . A cornerstone to the arena was laid in the arena in 1961 with a vault that included messages from then - U . S . President John F . Kennedy , then - Maryland governor J . Millard Tawes , and then - Baltimore Mayor J . Harold Grady . The vault was opened in 2006 . The current site that was chosen for the Baltimore Civic Center was actually not one of the many sites proposed to the Greater Baltimore Committee in 1955 . Among nine suggested locations there were two in Druid Hill Park , three at the end of the Inner Harbor basin ( where the World Trade Center and Harborplace are now located ) , and one in Clifton Park . History . 1960s - 1970s . The arena has been host to many events , ranging from boxing , to music , to sports and to wrestling . In 1962 and continuing through 1976 , the Baltimore Clippers of the American Hockey League played their home games at the Arena . The Clippers withdrew from the AHL in mid - season , 1974 – 75 , to allow the Baltimore Blades ( the relocated Michigan Stags ) of the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) to finish their season . The Clippers regrouped for one final AHL season 1975 – 76 . The Royal Farms Arena has hosted two other AHL franchises . The Baltimore Skipjacks lasted from 1981 to 1993 . The Baltimore Bandits played two seasons in Baltimore from 1995 to 1997 . In 1962 , the Arena hosted a boxing match between Joey Giardello and Johnny Morris . In 1963 , the arena was host to a professional tennis match . Also in 1963 , the arena became the home of the Baltimore Bullets , who would play there until 1973 . The Beatles performed at the arena on Sunday September 13 , 1964 to a total of 28 , 000 screaming fans , they played two performances on that same day , the first performance at 4 : 00pm and the second at 8 : 30pm . During their only visit to Baltimore they stayed at the Holiday Inn which housed the Circle One Revolving Restaurant located on the 13th floor . The famed Circle One restaurant ( later known as The La Ronde ) – now an amazing event space , was once one of the first revolving restaurants in the continental United States , offering stunning 360° city views , it made a full rotation once every hour . The restaurant played host to the legendary Beatles , who dined there following their concert . John Lennon joked to a member of the tour group , " Larry , I hear your whole world was spinning the other night " . During the day , two girls attempted to have themselves delivered to the venue in a large box labelled ' Beatles fan mail ' . Their efforts were thwarted by a guard in charge of checking all deliveries . Police officers on horseback restrained the fans from storming the building . On April 3 , 1965 , defending WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Gene Kiniski in a return title match . Just a few months later , in January 1966 , Kiniski would win the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) title . In 1966 , Dr . Martin Luther King , Jr . gave a speech , " Race and the Church " , before a gathering of Methodist clergy at the Baltimore Civic Center . The NBA All - Star Game was played at the arena in 1969 . The venue also hosted Led Zeppelin several times through the early 1970s . A couple of scenes from the Led Zeppelin concert film " The Song Remains the Same " were filmed backstage . On June 13 , 1970 , The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the Civic Center with a last - minute decision to visit from New York and sold out . Was noted to be one of the best performances of the whole 1970 tour and was one of the last shows Jimi played before he died a few months later . Elvis Presley played the Civic Center twice : Tuesday Nov . 9 , 1971 , 8 : 30pm ( wearing the Red Lion Suit ) and Sunday May 29 , 1977 8 : 30pm ( wearing the Mexican Sundial Suit ) . The latter less than three months prior to his untimely death . Both shows were complete sell - outs . The Grateful Dead ' s performance on September 17 , 1972 , was recorded and later released as " Dick ' s Picks Volume 23 " . It contains the complete concert , except for the encore , which was " One More Saturday Night " . It contains the longest CD version of " The Other One " , to date , clocking in at nearly 40 minutes long . In 1974 The World Team Tennis ( WTT ) Baltimore Banners played their home games there . Number 1 in the world Jimmy Connors was on that team . After Connors defeated Ken Roswall in Wimbledon they played each other in the arena as a rematch of Wimbledon . Billie Jean King played and coached the Philadelphia Freedoms of the WTT . Also John Newcomb played there in the WTT . The Civic Center was host to the 1974 and 1975 MEAC Men ' s Basketball Tournament . In 1975 , professional basketball returned briefly with the Baltimore Claws of the American Basketball Association ( ABA ) . The Memphis Sounds relocated to Baltimore following the 1974 – 75 ABA season and were first called the Baltimore Hustlers , before changing their name . Troubled financially from the start , the Claws folded after three road exhibition games . 