The Duluth Auditorium — now known as the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center‘s Symphony Hall — opened in 1966. It has hosted an extensive variety of musicians, comedians, theatrical companies and other entertainers over the years and is the home stage of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Ballet. Seating capacity is 2,221.
Sitting awkwardly between the Duluth Arena and the Radisson Hotel in this photo by Perry Gallagher is a seven-story building that can’t be far from demolition. What was it?
Denfeld High School’s Maroon 16 choir sings “I Want to Know What Love Is” with Foreigner at Symphony Hall in the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
The World Wrestling Federation — now known as World Wrestling Entertainment — brought four cards to the Duluth Arena in 1987. The fourth happened 30 years ago today — Dec. 27.
Television advertisement for a concert at the Duluth Arena held 25 years ago today — Dec. 9, 1992 — featuring Damn Yankees, Slaughter and Jackyl.
Tommy Shaw, formerly of Damn Yankees, will return to Duluth on March 13 for a concert with Styx.
Oh, the profanity! Mötley Crüe got Duluth-area principals’ undies in a bunch back in 1985. Attempts to ban the Los Angeles-based glam metal band went nowhere. Mötley Crüe returned to Duluth for two more concerts, one in 1990 and another in 1998.
The Duluth News Tribune reports Dan Russell will retire Aug. 31 after 27 years as executive director of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, which includes Amsoil Arena, the City Side Convention Center, the Harborside Convention Center, a movie theater complex and two parking ramps. The DECC also manages Bayfront Festival Park and operates the retired William A. Irvin ship as a floating attraction.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working for 27 years at a place that makes people smile, because they’re coming here for concerts, sporting events, boat shows and all kinds of other fun events,” Russell said in a news release issued today. “It’s also where I get to interact with 500 great employees who work very hard to make everything the DECC does look easy. It’s been an honor to work here.”
Prior to the Feb. 27, 1991, Damn Yankees concert at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Arena, KBJR-TV had a quick chat with Ted Nugent, Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw. In the clip, the “Motor City Madman” discusses his band’s mission to boost the morale of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia.
Adult contemporary music stars John Mellencamp and James Taylor will perform separate concerts at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center this spring. The DECC announced today Mellencamp will perform in Symphony Hall on April 7, with tickets going on sale on Friday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m. via mellencamp.com and axs.com. Ticket prices range from $39.50 to $115. The opening act will be Carlene Carter, daughter of country music legends June Carter and Carl Smith, and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash.
James Taylor and his All-Star Band will perform on June 1 in Amsoil Arena. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 5, at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster. Ticket prices range from $65 to $85.
This post originally contained an hour and a half of grainy video of Megadeth in Duluth, shot by Ronaldo Rodrigues Paravani. At some point the video was removed from YouTube.
On March 9, 1994, the Moody Blues played the DECC Arena with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. The front end of this video is an interview conducted by Barbara Reyelts for KBJR-TV; the piece concludes with some concert footage. (The interview clip was posted on PDD a few years ago, but had since been removed from YouTube.)
Related post: Major Concerts at the DECC: 1966 to 2010
On the agenda for next week’s Duluth City Council meeting is a resolution requesting the state legislature “amend state gambling laws to provide for the operation of a for-profit casino at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center or other location within Duluth.” (Update: Councilor Howie Hanson has told the Duluth News Tribune his proposal will likely be tabled and later taken up at a committee-of-the-whole meeting.)
Here’s the document text:
Purchasing and Licensing Committee
14-0365RResolution requesting the state legislature amend state gambling laws to provide for the operation of a for-profit casino at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
This post originally featured nearly an hour’s worth of amateur video from Nov. 25, 1998, when Mötley Crüe played the DECC Auditorium on its Greatest Hits Tour. Unfortunately, the video has been removed from YouTube.
Local metal band Nobody opened the concert. It was the Crüe’s third performance in Duluth — the band played a sold-out Duluth Arena show in 1985, before the DECC was the DECC, and returned in 1990 to play for over 8,000. By 1998, things were on the downswing for the band. Tommy Lee had been out of jail for two months when this show came to town. His sex tape with Pamela Anderson hit the Internet about a year earlier.
Bad Company played Grand Casino Hinckley last night with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. Twenty-two years ago, Bad Company toured with Damn Yankees and played the DECC Arena.
The memorable part of the show was that the news came out during the concert that the Gulf War had ended. Ted Nugent celebrated by shooting a cutout of Saddam Hussein with his crossbow. (This seemed spontaneous, but it was actually something he was doing throughout the tour, because he’s Ted Nugent and that’s what he does.)
