Hamilton Goes Big: TD Coliseum Reopens With Paul McCartney

The first event ever held at Copps Coliseum wasn’t a concert; it was a hockey game.

When Hamilton’s brand-new arena opened on November 30, 1985, replacing the old Hamilton Forum, it didn’t kick off with a superstar concert or a national TV moment. It began with a Steelhawks hockey game and then two cancelled music gigs.

An oldies lineup (Jan & Dean, Bo Diddley, Gary U.S. Bonds) sold less than 2,500 seats. The promoters reportedly lost $55,000 in a single night. A week later, a benefit show featuring Burlington’s The Spoons was also withdrawn.

But on New Year’s Eve, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and The Thompson Twins drew a respectable 5,500 fans. Then a Corey Hart ticket release caused a near riot. Kenny Rogers crashed the phone system and Bob Hope, at 82, sold it out.

And over the years, Copps Coliseum became one of the top concert venues, hosting Canadian icons like Shania Twain, Rush and The Tragically Hip’s final tour, as well as international stars like Cher, Britney Spears, Garth Brooks, Janet Jackson, AC/DC, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and The Who. 35 years ago The Grateful Dead played two nights lured partly by the promise of a makeshift campground at Chedoke

And others filled the 18,000 seat arena like Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Billy Graham, Polish leader Lech Walesa, as well as numerous conventions, monster trucks, and several Juno Awards Shows. 

This week, nearly 40 years later, the arena returns for its biggest encore yet. The newly rebuilt TD Coliseum isn’t just a renovation, it’s a reinvention.

When The Vibe attended the Hamilton Tourism Summit last year, we were excited by Oak View Group’s vision for the $280-million transformation designed to position Hamilton as a major player in North America’s entertainment scene.

One thing we were told by Tom Pistore, the President of OVG Canada, is that stars look for top-quality facilities and the ease for their teams to get in and out (apparently Taylor Swift has between 50 and 80 trucks!). This is why a lot of focus has been placed on the facilities redesign, including a fully activated basement level.

And backstage there are five new dressing rooms, private lounges, and exposed-brick artist spaces now where the old sweaty hockey players change rooms once were! On Friday night Paul McCartney will be in there, one of the greatest songwriters on the planet, performing right here in our own backyard to launch the new space. No flops happening, his show sold out, all 18,000 seats, in minutes and other acts are lined up, including Brad Paisley, Andrea Bocelli, Journey’s Farewell Tour, The Guess Who reunion, Jonas Brothers and Cardi B.

As for the fan experience, it’s black. Black seats, black railings, black acoustic walls, black ceiling, even the concrete. It’s an intentional choice according to OVG’s Senior Vice President of Project Management, Paul Young. “It gives the vibe of an old club, when the lights go down, the performer is the only thing you see.”

And fans will actually have room to move now. With multiple levels of concourses, new bars and concessions, and wider walkways, say goodbye to the old stadium’s congestion. Line-up’s should be shorter too, with digital entry and a totally cashless arena.

There’s even something Copps never had: A full restaurant inside.

Matty Matheson, yes, Matty from The Bear, is opening The Iron Cow Public House a 9,500 square foot eatery. When asked about the menu Matty said  “Sunday roasts and comfort food like ribs, wings, where people can jam and eat quickly before a show.”

What this all means for Hamilton is it’s no longer the backup plan when Toronto is booked.

It’s going to be the destination.

And this is all part of a bigger picture for the downtown. The new Downtown Entertainment Precinct, a long-term partnership between the City and HUPEG Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group L.P. (known as ‘the Precinct Group’). The idea? Revitalize the arena, a newly renovated convention centre and concert hall (a $50m renovation is already underway), significant investment in the Art Gallery of Hamilton, as well as new residential, affordable housing, hotel, office and retail space development.

Hamilton is stepping into a new era. Not just as a city with an arena, but as a city with a downtown stage for the world to see and experience.

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