Everything about Madison Square Garden totally explained
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as
MSG, and known colloquially simply as
The Garden, has been the name of four
arenas in
New York City. It is also the name of the entity which owns the arena and several of the professional sports franchises which play there. There have been four incarnations of the arena. The first two were located at the Northeast corner of
Madison Square (Madison Ave. & 26th St.) from which the arena derived its name. Subsequently a new 17,000-seat Garden (opened
December 15,
1925) was built at 50th Street and 8th Avenue, and the current Garden (opened
February 14,
1968) is at 7th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of
Pennsylvania Station.
The arena lends its name to the
Madison Square Garden Network, a
cable television network that broadcasts most sporting events that are held in the Garden, as well as concerts and entertainment events that have taken place at the venue.
It is controlled by the
Madison Square Garden, L.P. subsidiary of
Cablevision.
History
Madison Square Garden derives its name from the park where the first two gardens were located (
Madison Square) on
Madison Avenue at
26th Street. As the venue moved to new locations the name still stuck, although since 1925 Madison Square Garden has been neither a garden nor on Madison Square.
1879-1890
The location of the first Madison Square Garden (now known as Madison Square Garden I), was at 26th Street and Madison Avenue. The site was formerly occupied by the
passenger depot of the
New York and Harlem Railroad. When the depot was moved to what is now the site of
Grand Central Terminal in 1871, the old depot was sold to
P.T. Barnum who converted it into "Barnum's Monster Classical and Geological Hippodrome." In 1876 Barnum's was converted into "Gilmore's Garden," an open air arena named in honor of
Patrick Gilmore. Gilmore was America's most well-known bandmaster at the time. His most famous composition was "
When Johnny Comes Marching Home."
Finally, Gilmore's Garden was renamed "Madison Square Garden" by
William Henry Vanderbilt and the facility was reopened to the public on
May 31,
1879. The first Garden was originally designed for the sport of
track cycling. This is still remembered in the name of the
Madison event.
1890-1925
The second Madison Square Garden (now known as Madison Square Garden II), also located at 26th and Madison Avenue was designed by
Stanford White, who would later be killed at the Garden's rooftop restaurant. White kept an apartment, site of the famous red velvet swing, in the building.
The new structure was 200 feet by 485 feet of Moorish architecture with a minaret-like tower soaring 32 stories over Madison Square Park and was the city's second tallest building. The Garden's main hall, which was the largest in the world, measured 200 by 350 feet with permanent seating for 8,000 people and floor space for thousands more.
Topping the garden was a statue of
Diana, by
Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The original bronze statue was 18 ft. tall and weighed 1,800 lbs., but spun with the wind. It was placed on top of the tower in 1891, but was soon thought to be too large by Saint-Gaudens and White, the architect. (It was removed and placed on top of a building at The World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago - the bottom half was destroyed by a fire after the close of the Exhibition, and the top half was lost.) In 1893 a guilded, hollow copper, 2nd version of Diana, replaced the original on top of the Garden tower. This 2nd version was 13 ft. tall and is now at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a copy is in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Saint-Gaudens made several smaller variants in bronze, one of which was on display in the entryway of Madison Square Garden III, and also in a similar location in the current Garden, MSG IV.
It hosted the
1924 Democratic National Convention, which nominated
John W. Davis after 103 ballots. Afterwards, it was torn down to make way for the landmark
New York Life Insurance Building.
White was a member of the architecture firm
McKim, Mead and White which designed
Pennsylvania Station which was torn down to make way for MSG IV. The firm also designed the
James Farley Post Office which is being proposed as the anchor for the proposed new Pennsylvania Station.
1925-1968
The third garden, now known as Madison Square Garden III, was built on 50th Street and Eighth Avenue by boxing promoter
Tex Rickard and was dubbed "The House That Tex Built." The
New York Rangers, owned by Rickard, got their name from a wordplay on his name (
Tex's Rangers). It was built in 249 days on the site of the city's streetcar barns. However, the Rangers were not the first NHL team to play at the Garden; the
New York Americans had begun play in 1925 and were so wildly successful at the gate that Rickard wanted his own team as well. The Rangers were founded in 1926 and both teams played at the Garden until the Americans folded in 1942, the Rangers having stolen their commercial success with their own success on the ice (winning three Stanley Cups between 1928 and 1940). This was the basis for the
Curse of 1940 that supposedly prevented the Rangers from winning the
Stanley Cup again until 1994.
While the
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus had debuted at the Garden in 1919, the third Garden saw large numbers of performances. The circus was so important to the Garden that when the Rangers played in the 1928 Stanley Cup Finals, the team was forced to play all games on the road (the Rangers won the series anyway). The circus would continue to perform as often as three times daily, repeatedly knocking the Rangers out of the Garden at playoff time, throughout the life of the third Garden. Even at the fourth Garden, games would have to begin as late as 9:00 p.m. to accommodate the circus. The Circus Acrobatics were very dramatic including acts in the Rings as well as on the high wire and trapeze. One dramatic act which was only performed in the Garden, and not taken on the road with the traveling Circus, involved
Blinc Candlin, a Hudson, New York fireman, who rode his (already antique) 1880s High Wheel bicycle on the high wire every season for over 2 decades starting in the 1910s and running well through the 1930s.