1980s - 1990s . The Royal Farms Arena was the home of the Major Indoor Soccer League ' s Baltimore Blast since they arrived in the 1980 – 1981 season until the league folded in 1992 . The Blast won their only championship in the ' 83 - ' 84 season which was attended by upwards of 11 , 200 fans . A new version of the team plays at the Royal Farms Arena . The Blast , regardless of incarnation , is now the longest - serving tenant in the arena ' s history . In 1986 , the arena was host to popular Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti . In 1989 , Anthrax , Exodus and Helloween performed at the arena during the Headbangers Ball Tour . The Royal Farms Arena was the home of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League ( MILL ) and later the National Lacrosse League ( NLL ) Baltimore Thunder from 1987 through 1999 . The Thunder won the inaugural MILL championship . Notable players include Gary Gait , Tom Gravante ( head Men ' s Lacrosse coach at Mount St . Mary ' s University ) and Hugh Donovan . The Royal Farms Arena was considered a cornerstone location for NWA / WCW wrestling , its northern capital so to speak . The Great American Bash pay - per - view was held at the arena eight times during the life of the promotion , and by the time WCW was bought by WWE , The Great American Bash had been in Baltimore for four of the five previous years . It also hosted SuperBrawl V in 1995 . Sting defeated Ric Flair to win his first NWA World Championship at 1990 The Great American Bash , and Ron Simmons upset Vader in 1992 for the WCW title , becoming the first African - American to hold a major world title . The nWo was reformed in 1999 at the Royal Farms Arena with Bret Hart , Kevin Nash , Scott Hall and Jeff Jarrett . the great american bash 2000 The arena has also hosted many World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE events over the years . Most notably the 1994 King of the Ring , No Mercy ( 2003 ) , No Way Out 2006 , Backlash 2008 , Extreme Rules ( 2010 ) , and , as well as multiple ' Raw " and " SmackDown ! " / " ECW " tapings . Major title changes to take place in the arena include Superstar Billy Graham over Bruno Sammartino in 1977 for the WWWF championship , Tito Santana over Greg " The Hammer " Valentine in 1985 for the WWF Intercontinental title in a steel cage match . In 1989 , the arena was host to the U . S . National Figure Skating Championships . Three years later , in 1992 , the International Olympic Committee held the U . S . Olympic Gymnastics Trials there . In 1995 , the arena was host to the NCAA Men ' s Basketball Division 1 games ( Rounds 1 & 2 ) . KISS were scheduled to perform during their Hot in the Shade Tour on October 28 , 1990 , but the show was cancelled for uncertain reasons . The NBA Washington Bullets played a few home games at the Royal Farms Arena during the 1990s . Their final game at the arena was a victory over the Dallas Mavericks 94 - 87 on March 29 , 1997 . 2000s . The arena has also been a staple on the PBR ' s Built Ford Tough Series bull riding tour . It first visited the Arena from 2001 to 2003 , then came back again from 2008 to 2010 . It will return again in 2012 . In July 2004 , the arena was host to the US debut of Japanese rock band L ' Arc - en - Ciel , as part of the anime and east Asian culture convention Otakon . On December 3 – 4 , 2004 , the Royal Farms Arena hosted the last Vans Triple Crown Of Freestyle Motocross events in history . The Vans Of FMX recently stopped for FMX ' s placement in the Dew Tour and also a similar Vans of FMX event course can be found in IFMA Of Freestyle Motocross or the Vans Invitational track . On February 1 , 2006 , the arena hosted the first concert by The Rolling Stones , in Baltimore , since 1969 , which was at the arena . On February 19 , 2006 , WWE PPV No Way Out was held in Baltimore , their first since No Mercy 2003 . Kurt Angle defeated The Undertaker to retain the World Heavyweight Championship . It was selected as the site of the 2006 Miss USA Pageant , for broadcast on live television . On February 11 , 2008 , the arena also hosted a rally for presidential candidate Barack Obama . On April 27 , 2008 , WWE PPV Backlash was held in Baltimore . Triple H defeated Randy Orton to win the WWE Championship . On November 20 , 2009 , Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed at the arena , recreating the entirety of their landmark album Born to Run ; it was their first tour stop in Baltimore since 1973 . Several country - pop music acts have made tour stops at the arena , including Carrie Underwood and George Strait . 