Madison Square Garden

MSG Entrance (Wikipedia)

Madison Square Garden is one of the largest multi-purpose arenas located in Manhattan, taking up almost 820,000 square feet of space. For basketball games it can hold about 19,800 people and for concerts there is room for over 20,000. Technically there are four different locations that are named Madison Square Garden, but the most recently built and most popular is the one found above Penn Station along Eighth Avenue. It opened on February 11, 1968, and it is used for a variety of different events including professional basketball, ice hockey, lacrosse, boxing, ice shows, circuses, and a few other types of entertainment. It is also known as the oldest sports facility in all of New York City that is still in use. As far as ticket sales are concerned, it the third highest selling venue in the world. Costing over $1.1 billion in construction, it ranks in the top ten of most expensive indoor venues ever built.

The first Madison Square Garden was originally built on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway. Its namesake comes from James Madison, who was the fourth President of the United States. Still, many people do not know why the word garden is used in the name. The first venue was built on what used to be Madison Square Park, which was filled with numerous garden areas as well as small theaters.

The current venue site has undergone two renovations, with first costing about $200 million to add hundreds of upper level seating and several private suites. The second cost nearly $1 billion and took place over three different off seasons. This particular renovation allowed the facility to up to date with the latest technology of the time and provided a more modern décor with new lighting, video systems, and a broader entrance.

Inside MSG (Wikipedia)

Inside MSG (Wikipedia)

Madison Square Garden is continually busy year round, hosting nearly 320 events annually. It is home to many sporting teams such as the New York Rangers hockey team, the New York Knicks basketball team, and the New York Liberty women’s basketball team. Other regular events include the Ringling Bros. Circus, college basketball games, the NBA draft, track and field meets, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and the 2004 Republican National Convention. However, the Garden is most well-known for the various selections of concerts that they host. Big name stars that have performed in the venue consist of John Lennon, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, U2, and The Black Eyed Peas. More recent artists include Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Miley Cyrus, Usher, and Lady Gaga. Elton John holds the records for most shows with an astonishing 64 performances, while U2 has performed 17 times. Lady Gaga’s first show in MSG also sold out online within 7 seconds.

Although I’ve never been to Madison Square Garden, it is on my bucket list to attend a concert there. A concert with 20,000 other fans would be such an amazing experience. Being a concert junkie myself, I look forward to the day when an artist that I like schedules a show at MSG.

Work Cited

“Madison Square Garden.” Madison Square Garden – Official Web Site. MSG Holdings, 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2014. <http://www.thegarden.com/content/msg/the-garden.html>.

2 thoughts on “Madison Square Garden

  1. I took a tour of MSG about six months ago. When I went, the ice hockey rink was set up because there was a Rangers game later that day. I absolutely love MSG. I really want to go to a concert there, but most of them sell out in minutes, and even seconds. Cool post! I love New York!

  2. I haven’t been to Madison Square Garden yet either! I also was curious as to why garden was in its name, thanks for explaining! I didn’t realize that it was home to so many events either- I thought really just the Knicks and concerts were held there.

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