In 1928 Rickard built "Boston Madison Square Garden." The name got clipped to
Boston Garden.
Boxing was Madison Square Garden III's principal claim to fame. The building exterior in contrast to the ornate towers of the first two Garden was a simple box. Its most distinctive feature was its ornate
marquee that was above the main entrance, with its seemingly endless abbreviations (Tomw., V/S, Rgrs, Tonite, Thru, etc.) Even the name was abbreviated: Madison Sq. Garden. On
January 17,
1941, 23,190 people witnessed
Fritzie Zivic successful welterweight defense against
Henry Armstrong. That is the biggest attendance record of any of the Gardens. MSG III was featured prominently in the 2005
Ron Howard film
Cinderella Man (although exterior montage shots glorified it by placing it against the
Times Square signs on Broadway when it was in fact one block west).
It hosted the only indoor bout in the career of
Jack Dempsey. It cost $4.75 million to build; this one hosted seven NCAA men's basketball championships between 1943 and 1950.
City College of New York (CCNY) was one of the first schools banned from playing at MSG due to the 1951
CCNY Point Shaving Scandal.
It also hosted the
NBA All-Star Game in 1954 and 1955. Ironically one type of event that was
never held in the 50th St. MSG (except in the
movies) was a national Democratic or Republican nominating convention as neither of these parties met in New York to select their candidates for President and Vice President of the United States between 1924 and 1976.
The third Garden had poor sightlines, especially for hockey, and fans sitting in the upper deck could count on having some portion of the ice obstructed, unless they sat in the first row. The fact that there was poor ventilation and that smoking was permitted often led to a haze in the upper portions of the Garden.
When it was torn down, there was a proposal to build the world's tallest building on its site prompting a major battle in its
Hell's Kitchen neighborhood that ultimately resulted in strict height restrictions. The space remained a parking lot though until 1989 when
Worldwide Plaza designed by
David Childs of
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill opened.
Madison Square Garden Bowl
Madison Square built an
open air arena, the Madison Square Garden Bowl at 48th and Northern Boulevard in
Long Island City in 1932 that could seat 72,000. This was the site where
James Braddock defeated
Max Baer for the World Heavyweight title on
June 13,
1935 that was dramatized in the film
Cinderella Man. Braddock was born on West 48th Street in Hell's Kitchen just a few blocks from the West 49th Street location of MSG III. Braddock's first comeback fight against
John "Corn" Griffin was also in the venue.
Jack Sharkey and
Primo Carnera also captured the heavyweight crown in the 1930s at the Madison Square Garden Bowl.
The bowl was torn down after
World War II to make way for
U.S. Steel and
Ronzoni Macaroni Company factories. They in turn were torn down and the area is now home to a shopping center.
1968-present
On
February 11,
1968 Madison Square Garden IV opened after the
Pennsylvania Railroad tore down
Pennsylvania Station (New York City) and continued railway traffic underneath. The new structure was one of the first of its kind to be built above an active railroad system. It was an engineering feat constructed by R.E. McKee of El Paso, Texas.
Public outcry over the demolished
Beaux-Arts structure led to the creation of the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The current Garden is the hub of Madison Square Garden Center in the office and entertainment complex formally addressed as
Pennsylvania Plaza and commonly known as "Penn Plaza" for the railroad station atop which the complex is located.
In
1972, the Garden's Chairman,
Irving Mitchell Felt, suggested moving the Knicks and the Rangers to what was a proposed venue in the New Jersey Meadows (now completed and known as
Meadowlands Sports Complex or
Izod Center.) This location now hosts its own NBA team (
New Jersey Nets) and from 1981-2007, the NHL's
New Jersey Devils. The
NFL's New York Giants were the only established New York-named team that actually did move there, and they were later joined by the
Jets. Felt's efforts fueled controversy between the Garden and New York City over Real Estate Tax. The scenario again flared in 1980 when a reported threat by the Garden supposed a similar move of popular sports teams in an effort to again challenge property tax. Efforts were ignored by city leaders.
MSG was the home arena for the NY Raiders/NY Golden Blades of the World Hockey Assoc.
In 1991, Garden owners spent $200 million to renovate facilities and add 89 suites. The process involved hundreds of upper-tier seats being removed to make way.
In 2004-2005
Cablevision (the Garden's owner) battled with the City of New York over proposed
West Side Stadium which would compete with the Garden. New stadium proposals halted; and Cablevision announced its own plans to raze the Garden, replace it with high-rise commercial buildings and build a new Garden one block away at the
James Farley Post Office site in conjunction with the
Moynihan Station project. However, on April 3, 2008 MSG executives announced plans to once again renovate and modernize the current Garden in time for the Knicks and Rangers 2011-12 seasons, though the vice president of the Garden says he remains committed to the original Moynihan project - the installation of an extension of Penn Station in the Farley Post Office.
