Bruce Springsteen Opens 3-Night Run To Close Out LA Sports Arena
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Bruce Springsteen has rocked the LA Sports Arena for 32 shows over his legendary career. And now, he's sending the Exposition Park arena off in style with three nights of sold-out shows this week for his "River Tour."
The first of the concerts was held Tuesday night. The others are Thursday and Saturday.
It's a bittersweet send-off for the Sports Arena, which is being demolished after Saturday's show to make way for a soccer stadium.
The Boss has played the venue almost yearly since 1980.
"That's why I'm here tonight," said a fan, Bill Foster. "Because I wanted to see him opening night back here where we first saw him 35 years ago. ... It's great!"
The LA Sports Arena has a rich history. It opened in 1959 with an appearance by then-Vice President Richard Nixon. John F. Kennedy was nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention at the venue the following year.
Artists from Michael Jackson to Pink Floyd have played the venue. But nobody has played it more than Springsteen, who calls the old arena "the dump that jumps."
"It's a great, sweating, rock and roll joint ... a great place for someone like Springsteen," said Joe Furin, general manager at the arena. "They just don't make buildings like this anymore. It's the passing of an era."