Tony’s Pizza Events Center, formerly the Bicentennial Center, is located in Salina, Kansas. It includes a 7,583-seat multipurpose arena, meeting rooms and Heritage Hall, an 18,000 square foot convention center. It is home of the Salina Liberty of the Champions Indoor Football league, and is nicknamed Mid-America's Meeting Place. On February 22, 2017, it was announced that the name of the Bicentennial Center would be changed to the Tony's Pizza Events Center, effective immediately.
The City of Salina is the primary owner of the center. Spectra manages the center as well as more than 100 other public assembly facilities around the world.
A variety of events are held at the events center, including concerts, family shows, sport events, trade shows, and conventions. Annual events include: Salina Invitational Basketball Tournament, Salina Home & Leisure Show, Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) 4A Wrestling, Basketball and Volleyball State Tournaments, National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Women's Division I Basketball National Championship, Mid-America Farm Expo, Shrine Circus, Tri-Rivers Fair, and commencements for Salina Area Technical College, Brown Mackie College, and USD 305.
The arena has been home to five professional sports franchises: the Kansas Cagerz of the United States Basketball League (1999-2007), the Salina Rattlers of the International Basketball Association (2000-2001), the Salina Bombers of the Champions Indoor Football league (2013-2015), the Salina Liberty, also of the CIF (2016-present), and the Salina Saints of the American Basketball Association (2016-present).
The first concert at the center was the Osmonds, on June 2, 1979. The concert sold out, and there was a crowd of 7,300.
On August 26, 1990, the rock band KISS performed at the arena as part of their Hot in the Shade Tour. During the show, the band's enormous stage set overloaded the arena's power supply causing a transformer to explode outside the building and cutting electricity inside the arena. This abruptly ended the show before the band could complete their set. A short time later, band member Paul Stanley phoned a local radio station and promised to return to Salina to make up for the shortened show. This phone call was recorded and played on the air. To date, KISS has never returned.
On February 22, 2017, the center was renamed from Salina Bicentennial Center to Tony's Pizza Event Center and described as "the largest pizza facility in the world.” A food service subsidiary of Schwan Food Company paid $1,200,000 to receive comprehensive naming rights for 15 years.
Wrestling/Mixed Martial Arts
World Championship Wrestling - April 8 & October 15, 1993, May 8 & November 17, 1998 & December 3, 1999
TNA Wrestling - August 22, 2008 & March 2, 2010
United Fighting Federation - Fall Brawl - November 8, 2008
Warfare Xtreme Cagefighting - Caged Controversy - May 2, 2009
WWE NXT Live - May 5, 2016
Concerts
The Osmonds - June 2, 1979
Kansas - Monolith Tour, with LeRoux - July 21, 1979, Audio Visions Tour - October 19, 1980, Power Tour - March 7, 1987, 1991 Tour, with Foghat - July 27, 1991 & 1993 Tour, with Foghat & Molly Hatchet - July 31, 1993
The Charlie Daniels Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage & The Henry Paul Band - August 24, 1979
Journey - Departure Tour - July 8, 1980
Van Halen & The Cats - World Invasion "Party 'Til You Die" Tour - August 24, 1980
Heart & Robert Palmer - September 7, 1980
The Beach Boys & Randy Meisner & The Silverados - February 16, 1981
Doobie Brothers & Carl Wilson - June 23, 1981
Kenny Rogers - with Charly McClain - July 18, 1981, Christmas From The Heart Tour, with The Toy Shoppe - December 2, 2000
Hall & Oates & Donnie Iris - March 27, 1982
Loverboy & Point Blank - August 5, 1982
Chicago - October 2, 1982
Alabama & Janie Fricke - November 27, 1982
Barry Manilow - January 25, 1983
Blue Öyster Cult - Blot & Blue Tour, with Blotto - February 27, 1983 & with Kansas - July 31, 1996
Ricky Skaggs & Gene Watson - March 10, 1985
Rick Springfield & The Motels - September 15, 1985
KISS - Asylum Tour, with King Kobra - March 9, 1986 & Hot in the Shade Tour, with Winger & Slaughter - August 26, 1990
Vince Gill & Patty Loveless - May 10, 1992
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - June 13, 1992
Andy Williams - December 4, 1992
The Black Crowes & The Jayhawks - February 23, 1993
Anne Murray - May 2, 1993
Brooks & Dunn & Pam Tillis - August 15, 1993
Dan Fogelberg - March 26, 1994
Mötley Crüe - August 21, 1994
Lorrie Morgan & Clay Walker - August 27, 1994
LeAnn Rimes & Bryan White - January 4, 1998
The Oak Ridge Boys - December 12, 1999
Bob Dylan - 2000 North American Tour, with Asleep at the Wheel - April 5, 2000 & 2009 North American Tour - October 23, 2009
Oldies 98.5 Rock 'N' Roll Revival, featuring Lesley Gore, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Johnny Preston, Merrilee Rush & Sam the Sham - October 22, 2000 & Revival II, featuring The Platters with Sonny Turner, Danny & the Juniors, Ray Peterson, Rosie of The Originals & Bobby Lewis - November 3, 2001
My Fair Lady - Broadway in Salina Series - December 5, 2001
Collin Raye - December 15, 2001
Rascal Flatts with Brian McComas - I Melt Tour - February 6, 2004 and with Barrett Baber - Rhythm & Roots Tour - March 18, 2016
Audio Adrenaline, Relient K, Kids in the Way & Number One Gun - September 19, 2004
Newsboys, Rebecca St. James & Todd Agnew - November 26, 2004
Michael W. Smith, Selah & Watermark - Healing Rain Tour - April 20, 2005
Willie Nelson - September 2, 2005
Larry the Cable Guy - October 9, 2005
Casting Crowns, Building 429 & Tony Nolan - Lifesong Tour - October 23, 2005
2006 Winter Jam Tour Spectacular - Newsboys, NewSong, tobyMac, ZOEgirl, Hawk Nelson & Krystal Meyers - March 2, 2006
MercyMe, Audio Adrenaline & Gabriel Peter - Coming Up To Breathe Tour - February 17, 2007
Jeff Dunham & Jason Dixon - May 16, 2007
Big Band Dance, featuring Bobby Layne & His Orchestra - June 8, 2007
Mark Lundholm - September 19, 2007
tobyMac, BarlowGirl, & Thousand Foot Krutch - Portable Sounds Tour - November 2, 2007
Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum & Eric Durrance - November 7, 2008
Darius Rucker, The Eli Young Band & David Nail - March 8, 2014
Ted Nugent - Sonic Baptizm 2016 Tour - September 1, 2016
Other Events
Professional Bull Riders - Match of Champions Tour - August 6–7, 2003, Humps 'N' Horns Tour - July 30–31, 2004, 2007 Discovery Tour - February 2–3, 2007, 2008 Discovery Tour - February 1–2, 2008 & 2009 Discovery Tour - February 6–7, 2009
Outlaw Monster Truck Nationals - November 8, 2003
Monster Truck Winter Nationals - March 31, 2007
The Harlem Globetrotters - March 28, 2008