2010s . The arena has also been a staple on the PBR ' s Built Ford Tough Series bull riding tour . It first visited the Arena from 2001 to 2003 , then came back again from 2008 to 2010 . It will return again in 2012 . Shogun Fights , the first promoter to bring professional Mixed Martial Arts to the state of Maryland , held its second event , Shogun Fights 2 , on March 27 , 2010 . This event occurs twice each year , once in the Spring and again in the Fall . On April 25 , 2010 , the arena played host to WWE Extreme Rules . It has then played host to Monday Night Raw on June 20 , 2011 . This episode was named " Power to the People " . It has played host to WWE ' s on December 18 , 2011 . It hosted the season 23 premiere of WWE Monday Night Raw on September 8 , 2014 and ended the same WWE Raw season on September 7 , 2015 , with the main event being a six - man tag team match between John Cena and the Prime Time Players vs . Seth Rollins and The New Day . WWE Payback was held in this arena on May 17 , 2015 . The Colonial Athletic Association announced they would be moving their men ' s basketball tournament to the arena in 2014 under a three - year contract after a 24 - year run at the Richmond Coliseum . It is the first time the tournament will be held outside the state of Virginia . On April 26 , 2014 , the Royal Farms Arena hosted UFC 172 : Jones vs . Teixeira . On October 20 , 2014 , RFA held an NBA preseason game between the Washington Wizards , who played several games there in the ' 90s as the Bullets , and the New Orleans Pelicans . In still more recent years , the Arena continues holding events such as Garth Brooks ( 5 SOLD OUT concerts - January 2016 ) , Eagles ( July 2015 ) , Prince ( May 2015 ) , Stevie Wonder ( April 2015 ) . Proposed replacement . On October 16 , 2004 , " The Baltimore Sun " revealed that official steps had been taken toward replacing The Arena , then 42 years old . The Maryland Stadium Authority had started soliciting proposals for a feasibility study on building an arena in downtown Baltimore , due on November 1 , 2004 . According to the request for proposals that was released , the new arena would be built on the same site of Royal Farms Arena and " would have a smaller seating capacity than would be required for an NHL or NBA team " but it doesn ' t specify a specific seating capacity . On May 15 , 2006 , " The Baltimore Sun " reported that the feasibility study that was started in 2004 had been released publicly and the study stated that the current arena has " served its useful life " and that Baltimore must build a new arena or face the risk of losing events . The study rejected a proposal to repair the arena ' s aging systems , citing an estimated cost of $ 60 million , and instead suggested that the city demolish Royal Farms Arena and build a new arena on the same site or elsewhere in Baltimore . Notably the proposed new arena would only seat 15 , 000 – 16 , 000 people — the study assumed that Baltimore would never be successful in attracting an NBA team in the future , which would require a minimum of 18 , 000 – 20 , 000 seats ( an NHL team would still be viable , as evidenced by 15 , 000 - seat arenas such as the Barclays Center and MTS Centre landing NHL franchises in the early 2010s ) ; however , city officials were still open to this idea . Conceivably , the new arena could be successful in attracting an arena football team and / or a minor league hockey team , bringing more than 200 new jobs and generating up to $ 1 million in additional tax revenue . City officials have said that the private sector would need to bear the brunt of the estimated $ 162 million construction cost of the new arena , as the city is also considering giving up ownership of the arena . The Baltimore Development Corporation ( BDC ) stated that it would begin seeking interested developers for the project by June 2007 . BDC ' s President M . J . " Jay " Brodie said it was a " miracle " that the current arena books as many events as it does in its current state . City officials have said the location of