Present operations
The present Garden hosts approximately 320 events a year but it's best known as the home of the
New York Knicks of the
NBA and the
New York Rangers of the
NHL. The aforementioned professional sports teams play their home games in the arena and are owned by the Garden itself. It also hosts the
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus when it comes to New York City (although the
Izod Center and
Nassau Coliseum also host the circus each year), selected home games for the
St. John's men's Red Storm (
college basketball), the
Big East Men's Basketball Conference Tournament, the annual pre and postseason
NIT tournaments, the
NBA Draft, the
Millrose Games athletics meet, 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. It has previously hosted the
1976,
1980 and
1992 Democratic National Conventions, and hosted the
NFL Draft for many years (now held at Garden-leased
Radio City Music Hall). In 2008, all five home games for the
New York Titans will be played at the Garden. The "sixth" home game will be at
Sovereign Bank Arena in
Trenton, New Jersey. The other two games were lost to the
Buffalo Bandits and the
Toronto Rock due to scheduling difficulties following the cancellation and subsequent resurrection of the
2008 NLL Season.
MSG hosted the
1994 NHL All-Star Game and
1998 NBA All-Star Game, three WNBA All-Star Games (1999, 2003 and 2006), and a portion of the
1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Connecticut-based
World Wrestling Entertainment considers it a home arena as well, due to the fact that all generations of the McMahon family, including
Vince McMahon's
father and
grandfather, have promoted shows at the Garden. MSG has hosted several
WrestleMania and
SummerSlam events, two
Survivor Series events and the 2000 and 2008
Royal Rumble. More
WWE Championships have been won at MSG than any other arena. WWE's strong relationship with Madison Square Garden prevented competitor
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from ever having a show at the Garden. In 2005, WWE severed business ties with the arena because WWE felt that increased rental costs would prevent them from making a profit in the building. However, over a year later, World Wrestling Entertainment temporarily patched things up with MSG and the hiatus ended with a
September 11,
2006 edition of
WWE Raw. Though they pulled the 20th installment of SummerSlam, which would have been held at the Garden on
August 26 2007. (It was held at the
Continental Airlines Arena) WWE continues to make occasional appearances at MSG, and returned for the
2008 Royal Rumble in January.
MSG is also known for its place in the history of
boxing. Many of boxing's biggest fights were held at Madison Square Garden, including many of
Joe Louis, the
Roberto Duran-
Ken Buchanan affair, and the second
Joe Frazier-
Muhammad Ali bouts. In
March 1947,
Herbie Kronowitz of
Brooklyn and
Artie Levine of
Cleveland thrilled a crowd of 12,000 during a 10-round battle between the two
Jewish fighters. Levine won the decision, although Kronowitz claimed that while Levine "won the decision. There was no question that I won the fight." Before promoters such as
Don King and
Bob Arum moved boxing to
Las Vegas, Madison Square Garden was considered the mecca of boxing. The original 18½' × 18½' 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. A 20' × 20' ring replaced it beginning on
October 6 of that same year.
Many large popular-music concerts in New York City take place in Madison Square Garden. Particularly famous ones include
The Concert for New York City following the
September 11 attacks and
John Lennon's final concert appearance before his murder in 1980. The Garden usually hosts a concert each year on
New Years Eve, with the Knicks and Rangers usually playing on the road.
Many musical acts released seminal live albums recorded at MSG, including
Shania Twain,
Jay-Z,
Led Zeppelin,
Fania All Stars,
Bruce Springsteen,
Frank Sinatra,
Jimi Hendrix,
Billy Joel,
Phish,
Elton John,
Elvis Presley,
Madonna,
Mary J Blige,
U2,
The Rolling Stones,
Britney Spears,
Shakira,
Slayer,
Kelly Rowland,
Gareth Gates,
Justin Timberlake,
NSYNC,
Cher,
Christina Aguilera,
Spice Girls,
The Who,
Beyonce,
Enrique Iglesias,
Ricky Martin, and
Barbra Streisand. Other artists, yet including Led Zeppelin and others such as
Pearl Jam,
Mariah Carey, and
O.A.R. and
Marc Anthony have released DVDs showing their live performances at the Garden. Some of these releases, such as by
Cream and
Michael Jackson, show special anniversary or reunion concerts at the venue. An extensive list of live performances played at the venue is included below.
The arena is also used for other special events, including tennis and circus events. The
New York Police Academy,
New York University and
Yeshiva University also hold their annual graduation ceremonies at Madison Square Garden. It has become the New York site of the annual
Grammy Awards (which are normally held in
Los Angeles) and hosted the 2005
Country Music Association Awards (normally held in
Nashville).
The
Big East Conference men's basketball tournament has been held at MSG every year since 1983 making it the longest period a conference tournament has been held at a single location.
