Madison Square Garden Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Events== {{main|List of events at Madison Square Garden}} {{see also|List of entertainment events at Madison Square Garden}} ===Regular events=== ====Sports==== Madison Square Garden hosts approximately 320 events a year. It is the home to the [[New York Rangers]] of the National Hockey League, and the [[New York Knicks]] of the National Basketball Association. Before 2020, the New York Rangers, New York Knicks, and the Madison Square Garden arena itself were all owned by the Madison Square Garden Company. The MSG Company split into two entities in 2020, with the Garden arena and other non-sports assets spun off into [[Madison Square Garden Entertainment]] and the Rangers and Knicks remaining with the original company, renamed [[Madison Square Garden Sports]]. Both entities remain under the voting control of [[James L. Dolan|James Dolan]] and his family. The arena is also host to the [[Big East men's basketball tournament]] and was home to the finals of the [[National Invitation Tournament]] from the beginning of its existence up until 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hladik |first1=Matt |title=Report: A Major Change Is Coming To The NIT |url=https://thespun.com/college-hoops/report-major-change-nit-semis-finals-moving-msg-2023 |access-date=March 23, 2022 |work=The Spun |date=March 23, 2022}}</ref> It also hosts select home games for the [[St. John's Red Storm men's basketball|St. John's Red Storm]], representing [[St. John's University (New York)|St. John's University]] in men's ([[college basketball]]), and almost any other kind of indoor activity that draws large audiences, such as the [[Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show]] and the [[2004 Republican National Convention]]. The Garden was home of the [[NBA draft]] and [[NIT Season Tip-Off]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Willis |first=George |date=February 11, 2015 |title=MSG will always be the 'Mecca,' no matter how bad things get |url=https://nypost.com/2015/02/11/msg-will-always-be-the-mecca-no-matter-how-bad-things-get/ |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=New York Post}}</ref> as well as the former New York City home of the [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus|Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus]] and [[Disney on Ice]]; all four events are now held at the [[Barclays Center]] in [[Brooklyn]]. It served the [[New York Cosmos (1970β85)|New York Cosmos]] for half of their home games during the [[1983β84 NASL Indoor season]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Yannis|first=Pat|title=Hartford Shift Seen For Indoor Cosmos|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/08/sports/hartford-shift-seen-for-indoor-cosmos.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|via=newyorktimes.com|date=March 8, 1984|access-date=December 22, 2016}}</ref> Many of [[boxing]]'s biggest fights were held at Madison Square Garden, including the [[Roberto DurΓ‘n]]β[[Ken Buchanan]] affair, [[Fight of the Century|the first]] [[Muhammad Ali]] β [[Joe Frazier]] bout and the US debut of [[Anthony Joshua]] that ended in a huge upset when he was beaten by [[Andy Ruiz]]. Before promoters such as [[Don King (boxing promoter)|Don King]] and [[Bob Arum]] moved boxing to [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]], Madison Square Garden was a popular location for boxing. The original {{cvt|18+1/2|Γ|18+1/2|ft|m}} ring, which was brought from the second and third generation of the Garden, was officially retired on September 19, 2007, and donated to the [[International Boxing Hall of Fame]] after 82 years of service.<ref>Baker, Mark A. (2019). ''Between the Ropes at Madison Square Garden, The History of an Iconic Boxing Ring, 1925β2007''. {{ISBN|978-1476671833}}.</ref> A {{cvt|20|Γ|20|ft|m}} ring replaced it beginning on October 6 of that same year.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Fine|first=Larry|date=September 19, 2007|title=Madison Square Garden ring out for count after 82 years|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boxing-ring-idUSN1928248120070919}}</ref> The [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]] has made Madison Square Garden in recent years and have put on some of the highest grossing PPV events in history. ====Pro wrestling==== Madison Square Garden has hosted many notable [[WWE]] (formerly WWF and WWWF) events.