Van Andel Arena is a 11,005-seat multi-purpose arena, situated in the Heartside district of Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. After a $75 million construction effort, the arena opened on October 8, 1996, and since has attracted over five million patrons. It is home to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League, the top minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. It was also the home court of the now defunct Grand Rapids Hoops of the Continental Basketball Association from 1996 to 2001 and the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League from 1998 to 2008. As a concert venue, the Van Andel Arena seats 12,858 for end-stage shows, and 13,184 for center-stage shows. The arena floor measures and features 9,886 permanent seats, of which 1,800 are club seats and 44 luxury suites, with the 16 luxury suites in the upper bowl seating 20 each, and the lower 24 bowls seating 15, and the others at 18. In addition, there are 1,300 retractable seats.
According to the Grand Rapids Press, Van Andel Arena hosted an estimated 12,000 people "in what may have been the biggest free-admission event ever held in the arena," when Barack Obama held a campaign event there on May 14, 2008. At the rally, John Edwards publicly endorsed Obama's campaign for the first time. The first musical acts to perform in the arena were Neil Diamond on October 10, 1996, followed by Rush on October 23, 1996 during their Test for Echo tour. On January 29, 1997, the Calvin University Knights vs. Hope College Flying Dutchmen basketball game was played at the arena, with a 70-56 Hope triumph over Calvin, establishing an NCAA Division III single-game attendance record with a capacity crowd of 11,442. In 1998, R&B singing group Boyz II Men performed there. Vermont jam band Phish performed at the arena on November 11, 1998, and the recording of the concert was released by the band in 2019. Each year from 2000 until 2008, the Professional Bull Riders hosted their premier bull riding tour, the Built Ford Tough Series ; its inaugural event in 2000 was noteworthy for being the first-ever BFTS tour event where all 15 bull riders were bucked off in the short-go round. The tour returned in 2013, where the event was won by J.B. Mauney, who scored an impressive 93.25 in the final round. In 2001, the arena hosted the Big Ten Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, the first time in the tournament's history it was played outside of Indianapolis. On January 28, 2005, System of a Down featured the arena in their music video for the song "Hypnotize", as the video was filmed during the concert. During their 2005-2006 "Carnival of Sins" tour, hair metal band Mötley Crüe recorded a live DVD in the arena. The band would return to Van Andel for their farewell tour in 2014. In 2009, the arena was named #2 top-grossing mid-sized venue for the decade by Billboard Magazine. It ranked as a top venue in 2010 worldwide mid-year charts in popular industry publications Venues Today, Billboard and Pollstar. It was named Hall of Headliners Runner Up for Facility Concession Skills in 2009 by Venues Today. Voted Top Live Performance Venue in 2010 and Best Event Facility in 2009 and 2008 by The Grand Rapids Press and MLive.com readers. It received On-the-Town magazine Silver Townie Award for Best Live Music Venue in 2008. In 2014 and in 2016, the arena hosted the WCHA Final Five. In 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions. On June 27, 2015, Pepe Aguilar performed at the arena, becoming the first Spanish-language act to perform at a major venue in Michigan. In addition to these events, Van Andel Arena also hosts the Grand Valley State University Commencement ceremonies each early December and late April. In December, it hosts one ceremony on Saturday morning while in April, there are three total ceremonies, one on Friday evening, one on Saturday morning, and one on Saturday afternoon.