Seating
Seating in the present Madison Square Garden is arranged in six ascending levels. The first level, available for basketball games and concerts, but not for hockey games, is the "floor" or "court-side" seating. Next above this is the loge seating, followed by the 100-level and 200-level promenades, the 300-level promenade, and the 400-level or mezzanine. The seats of these levels originally bore the colors
red,
orange,
yellow,
green, and
blue, respectively; however, this color scheme has since been changed, mainly because the "blue seats" had become synonymous with rowdy behavior by fans, particularly those attending
New York Rangers hockey games. It was a common sight for Rangers fans to set fire to the jerseys of fans from visiting teams, especially those from the
New York Islanders,
Boston Bruins, and the
Philadelphia Flyers. Rangers fans in the blue seats would defend their home from the invading hordes of visiting teams' fans at all costs. Fights were constantly occurring, and ushers would often let Rangers fans get their last punches or kicks in before hauling away the opposing fan. Today, the Garden isn't as hostile for opposing fans to visit. The 400 level known as the "blue seats" still consists of many diehard fans and they're just as passionate as they were when the seats were colored. Tickets for events at MSG are hard to come by, especially for the New York Rangers who sell out nearly every single game. For hockey, the Garden seats 18,200; for basketball, 19,763; and for
concerts 20,000 center stage, 19,522 end-stage. The arena features 20,976 square feet (1949 m²) of arena floor space.
Because all of the seats, except the 400 level, are in one monolithic grandstand, distance from the arena floor is significant from the ends of the arena. Also, the rows rise much more gradually than other North American arenas, which can cause impaired sightlines, especially when sitting behind tall spectators or one of the concourses.
Other venues
Today's Madison Square Garden is more than just the arena. Other venues at the Garden include:
- The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, which seats between 2,000 and 5,600 for concerts and can also be used for meetings, stage shows, and graduation ceremonies, and was also the traditional home of the NFL Draft until 2005, when it moved to the Jacob Javits Convention Center after MSG management opposed a new stadium for the New York Jets. It also occasionally hosts major boxing matches on nights when the main arena is unavailable. No seat is more than 177 feet (54 m) from the 30-foot-by-64-foot stage. The theatre has a relatively low 20 foot ceiling at stage level and all of its seating except for boxes on the two side walls is on one level slanted back from the stage. There is an 8,000-square-foot lobby at the theater. When the current Garden opened in 1968, the Theater was known as the Felt Forum, in honor of then president Irving Felt. In the early 1990s, it was renamed the Paramount to be the successor to the Paramount Theater (New York City) in Times Square which had been converted to an office tower. Paramount Communications (which had previously been known as Gulf & Western) owned the Garden. The theater received its next name of The Theater at Madison Square Garden in the mid-90s, after Viacom bought Paramount, and sold the MSG properties to a group consisting of ITT and Cablevision, which each owned 50% of the Garden. In 1997, ITT sold their share to Cablevision, giving the cable company full control of the venue. On May 17, 2007, the theater received its current name due to a naming rights deal with Washington Mutual.
- The 36,000-square-foot Expo Center (formerly known as "The Rotunda") is used for trade shows, cat shows, stamp shows, often in combination with the arena, banquets, and receptions.
- A 9,500-square-foot terrace and two restaurants: the Garden Club and the Play-by-Play.
Other corporate operations
In addition to the Garden itself, Madison Square Garden, L.P. also operates two theaters in Manhattan:
Radio City Music Hall and the
Beacon Theater. In 2008, they took over operations of the
Chicago Theatre, marking the first time MSG has operated a facility outside New York City area.
Past Corporate Operations
Madison Square Garden also used to operate the
XL Center (formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center) and
Rentschler Field under contract with the state of Connecticut until the 2007 season when it was replaced by Northland/
Anschutz Entertainment Group.
The XL Center, an indoor
arena in
Hartford, Connecticut, is home to the Rangers
AHL affiliate, the
Hartford Wolf Pack. The arena also serves as the part-time home of the men's and women's basketball teams of the
University of Connecticut.
Rentschler Field, a
stadium in
East Hartford, hosts UConn's
college football team. It was built for the University of Connecticut after a plan to build a larger stadium that would have accommodated both the Huskies and
New England Patriots fell through. It also hosts various concerts and soccer matches.
Notable firsts
February 12, 1879 - The first artificial ice rink in North America opens at the Garden.
1902 - The first indoor professional American football game is played.
1934 - The first college basketball game at the Garden is played, between the University of Notre Dame and New York University.
February 28, 1940 - Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh).
March 19, 1954 - Joey Giardello knocks out Willie Tory in round seven at the Garden in the first televised prize boxing fight shown in color.
February 8, 10, 11, 1979 - The Challenge Cup, a three-game series between the All-Stars of the National Hockey League and the Soviet National Team took place at the Garden. The Soviets won, two games to one.
January 23, 1984 - Hulk Hogan wins the World Wrestling Federation Championship from The Iron Sheik in five minutes, 40 seconds. The victory kicks off the pop culture movement known as Hulkamania, and ushers in a golden age for the sport of professional wrestling.
March 31, 1985 - The World Wrestling Federation (today known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE), presents the inaugural WrestleMania. The annual event would return to Madison Square Garden in 1994 and 2004 for WrestleMania X and WrestleMania XX, celebrating the 10th and 20th anniversaries of WrestleMania.