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Kevin |title=Madison Square Garden really is the mecca of wrestling arenas |url=http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150602&content_id=128106928&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb |website=yesnetwork.com |access-date=December 15, 2018 |date=July 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215065850/http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150602&content_id=128106928&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb |archive-date=December 15, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Garden has hosted three [[WrestleMania]] events, including the [[WrestleMania I|first]] edition of the annual marquee event for WWE, as well as the [[WrestleMania X|10th]] and [[WrestleMania XX|20th]] editions. Madison Square Garden is also one of two venues (the other being [[Allstate Arena]]) to host WrestleMania three times. It also hosted the [[Royal Rumble]] in [[Royal Rumble (2000)|2000]] and [[Royal Rumble (2008)|2008]]; [[SummerSlam]] in [[SummerSlam (1988)|1988]], [[SummerSlam (1991)|1991]] and [[SummerSlam (1998)|1998]]; as well as [[Survivor Series]] in [[Survivor Series (1996)|1996]], [[Survivor Series (2002)|2002]] and [[Survivor Series (2011)|2011]]. Multiple episodes of WWE's weekly shows, ''[[WWE Raw|Raw]]'' and ''[[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]]'' have been broadcast from the Arena as well. [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] (NJPW) and [[Ring of Honor]] (ROH) hosted their [[G1 Supercard]] supershow at the venue on April 6, 2019. A year later it was announced that [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] would return to Madison Square Garden alone on August 22, 2020, for NJPW Wrestle Dynasty.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.njpw1972.com/71967| title = NJPW Returns to MSG for Wrestle Dynasty August 22 γNJoAγ| access-date = February 9, 2020| work = [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200210181729/https://www.njpw1972.com/71967| archive-date = February 10, 2020| url-status = dead}}</ref> In May 2020, NJPW announced that the Wrestle Dynasty show would be postponed to 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 6, 2020|title=NJPW Postpones Wrestle Dynasty At Madison Square Garden|url=https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/05/njpw-postpones-wrestle-dynasty-at-madison-square-garden-670027/|website=Wrestling Inc.|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=New Japan Pro Wrestling is not coming to the United States this year β Sports Illustrated|url=https://www.si.com/wrestling/video/2020/07/03/new-japan-pro-wrestling-is-back|website=www.si.com|date=July 3, 2020 }}</ref> ====Concerts==== <!-- ATTENTION: Do not add concerts to this section without first establishing the notability of the concert or concert series on the talk page first. It's not feasible to add an entry for every single band that ever played at MSG --> [[File:Jimmy Page early.jpg|thumb|[[Led Zeppelin]] guitarist [[Jimmy Page]] performing at Madison Square Garden in 1973]] Madison Square Garden hosts more high-profile concert events than any other venue in New York City. It has been the venue for [[Michael Jackson]]'s [[Bad (tour)|Bad World Tour]] in 1988, [[George Harrison]]'s [[The Concert for Bangladesh]], [[The Concert for New York City]] following the [[September 11 attacks]], [[John Lennon]]'s final concert appearance during an [[Elton John]] concert on Thanksgiving Night in 1974 before [[Death of John Lennon|his murder]] in 1980, and [[Elvis Presley]], who gave four sold-out performances in 1972, his first and last ever in New York City. [[Parliament-Funkadelic]] headlined numerous sold-out shows in 1977 and 1978. [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], who were formed in the arena's city and three of whose members were city-born, did six shows during their second half of the 1970s main attraction peak or "heyday": four sold out winter shows at the arena in 1977 (February 18 and December 14β16), and another two shows only this time in summer for a decade-ender in 1979 (July 24β25). They played their final two shows at the venue on the December 1 and 2, 2023, the 50th anniversary year of their formation. [[Billy Joel]], another city-born and fellow 1970's pop star, played his first Garden show on December 14, 1978, with that month's follow ups on the 15th, 16th and 18th. [[Led Zeppelin]]'s three-night stand in July 1973 was recorded and released as both a [[The Song Remains the Same (film)|film]] and [[The Song Remains the Same (album)|album]] titled ''The Song Remains The Same''. [[The Police]] played their final show of their reunion tour at the Garden in 2008. In the summer of 2017, [[Phish]] held a 13 night series of concerts called "The Bakers' Dozen." During which the band played 237 unique songs, repeating none during the entire run. The Garden commemorated "The Bakers' Dozen" by adding a Phish themed banner to the rafters.