General James White Memorial Civic Auditorium and Coliseum (usually shortened to Knoxville Civic Coliseum) is a multi-purpose events facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, owned by the Knoxville city government and managed by ASM. Its components are an auditorium with a maximum seating capacity of 2,500,[1] a multi-purpose arena with a maximum seating capacity of 6,500,[2] an exhibition hall and a reception hall. It was built in 1961.[3]
Performances hosted in the facility have included circuses, plays and musicals, symphony orchestra concerts, popular music concerts, and comedians.[3] On March 18, 1982, the venue was notable to be the site of Randy Rhoads' final show, before his death in a plane crash the very next day.[4][5]
The Coliseum hosted the final concert of George Jones on April 6, 2013. Jones checked into Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville on April 18, dying there on the morning of April 26.
Chicago broke the record (at that time) for the fastest sellout to a concert at the Coliseum for their August 26, 1971, performance.