the new arena would be dependent on what the developers suggest . Officials stated that they are equally comfortable with keeping the current arena , building the new arena in a new location , then demolishing the current arena , or encouraging a mixed - use development in the site of the current arena . Advocates for downtown , including the Downtown Partnership and the Westside Renaissance , want the new arena to remain in the downtown area . On November 18 , 2007 , WJZ 13 reported that seven sites have been submitted to the BDC for a new arena , and the choices will be narrowed down by the Spring of 2008 . On July 24 , 2008 , it was reported that the new arena will be built on the same site as the current one , with capacity to go upwards of 18 , 500 . It was unknown at that time what would happen to concerts and events while construction gets underway , or who would develop the new arena . However , there have been talks about building a temporary facility for events . The arena was planned to be completed within a three - year period . On August 27 , 2008 , " The Baltimore Sun " reported that developers were looking for designers to build an apartment building and outdoor shopping stores to be a part of the new Royal Farms Arena . Also , the developers announced that they were accepting all design proposals until November 26 , 2008 , and that , by the Summer of 2009 , they planned to make a final design decision . On December 17 , 2008 , the " Baltimore Examiner " reported that the Baltimore Development Corp . had received 4 proposals for the Royal Farms Arena replacement that could take away a " major entertainment venue " for Baltimore for up to " 4 years " and the estimated price is $ 300 million , but could be more depending on additional retail and hotel uses . The arena is reported to be an 18 , 500 - seat venue built at the same location of the current Royal Farms Arena . The four proposals were : ESmith Legacy and Garfield Traub Development : ESmith Legacy was a team led by former NFL player Emmitt Smith that has offices in Baltimore . This proposal included the following features in addition to the larger arena : Streuver Brothers Eccles & Rouse : A well known Baltimore - based developer . This proposal included : Cormony Development and Harrison Development : Respectively , Rockville - and Baltimore - based development firms who have been involved since 2007 . This proposal includes : A & R Development , J Street Development Co . , and Accent Development Co . : A partnership of Baltimore - based A & R and Washington based J Street and Accent Development under the name Arena Development . This proposal includes : The Baltimore Examiner reported that the BDC could make a decision on the developer as soon as mid - 2009 . On July 8 , 2009 , Arena Digest . com reported that Baltimore City officials had postponed their plans for constructing a new arena , due in part to the struggling economy , and the officials ' decision split between building either an 18 , 500 - seat arena for a possible NBA or NHL franchise , or constructing a mid - size facility for concerts , family events , and minor league sports . However , on November 12 , 2010 , with the recession rebounding , Mayor Stephanie Rawlings - Blake announced that city officials are considering new sites for a new arena . The plan calls for Royal Farms Arena to remain open , while a new arena is constructed . While Rawlings - Blake believes that the new arena is most likely to be erected in the city ' s West Side , the Greater Baltimore Committee suggest building the arena as an expansion to the Baltimore Convention Center , to help re - develop the Inner Harbor . The cost would range from $ 750 to $ 930 million , since it would include the 18 , 500 - seat arena , 40 , 000 square foot expansion of the Baltimore Convention Center , an underground garage , and a new 500 - room Sheraton hotel ; the proposed arena site is where the current Sheraton hotel rests . On January 14 , 2015 , David S . Cordish , the chairman and CEO of the Cordish Company , proposed to build a 15 , 000 - 16 , 000 seat waterfront arena , but built with expanded capacity in mind . The arena , accommodated with an outdoor amphitheater and a pedestrian bridge to connect the Inner Harbor and Federal Hill , would cost $ 450 million and tie up with Harbor East and Power Plant Live . Transportation . The Royal Farms Arena is immediately adjacent to the University Center / Baltimore Street stop on the Baltimore Light Rail . The Charles Center Metro Subway Station and many bus lines are also nearby .