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/live-reviews/phishs-bakers-dozen-residency-our-recap-w496328| title = Phish's 'Baker's Dozen' Residency: Breaking Down All 13 Blissful Nights| work = [[Digiday]]| last1 = Jarnow| first1 = Jesse| date = August 7, 2017| access-date = August 9, 2017| archive-date = August 8, 2017| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170808170305/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/live-reviews/phishs-bakers-dozen-residency-our-recap-w496328| url-status = dead}}</ref> With their first MSG show taking place on December 30, 1994, Phish has regularly played annual multi night runs, typically around New Year's Eve.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://phish.net/venue/157/Madison_Square_Garden | title=Madison Square Garden- Phish.net }}</ref> As of January 2024, Phish has performed 83 times at MSG.<ref>{{cite web |title=Phish Perform Longest "Mike's Song" Equipped with Second Jam for Penultimate Show of MSG Summer Run |url=https://jambands.com/news/2023/08/05/phish-perform-longest-mike-song-equipped-with-second-jam-for-penultimate-show-of-msg-summer-run/ |website=Jambands |access-date=August 18, 2023 |date=August 5, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Iuzzolino |first1=Nicole |title=Phish to play 7 shows at MSG during 2023 tour |url=https://www.nj.com/live-entertainment/2023/02/phish-to-perform-7-shows-at-msg-dates-schedules-where-to-buy-tickets.html |website=NJ Advance Media |access-date=August 18, 2023 |language=en |date=February 22, 2023}}</ref> [[File:Eric Clapton 01May2015.jpg|thumb|[[Eric Clapton]] at the Garden in 2015; Clapton has played 45 concerts at the venue since 1968.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Eric Clapton to Celebrate 70th Birthday With Two Shows at Madison Square Garden|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6501911/eric-clapton-70-birthday-madison-square-garden-shows|magazine=Billboard|date=April 23, 2016|access-date=April 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513101700/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6501911/eric-clapton-70-birthday-madison-square-garden-shows|archive-date=May 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>]] [[Elton John]] once held the all-time record for the greatest number of appearances at the Garden with 64 shows. In a 2009 press release, John was quoted as saying "Madison Square Garden is my favorite venue in the whole world. I chose to have my 60th birthday concert there, because of all the incredible memories I've had playing the venue."<ref name="2009Interview">{{Cite web |title=Top 10 Rock N' Roll Sites in NYC That You Can Visit Today |url=https://untappedcities.com/2022/08/05/rock-n-roll-sites-nyc/10/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Untapped Cities|date=August 5, 2022 }}</ref> A DVD recording was released as ''[[Elton 60 β Live at Madison Square Garden|Elton 60βLive at Madison Square Garden]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/elton-john/27292 |title=NME article on 60th birthday concert at Madison Square Gardens |work=NME |location=UK |date=March 25, 2007 |access-date=February 25, 2009}}</ref> [[Billy Joel]], who holds the record for the greatest number of appearances at the Garden with 134 shows as of February 2023,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.https/ |title=Billy Joel Announces Madison Square Garden Show February 14, 2023 |website=billyjoel.com |date=October 6, 2022 |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=August 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> stated that the site "has the best acoustics, the best audiences, the best reputation, and the best history of great artists who have played there. It is the iconic, holy temple of rock and roll for most touring acts."<ref name=2009Interview/> [[File:Lady Gaga performing 2011 cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Lady Gaga]] performing at the Garden in 2011]] The [[Grateful Dead]] performed in the venue 53 times from 1979 to 1994, with the first show being held on January 7, 1979, and the last being on October 19, 1994. Their longest run being done in September 1991.