August 29, 1988 - The WWE presents the first SummerSlam event. The annual events would return to Madison Square Garden for SummerSlam 1991 and SummerSlam 1998.
June 14, 1994 - After 54 years, the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup at Madison Square Garden. It is the first time that a Stanley Cup has been won by the Rangers at the Garden.
June 29, 1997 - The New York Liberty professional women's basketball team plays its first home game - the first WNBA game to be played at Madison Square Garden.
March 1, 2003 - Quinnipiac University defeats the University of Connecticut 4-3 in the first college hockey game played at Madison Square Garden since 1977.
July 13 - 15, 2007 - Popular Boston-based indie band Dispatch, sold out MSG for three nights in a row and became the first independent band to either headline, or sell out MSG.
Historic events
Political and other events
Throughout its long history, the Garden has been involved in its share of historical events. These events have included famous political rallies and celebrations.
The 1924, 1976, 1980, and 1992 Democratic National Conventions were held at MSG.
On February 20, 1939, A large German-American Bund convention was held prompting riots and protests in and around the arena by American Jews.
Former Republican Party presidential candidate Wendell Willkie led 20,000 African-Americans on June 7, 1943, the largest Civil Rights rally of its time, in demanding equal rights and victory in the war against Hitler.
President John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday celebration took place at the Garden on May 19, 1962. During it, Marilyn Monroe sang her now infamous Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
On July 1, 1982 Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon held a Blessing Ceremony in the Garden for 2075 couples. This event attracted a lot of public and media attention (including a story in Life Magazine), often being called a "mass wedding."
The 2004 Republican National Convention at MSG marked the first time that the Republican party held their convention in New York City.
Concerts and live performances
Since 1968, Madison Square Garden has been host to a number of concerts and live performances.
Listed in chronological order with name of artist and date of performance
In August, 1969, the Jackson 5 made their first television appearance, singing The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing" at the Miss Black America Pageant at MSG.
The Rolling Stones 1970 live album Get Yer Ya Ya's Out was made with the band's performances at MSG on November 27 and 28th 1969, during their legendary 1969 North American Tour.
A twelve-act show dubbed the Winter Festival for Peace took place at MSG on January 28, 1970.
On August 1, 1971, George Harrison held his Concert For Bangladesh. This historic event was the first special benefit concert to raise funds for charity (in this case, the country of Bangladesh, which was at that time in a severe and desperate state). There were two concerts held that day, with one taking place at 2:30pm and the other at 7:00 pm. The show featured artists such as Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, and Klaus Voormann, to name a few. A live album of the concert was released in 1972.
In June 1972 Elvis Presley made his first and only appearances in New York City at the Garden. Elvis played four shows to 80,000 people, which at the time was a record for the venue. A week after the shows an album of the Saturday evening performance was rushed to release making it the fastest turnaround between a live performance and its recorded release. To mark the 25th anniversary of Elvis' Garden shows, a recording of the Saturday afternoon performance was released entitled An Afternoon in the Garden.
John Lennon performed a concert at The Garden on 30 August 1972 which was professionally recorded and posthumously released on the 1986 album Live in New York City.
Rick Nelson put MSG into song with his 1972 million seller "Garden Party".
English rock band Led Zeppelin performed three consecutive, sold-out performances which were filmed and recorded on their live album, and for many years, only live album and accompanying concert film, The Song Remains the Same, at The Garden during their 1973 U.S. tour. Additional footage from these concerts was released in 2003 on the Led Zeppelin DVD.
In June 1974 The Who played 4 sold-out dates. A single radio announcement during a December 1973 radio broadcast was enough to sell out the shows in a matter of hours.
In October 1974, to cap his comeback after his retirement in 1971 Frank Sinatra played in front of 20,000 fans at the Garden in a show dubbed "The Main Event" that was broadcast nationally and internationally.
On November 28, 1974, John Lennon made a surprise guest appearance at an Elton John concert - Lennon's last ever concert appearance. They sang together as a duet on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" and "I Saw Her Standing There". The concert was released as the "There" portion of John's 1976 live album Here and There.
In December 1976, The Bee Gees performed at MSG during their Children of the World tour and donated the proceeds to the New York Police Athletic League.
On February 18, 1977, New York-based rock band Kiss made their Madison Square Garden debut, as part of a world tour supporting their fifth studio album Rock And Roll Over. Kiss have since made The Garden a regular stop on nearly every tour they've made, most notably a four-night sellout in July 1996.
That same month, English rock band Queen made their Madison Square Garden debut, as part of a world tour supporting their fifth studio album A Day at the Races with opening act Thin Lizzy. Queen would make The Garden a regular stop on every subsequent US tour they'd make with their classic lineup (1982's Hot Space tour would be the last tour the original lineup of Queen would play America), most notably a four-night sellout in September 1980.
Earlier that month, fellow English band Genesis made their Madison Square Garden debut, as part of a world tour supporting their eighth studio album Wind and Wuthering (which was their last tour with guitarist Steve Hackett). Genesis would make The Garden a regular stop on every subsequent US tour they'd make (save the 1992 We Can't Dance tour), most notably ex-lead singer Peter Gabriel joining the band for an encore in July 1978.
