The United Center
is a very large indoor sports arena located in the Near West Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. The plan to build the arena was created by Bill Wirtz and Jerry Reinsdorf, the owners of the two sports teams, respectively. The United Center's predecessor was the indoor Chicago Stadium, the original "Madhouse on Madison", which was demolished after the newer arena opened for business on August 18, 1994. A statue of Michael Jordan is located on the east side of the arena. United Airlines pays about $1.8 million per year until 2014 for its naming rights. [1]
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UNITED CENTER TICKETS
| EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
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| Don Toliver Tickets 6/11 | Jun 11, 2026
Thu, 7:30 PM |  | | The Strokes, Thundercat & Hamilton Leithauser Tickets 6/17 | Jun 17, 2026
Wed, 7:00 PM | | | Rosalia Tickets 6/20 | Jun 20, 2026
Sat, 8:00 PM | | | Joji Tickets 6/23 | Jun 23, 2026
Tue, 6:30 PM | | | Lionel Richie & Earth, Wind and Fire Tickets 6/26 | Jun 26, 2026
Fri, 7:30 PM | |
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Arena information
The United Center, which is currently owned by
Rocky Wirtz and Reinsdorf, covers 960,000 square feet (89,187 m²) and is located on a 46 acre (19 ha) parcel, west of the
Chicago Loop. The arena claims to be the largest in the United States in physical size, though not in capacity. Its exterior bears a striking resemblance to that of
Chicago Stadium. It seats 20,500 (not including standing room) for hockey, 21,711 for basketball and up to 23,500 for
concerts. Additionally, the United Center hosts over 200 events per year and has drawn over 20 million visitors since its opening.
United Center's acoustics were designed to amplify the noise level in order to recreate "The Roar" – the din of noise that made
Chicago Stadium famous, especially during hockey games. During hockey season, an
Allen Organ that is a replica of the old arena's famous
Barton organ is used; recreating the old organ's notes took two years.
Coca-Cola took over pouring rights this season after having
Pepsi as the official soft-drink of the Hawks and Bulls. Last year
Anheuser-Busch replaced
Miller as the official beer sponsor of both teams. Concession of food is run by Bismarck Enterprises, an entity of the Wirtz family.
Events
In addition to more than 80 Bulls/Blackhawks games each year, the United Center has hosted other sporting events such as
University of Illinois basketball, the
Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, the
Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament (hosted seven times, including 2007), the Roundball Classic, and the Great Eight Classic. Musical acts appearing at the United Center have included
Shania Twain,
Pearl Jam, the
Dave Matthews Band,
Barbra Streisand,
Madonna,
Britney Spears,
The Rolling Stones,
Aerosmith,
Bon Jovi,
Kanye West,
Van Halen,
Celine Dion,
Beyonce, Rush, and many other well known performers. On October 3rd & 4th the
Queen Of Rock n' Roll
,
Tina Turner will perform at the arena for her tour
Tina: Live in Concert Tour
.
The Chicago Bulls celebrated their 4th and 5th championship on the United Center floor, by clinching both game 6's of the NBA Finals in 1996 and 1997 respectively (their last title celebration was in Utah at the Delta Center).
U2 filmed a concert at the United Center during the American Leg of their
Vertigo Tour. The United Center has also provided a Chicago home for
Cirque du Soleil,
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and
Disney on Ice. Also,
Miley Cyrus as herself and her alter ego,
Hannah Montana performed there on January 14, 2008 which was sold-out in minutes.
The United Center was also the site of the
World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view
SummerSlam in 1994 — the first major event held inside the building
[2] — and the
1996 Democratic National Convention. It also hosted the last of
World Championship Wrestling's annual
Spring Stampede pay-per-views in 2000.
On February 15th, 2008, the
Spice Girls performed to a sold out crowd as part of their
The Return of the Spice Girls Tour. It was their first performance in
Illinois as a five piece.
On
July 9,
2008 George Michael performed a one-night sold out show as part of the North-American leg of his
25 Live Tour.
Tina Turner will perform at The United Center on October 3rd and October 4th, 2008 for her
Tina Live In Concert Tour.
Madonna is expected to make a stop at the United Center as part of her
Sticky & Sweet Tour on October 26th & 27th of 2008.
Coldplay performed at the United Center on July 22nd and 23rd 2008 as part of their Viva La Vida tour.
References
- ESPN.com: SPORTSBUSINESS - Stadium naming rights
- United Center information