<ref name="Madison Square Garden Shows">[http://www.dead.net/search-deadnet?title=madison%20square%20garden&taxonomy=madison%20square%20garden] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628234153/http://www.dead.net/search-deadnet?title=madison%20square%20garden&taxonomy=madison%20square%20garden|date=June 28, 2018}}, dead.net the official site of the grateful dead</ref> [[The Who]] have headlined at the venue 32 times, including a four-night stand in 1974, a five-night stand in 1979, a six-night stand in 1996, and four-night stands in 2000 and 2002. They also performed at [[The Concert for New York City]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewholive.net/venues/show-venue.php?id=3|title=The Who Concert Guide β Madison Square Garden|access-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref> On March 10, 2020, a 50th-anniversary celebration of [[The Allman Brothers Band]] titled 'The Brothers' took place, featuring the five surviving members of the final Allman Brothers lineup and [[Chuck Leavell]]. [[Dickey Betts]] was invited to participate but his health precluded him from traveling.<ref name="rsb50b">{{cite magazine |last1=Browne |first1=David |title=Derek Trucks on Playing Live Before and After the Coronavirus Shutdown |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/derek-trucks-allman-brothers-tribute-new-york-coronavirus-969359/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 30, 2020 |date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> This was the final concert at the venue before the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] forced its closure. Live shows returned to The Garden when the [[Foo Fighters]] headlined a show there on June 20, 2021. The show was for a vaccinated audience only and was the first 100 percent capacity concert in a New York arena since the start of the pandemic.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/06/20/1008449093/foo-fighters-to-perform-at-madison-square-gardens-first-full-capacity-concert |title=Foo Fighters To Perform At Madison Square Garden's First Full-Capacity Concert |work=NPR.org |date=June 20, 2021 |access-date=July 21, 2021 }}</ref> ====Other events==== [[File:MSG Messier Night.jpg|thumb|Madison Square Garden as it appeared during "[[Mark Messier|Mark Messier Night]]" on January 12, 2006]] It hosted the [[1976 Democratic National Convention]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Barrow|first=Bill|date=August 5, 2020|title=Biden Won't Travel to Milwaukee to Accept Party's Nomination for President, Source Says|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/national/biden-wont-travel-to-milwaukee-to-accept-partys-nomination-for-president-source-says/article_31625991-083f-5ca7-ae6f-0dabca46165d.html|website=The Buffalo News|access-date=August 6, 2020|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807045142/https://buffalonews.com/news/national/biden-wont-travel-to-milwaukee-to-accept-partys-nomination-for-president-source-says/article_31625991-083f-5ca7-ae6f-0dabca46165d.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[1980 Democratic National Convention]],<ref name=":1" /> [[1992 Democratic National Convention]],<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Cronin|first1=Tom|last2=Loevy|first2=Bob|date=August 1, 2020|title=Do national conventions even matter anymore?|url=https://gazette.com/election-coverage/do-national-conventions-even-matter-anymore/article_79aa41ae-d1f6-11ea-ad4b-ef7abaafc6ad.html|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=Colorado Springs Gazette|language=en}}</ref> and the [[2004 Republican National Convention]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chung|first=Jen|date=August 30, 2019|title=15 Years Ago, Protesters Took Over NYC During 2004 Republican National Convention|url=http://gothamist.com/news/15-years-ago-protesters-took-over-nyc-during-2004-republican-national-convention|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914103204/https://gothamist.com/news/15-years-ago-protesters-took-over-nyc-during-2004-republican-national-convention|archive-date=September 14, 2019|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=Gothamist|language=en}}</ref> and hosted the [[NFL draft]] for many years (later held at Garden-leased [[Radio City Music Hall]], now shared between cities of NFL franchises).