Detroit Rocker Bob Seger's Concert To Be The Final Event At The Palace of Auburn Hills

Detroit rocker Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band will be the final event at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Sept. 23, announced the arena’s owner Palace Sports & Entertainment this morning. With only a few tickets remaining, a sellout for the concert is likely and would be the Rock Hall inductee’s 17th sellout in the Palace.

The venue’s closure has been speculated for months. Last November, the Palace’s primary tenant, the Detroit Pistons, announced the team would play their games at the Detroit Red Wings' new Little Caesars Arena. The team is to continue to use its practice facility adjacent to the Palace until a new facility is completed in Detroit.

The future of the Auburn Hills arena remains undetermined. Palace Sports & Entertainment officials said this morning that no decisions or a timetable for the building and its surrounding property have been made. One likely option for the property is that it will be sold and redeveloped into a high-tech research park.

Meantime, in addition to Seger’s concert, the concert hall one other notable show on its calendar: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s “Soul2Soul” World Tour performance on Sept. 8. That show, too, is expected to sellout and only a few tickets remain. The couple hosted a pair of sellout concerts at the Palace in 2000.

There only other event at the venue before it closes is a bridal show on Sept. 10.

Seger’s 16 shows date back to 1996, when he played a string of six sold-out shows and set a record at the Palace for the most sellouts during the same tour.

The Palace was built in 1987-88 by Arena Associates, consisting of late Pistons managing partner William Davidson, along with David Hermelin and Robert Sosnick. The venue opened with a Sting concert in August 1988, and has hosted a number of high-profile concerts, including U2 and the Rolling Stones, and hometown stars Eminem and Kid Rock. Besides concerts, there have been pro-wrestling, monster trucks and political rallies.

Since opening with a Sting concert on Aug. 13, 1988, the Palace has hosted virtually every major active performer at some point — from U2 to Garth Brooks, Beyoncé to the Rolling Stones, as well as hometown heavyweights such as Eminem and Kid Rock. Along the way were big-time wrestling and UFC events, A-list comedians, March Madness games, circuses, political rallies and more.

Here are a few of the notable events over the years:

· Jimmy Connors vs. Andre Agassi competed in the first tennis match on Sept. 13, 1988
· Neil Diamond, the Palace’s all-time biggest concert draw, made his venue debut with a four-night stand from Feb. 1-4, 1989

· George Bush and Dan Quayle hosted a rally for 5,000 supporters a on the eve of the Presidential Election on Oct. 31, 1992
· Frank Sinatra with special guest Shirley MacLaine performed on November 8, 1992.
· WWF Wrestling’s “Summer Slam” pay-per-view event set the Palace’s event attendance record at 23,954 on Aug. 30, 1993.
· Barbara Streisand performed a three-night stand of sold out shows on May 15, 17 and 19, 1994, during a limited tour which visited just six U.S. cities

· The eventual NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion Michigan State Spartans used their home-state advantage to win the Midwest Regional Finals over Iowa State on March 25, 2000
· Mike Tyson defeated Andre Golata by technical knockout in a boxing match billed as “Showdown in Motown” at The Palace on Oct. 20, 2000

So what are your favorite memories from the Palace? Share them in the comments below.

Image by Chris Pizzello/Associated Press