In June 1977, Led Zeppelin performed six sold out concerts at The Garden. The band spent no money on advertising for the gigs, relying on street demand to sell out the shows. Enough ticket applications were received to sell out a further two nights, had time permitted.
In July 1977, English rock band Pink Floyd performed at MSG for the first time in their then ten year recording career, playing four consecutive sold out nights from July 1 through July 4 on the final North American dates on their Animals tour. The show on July 1 saw problems between the band and local lighting technicians, whom they'd to use instead of their own lighting crew due to union technicalities, and on July 3 when fans lit off fireworks which disrupted the Pink Floyd's performance. The band (minus Roger Waters) wouldn't play the venue again until the 1987 A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, when the shows ran a lot more smoothly.
On June 17 1978 reggae superstar Bob Marley raised the profile of reggae music in America with his performance at the Garden. In 1980 Marley played two concerts at the venue as the opener of The Commodores; the performances were sold out, but the Garden was almost empty after Marley's show. The day after Marley, already fatally ill, collapsed while jogging in Central Park and performed one last concert in Pittsburgh before canceling the tour. Marley died months later of cancer.
In October 1978 Jethro Tull filmed a concert at this venue on their Bursting Out tour which aired on television. Some parts were released on the re-issued Thick as a Brick album and various concert videos. These concerts were of note as Tull's leader Ian Anderson's friend Tony Williams filled in for then-Tull bass player John Glascock, who was suffering from ailing health (Glascock would pass away in 1979).
During Queen's show in November of 1978 the band had numerous naked women on stage riding bicycles during their song "Bicycle Race" This stunt attracted considerable media attention.
The same year, Chicago based rockers Styx performed here for the first time on their Pieces of Eight tour. They would play there again on the Grand Decathlon and Paradise Theatre tours in 1979 and 1981.
In September of 1979, Musicians United for Safe Energy (a.k.a. MUSE) held a series of five No Nukes concerts at the Garden. Performers included Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The concerts were documented in an album, No Nukes: The MUSE Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future, and a 1980 feature film titled No Nukes.
Woodstock '79: a rock concert in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the original Woodstock Festival.
Also, Supertramp would play here on their Breakfast in America tour in 1979 (at the time they played their album was at #1 in the US) and would subsequently play there on their ...Famous Last Words... tour in 1983.
In May 1981 Rush performed at MSG for the first time in their then seven year career on their Moving Pictures tour. The band would subsequently perform here again in 1982 (two shows on their Signals tour), 1984, 1988, 1991, 1994 (two shows on their Counterparts tour), 2002 and as recent as September of 2007.
On New Year's Eve, 1982 Billy Joel played his first sold out new year's eve concert as well as ended his Nylon Curtain tour on the same night at The Garden.
On May 14, 1988, the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary celebrations were held at The Garden, consisting of a non-stop concert lasting almost 13 hours. Those performing included Led Zeppelin, Yes, Genesis, Iron Butterfly, The Rascals, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Foreigner, Paul Rodgers, Bob Geldof, Booker T. Jones, Wilson Pickett, The Coasters, The Spinners, Peabo Bryson, Dan Aykroyd, Roberta Flack, Manhattan Transfer, Debbie Gibson, The Bee Gees, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, Ben E. King, and Vanilla Fudge.
Comedian Andrew Dice Clay became the first comic to do two sold out shows in a row in 1991 in a film entitled Dice Rules.
In August of 1991 Thrash Metal band Metallica throw a free listening party for the black album for fans only.
In 1993 Luis Miguel became the first Latin artist to sell out at the Garden and received a special recognition during the middle of the show.
In 1994 Barbra Streisand did six shows here and recorded her album The Concert here.
In 1994, Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls), Tupac Shakur, Shyheim and Big Daddy Kane freestyled live.
On 10 October, 1995, Mariah Carey performed at The Garden, which was filmed and released on the DVD/Home Video .
On December 31, 1995, rock band Phish performed for a sellout crowd and played a show that was later called one of "the Greatest Concerts of the 90s" by Rolling Stone magazine. It was recorded and released on December, 20th 2005 to commemorate the show's 10th anniversary as a three disc set entitled:
On November 25, 1996 the hard rock band Stone Temple Pilots performed an extended set at The Garden in support of their third album Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. Most notably, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of the rock band Aerosmith joined the band midway through the show to perform the Aerosmith songs Sweet Emotion and Lick and a Promise.
On July 16, 1998, Page and Plant performed a concert at The Garden.
On Sunday, October 11, 1998, Janet Jackson performed her Velvet Rope concert live on HBO. R&B artist Usher was her opening act, hip-hop star Q-Tip made a guest performance, and former Secretary of State General Colin Powell made a special appearance.
Billy Joel played a four-hour concert for New Year's 1999, dubbed 'The Night of Two Thousand Years." Two songs from this concert were broadcast live on ABC-TV as part of the ABC 2000 news program. Highlights from the show were also used for the live album .