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Levy|first=Dan|title=NFL Draft Is Moving in Wrong Direction|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1646145-nfl-draft-is-moving-in-wrong-direction|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=Bleacher Report|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Future NFL Draft locations: Host cities for 2020 NFL Draft and beyond|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/future-nfl-draft-locations-host-cities/1lnc951fyd6yy1vg3g9iwsiugq|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=www.sportingnews.com|date=May 24, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> The ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' Teen Tournament and several installments of ''Celebrity Jeopardy!'' were filmed at MSG in 1999,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Don|date=October 11, 1999|title='JEOPARDY!' HITS NYC; GAME SHOW CHALLENGES 'MILLIONAIRE' ON ITS OWN TURF|url=https://nypost.com/1999/10/11/jeopardy-hits-nyc-game-show-challenges-millionaire-on-its-own-turf/|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=New York Post|language=en-US}}</ref> as well as several episodes of ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'' in 1999 and 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Weinstein|first=Farrah|date=September 26, 1999|title=STYLE & SUBSTANCE V-NN- WH-T-|url=https://nypost.com/1999/09/26/style-substance-v-nn-wh-t/|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=New York Post|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=WHEEL OF FORTUNE to Tape at Madison Square Garden, 3/15-19; Shows Air May 2013|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/WHEEL-OF-FORTUNE-to-Tape-at-Madison-Square-Garden-315-19-Shows-Air-May-2013-20120523|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=BroadwayWorld.com|language=en}}</ref> The [[New York City Police Department|New York City Police Academy]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Formoso|first=Jessica|date=October 10, 2019|title=NYPD welcomes new class of graduates|url=https://www.fox5ny.com/news/nypd-welcomes-new-class-of-graduates|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=FOX 5 NY|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Baruch College]]/[[City University of New York|CUNY]] and [[Yeshiva University]] also hold their annual graduation ceremonies at Madison Square Garden. It hosted the [[Grammy Award]]s in 1972, 1997, 2003, and 2018 (which are normally held in [[Los Angeles]]) as well as the [[7th Annual Latin Grammy Awards|Latin Grammy Awards of 2006]]. The group, and Best in Show competitions of the [[Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show]] have been held at MSG every February from 1877 to 2020, which was MSG's longest continuous tenant although this was broken in 2021 as the Westminster Kennel Club announced that the event would be held outdoors for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Siba the Standard Poodle Wins the 2020 Westminster Dog Show With a Regal Attitude|url=https://time.com/5782524/westminster-dog-show-2020/|access-date=August 6, 2020|magazine=Time}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Croke|first=Karen|title=Westminster Kennel Club moves its annual dog show to Tarrytown in 2021|url=https://www.lohud.com/story/life/2020/10/22/westminster-kennel-club-dog-show-2021-lyndhurst-tarrytown/3725951001/|access-date=November 22, 2020|website=The Journal News|language=en-US}}</ref> ===Notable firsts and significant events=== The Garden hosted the [[Stanley Cup Finals]] and [[NBA Finals]] simultaneously on two occasions: in 1972 and 1994. MSG has hosted the following All-Star Games: * [[National Hockey League All-Star Game|NHL All-Star Game]]: [[26th National Hockey League All-Star Game|1973]], [[1994 National Hockey League All-Star Game|1994]] * [[NBA All-Star Game]]: [[1998 NBA All-Star Game|1998]], [[2015 NBA All-Star Game|2015]] * [[WNBA All-Star Game]]: [[1999 WNBA All-Star Game|1999]], [[2003 WNBA All-Star Game|2003]], [[2006 WNBA All-Star Game|2006]] * All American Karate Championships held in 1968 and 1969, both won by Chuck Norris. The 1970 edition was won by [[Mitchell Bobrow]]. * [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]] held its first event in New York City, ''[[UFC 205|UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor]]'', at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2016. This was the first event the organization held after New York State lifted the ban on [[mixed martial arts]]. [[Stephen Curry]] broke the NBA's [[List of National Basketball Association career 3-point scoring leaders|all-time three-point scoring record]] at Madison Square Garden, on December 14, 2021. The [[Golden State Warriors|Warriors]] defeated the Knicks 105β96 with Curry recording his 2,977th career three-pointer by the end of the game, eclipsing [[Ray Allen]]'s 2,973 career total. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page