Credit Union 1 Arena (previously known as UIC Pavilion) is a multi-purpose
arena located at 525 S. Racine Avenue on the
Near West Side in
Chicago,
Illinois. It opened in 1982.
Description and history
Credit Union 1 Arena is located on the campus of the
University of Illinois Chicago. Originally named the UIC Pavilion, it opened in 1982, and was renovated in 2001. The arena is rented for many functions and concerts. It is accessible from the
CTABlue LineRacine stop, located one block north of the Pavilion. It is also accessible from the #7 Harrison Bus and the #60 Blue Island/26th Bus. It also hosted UIC's
ice hockey team when they competed in the
CCHA as well as the 1984, 1999, and 2000
Horizon League men's basketball conference tournament.
In 2018, UIC signed a 15-year naming rights agreement with
Credit Union 1, a
credit union based in Illinois, and renamed the venue from UIC Pavilion to Credit Union 1 Arena.[6]
Notable events
1980s
April 10, 1983:
Prince performed the final show of his
1999 Tour at the arena.
November 18, 1983:
Black Sabbath performed at the arena on their sold-out Born Again Tour, featuring
Deep Purple's
Ian Gillan on vocals.
February 16–17, 1985:
Deep Purple performed at the arena on their sold-out Perfect Strangers tour.
June 18 and November 25, 1994:
Phish performed at the arena, with both concerts released in full on the band's 2012 box set Chicago '94.[8]
February 16, 1996: The World Air Games, a high jump competition, was held at the arena.[9]
2000s
October 31, 2001: Rock band
Widespread Panic held their annual Halloween show at the arena, delighting crowds with first time covers of Frank Zappa's "Joes Garage" and The Temptations' "Ball of Confusion".
October 12, 2003: Members of the US national men's and women's gymnastics teams participated at an show at the arena.[10]
Sept 17, 2015: The
Chicago Sky defeated the
Indiana Fever before a crowd of 4,098 people at the arena in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference Semifinal series for the
2015 WNBA Playoffs.
Feb 28, 2018: Rock band
A Day to Remember performed to a sold-out crowd on their 15 Years in the Making tour, the largest crowd the band had played for to date.
May 15, 2023: The arena served as the venue for the inauguration of
Brandon Johnson, the 57th and current mayor of Chicago.[25]
March 8, 2024: The arena served as the venue for a concert by the American rock band
The Strokes to benefit Illinois 7th congressional candidate
Kina Collins during her 2024 campaign. Others who performed that concert were American rock band
Beach Bunny, who served as The Strokes opener.[26]