Former boy-band NSYNC sold out two concerts at the Garden in May 2000 for their No Strings Attached Tour, which was later released on DVD, titled simply "NSYNC Live From Madison Square Garden"
New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen sold out a then-record 10-night stand at the Garden in June and July 2000. Highlights of the show were used for his live CD/DVD .
Barbra Streisand set the highest grossing event at MSG with her two "farewell" concerts on September 27-28, 2000.
Elton John recorded a live performance and MSG called Elton John One Night Only - The Greatest Hits. The album was recorded on October 20, and 21, 2000, an extended version was also released as a DVD.
The took place on September 7 and 10th, 2001. Including various artists from Usher to Whitney Houston. Notable for the performance of the Jackson 5
On October 20, 2001 The Garden played host to "The Concert for New York City" after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The benefit was as famous for its emotional performances by Billy Joel and The Who as it was for the crowd booing Richard Gere and serenading Hillary Rodham Clinton with chants of "Hitlery! Hitlery!" (the nickname given to her by conservative pundit Neal Boortz), and fireman Mike Moran telling Osama Bin Laden to "kiss my royal Irish ass".
On October 24, 2002 Canadian rock band Rush sold out Madison Square Garden the band's first tour in nearly six years. The band was awarded on stage from the Recording Industry Association of American for shipments of 25 million in the United States of America.
On October 28, 2002 Latin American Mexican rock band Maná performed here for their Revolución de Amor Tour. They also played the following year on October 13, 2003 for the same tour.
on December 31, 2002 jamband Phish made their triumphant return to the stage after a 2 year hiatus to a loving MSG crowd. This would be their last performance at the garden after the band called it quits in the summer of 2004
Pearl Jam's 2003 live DVD Live at the Garden was recorded on July 8, 2003 at The Garden.
On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert at the Garden, which would later be the focus of his film Fade to Black. This concert was his "retirement party." All proceeds went to charity. Other performers included collaborators like The Roots (in the form of his backing band), Missy Elliott, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Siegel, Freeway, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Twista, Ghostface Killah, Foxy Brown, Pharrell and R. Kelly with special appearances by Voletta Wallace and Afeni Shakur; the mothers of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur respectively.
March 14, 2004 witnessed the 20th anniversary of World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania PPV in front of 20,000 fans. The return to MSG for WrestleMania generated more than $2.4 million USD in ticket sales.
June 22, 2005 witnessed British rock band Oasis make their long awaited debut at the Garden, some 10 years into their career. The concert sold out in record time and was later praised by many critics.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the Garden played host to yet another charity concert. From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, was an event held on September 20, 2005. It has since been referred to as "Apple Easy". The funds raised went to helping rebuild New Orleans after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
From October 24-26, 2005, Cream played at MSG for their United States reunion. The shows were marred by some controversy in regards to tickets: the show's promoters had made a deal with credit card company American Express to make tickets available to American Express customers only in an unprecedented week-long pre-sale. Ticket scalpers charged high prices for tickets. Nevertheless, the shows were a financial success and received critical praise.
On November 27, 2005, Nu Metal band Slipknot performed a sold-out night at the gardens as part of their Vo. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) tour with support from Lamb of God and Shadows Fall .
In 2006, Billy Joel set a record with a string of 12 sold-out performances, breaking the record of 10 set by Bruce Springsteen in 2000. On night 12 of the stand, MSG raised a #12 to the rafters on top of the Garden to join the numbers of Rangers and Knicks players that have had their numbers retired by their respective teams, making Joel the first ever non-sports individual to have his "number" retired at The Garden. The concerts were released as the album 12 Gardens Live in 2006.
During the New York stops for her 2006 record-breaking world tour, Confessions Tour, Madonna performed 6 sold-out nights, grossing $16,507,855.
Barbra Streisand performed her two concerts here on October 9 and 11, 2006.
On November 12, 2006, comedian Dane Cook performed two sold out shows in one night.
On December 1, 2006, comedy rock band Tenacious D, featuring actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass performed at MSG in their first headlining concert at a major American arena, with comedian Neil Hamburger the unlikely opener.
On January 27, 2007, O.A.R. performed a sold out show.
On March 14 and March 15, 2007 Latin American Mexican rock band Maná performed here for there Amar es Combatir Tour.
On March 23, 2007, Christina Aguilera came to the Madison Square Garden in NYC with the Back to Basics Tour.
On March 24, 2007, soca artist Machel Montano performed two sold out shows in one night.
On March 25, 2007, Elton John celebrated his 60th birthday and 60th Sold Out concert at Madison Square Garden. In honor of this achievement an Elton John #60 banner was raised to the rafters.
On May 30, 2007, Roger Waters played for the second time at MSG in a year.
On August 4 & August 5 2007 R&B singer Beyoncé performed 2 sold-out shows part of her 2007 World Tour "The Beyoncé Experience".
In 2007, Dispatch reunited at MSG and sold out shows on the nights of July 13 14th, and 15th. There was originally supposed to be only one show, but after selling out the first scheduled concert in 15 minutes, the band added another show that sold out in 24 hours, then added a third night on the 15th. These shows were all 100% concerts. Dispatch became the first unsigned band to ever sell out Madison Square Garden.
