Madison Square Garden: Do you know the history of "the world's most famous arena"?

Located on 7th Avenue in Manhattan (New York), Madison Square Garden went through several incarnations before becoming the arena we know today.

It all began in 1879 with a first-generation velodrome built on Madison Avenue, not far from Madison Square. After about a decade, the structure was demolished due to structural defects. A second building took its place before being demolished in turn in 1925, only to be reborn as a skyscraper. For the first time, the complex moved and opened its doors on 8th Avenue, before being demolished 43 years later.

On February 11, 1968, the current Garden opened, located on 7th Avenue and radically different from its predecessors. This immense circular structure is topped by an office tower and houses Penn Station (the busiest in North America). Popular with boxers of the era, the MSG remains today the home of basketball for the Knicks and of hockey for the New York Rangers.

Inauguration

On February 11, 1968, during a televised show hosted by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, the MSG was inaugurated as a performance venue. A year later, it became the home of Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, the Doors, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In 1971, one of the first charity concerts in history was held there: the "Concert for Bangladesh," initiated by George Harrison. Other events honoring the victims of the New York attacks or Hurricane Sandy would follow suit years later.

In an exceptional feat, Led Zeppelin performed there three nights in a row in 1973. This historic event was filmed and made available to the general public in the movie "The Song Remains the Same." The following year, John Lennon made his final stage appearance at the Garden, invited by the great Elton John.

Another landmark event: in July 2000, Bruce Springsteen wrapped up his special reunion tour with the E Street Band. It was on the MSG stage that he sang “41 Shots, American Skin” for the first time, a powerful song written in response to the murderof Amadou Diallo. This young man from Guinea, mistakenly identified as a criminal, had been shot and killed in 1999 by four New York City police officers. The song was far from universally welcomed by New York’s largest police union, which called for a boycott of Springsteen’s performances.

To date, Billy Joel and Elton John remain the two artists who have performed most often on the legendary stage of Madison Square Garden.