On August 15 & August 16 2007 Justin Timberlake Performed 2 sold-out Shows on his FutureSex/LoveSounds Tour. A combination of the two dates were made into an HBO Concert of the same name, and on November 13 was released on DVD, named "FutureSex/LoveShow Live From Madison Square Garden".
On October 9, 2007 Latin American Mexican rock band Maná performed for the second time that year for their Amar es Combatir Tour.
On December 22, 2007 "Metal God" Ozzy Osbourne preformed in the arena for the first time in over 20 years. At this show fellow hard rock legend Rob Zombie made his first Garden Perfomance of his career.
On February 18, 2008 The Spice Girls performed to a sold out audience as apart of their reunion tour.
On February 19, 2008 The Foo Fighters headlined a Garden show for the first time to a sold out crowd.
On February 21, 2008 Jay-Z made an appearance at a Linkin Park concert and performed with them for the first time since the Grammy Awards of 2006.
From February 25-28, 2008 Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood performed three concerts. It was their first full scale live collaboration since Blind Faith almost 40 years earlier.
On May 2, May 6, and May 7, 2008 Jay-Z and Mary J Blige performed three sold out performances. The May 2 show was scheduled late because the first two sold out in less than two minutes each, and gave fans who didn't receive tickets for the other two shows another chance to see the show.
On May 9, 2008 My Chemical Romance performed a sold out show with Drive By and their long time friends Taking Back Sunday.
On June 15, 2008 heavy metal band Iron Maiden will return to a sold out show in the Arena for the first time in five years.
On June 24 & 25, 2008, Pearl Jam will make a much anticipated return to the arena, for their first performance there in five years.
On September 13, 2008, Japanese rock band X Japan will play their first US concert at the arena as part of their 2008 world tour.
On August 22 2007,R&B Star Ciara performed here on the tour Screamfest '07, Co-headlined by herself and T.I..
WrestleMania
Madison Square Garden hosted three WrestleMania events. It hosted the first WrestleMania in 1985. The event became an anual event and is the biggest event in Sports-Entertainment and in the WWE. It then hosted WrestleMania X which saw the first ever Ladder Match in the WWE. It returned for WrestleMania XX which gave $2,4 million USD.
WWE
Madison Square Garden hosted other various WWE events. It has already hosted RAW, SmackDown! and the other four big WWE pay-per-views (Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and SummerSlam) . It recently hosted the Royal Rumble 2008.
Regular performances and concert records
Traditionally, Madison Square Garden hosts a concert on New Year's Eve. The Knicks and Rangers usually play on the road that evening. Recent NYE performances include multiple performances by the band Phish (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002), Billy Joel (1982, 1999), Blues Traveler (1996), Marc Anthony (2000), Wilco & The Flaming Lips (2004), The Black Crowes & Trey Anastasio (2005) and Chris Rock in 2007. A planned 2003 New Years show by Jane's Addiction and Marilyn Manson was cancelled due to low ticket sales. No show was booked for December 31, 2006.
Since 1985, Irish band U2 has performed 17 shows at the Garden, more than at any other venue, including a combined 8 sold out shows on the 1st and 3rd legs of their most recent Vertigo Tour. Their two performances on the Elevation Tour in October 2001 were considered by many not only among their best concerts ever, but among the best ever at the Garden, with emotions running high after September 11, and Bono inviting dozens of firemen and emergency workers onstage at the end of the performance.
The single artist holding the all-time record for the greatest number of appearances at the Garden is Elton John who has played the arena 60 times. For this feat he's had a banner stating "60" raised up to the ceiling in the arena for his record and age. The band that played more dates in the Garden than any other is The Grateful Dead, performing at the arena 52 times from 1979 through 1994. Van Halen has also played at the Garden numerous
times.
The Garden recently held historical concert by the emo rock band My Chemical Romance in which the band played under the tour name and title of their third studio album The Black Parade this event took place on May 9 2008
The Jonas Brothers will be playing for 2 nights (August 10, 2008 and August 11, 2008) during their tour this summer.
On August 22, R&B Star Ciara performed here on the tour Screamfest '07, Co-headlined by herself and T.I.. August
Film and television appearances
As an iconic figure, Madison Square Garden has made various appearances in film and television programs. It was featured in the 1979 Robert Redford film The Electric Horseman. Madison Square Garden is featured in the opening scenes of Highlander (1986), which included footage of former tag team The Fabulous Freebirds. (It is worth noting, however, that only the exterior was used; the interior shots were from Continental Airlines Arena.) The Garden's marquee is seen in the 1984 comedy film, Top Secret! advertising a concert by the protagonist, Nick Rivers. In 1988 it featured scenes in the cult comedy hit Coming to America.
Madison Square Garden was the "nest" for the carnivorous Godzilla babies and was later destroyed by F/A-18 Fighter/bombers in the Americanized version of Godzilla (1998). Madison Square Garden was featured in the films Glitter, Forget Paris, Finding Forrester, and the Adam Sandler remake of 
