JOSé MIGUEL AGRELOT COLISEUM

The 'José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum', officially named "'Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot'" (and nicknamed 'El Choliseo', in honor of Agrelot's best known character, Don Cholito), is the biggest indoor arena in Puerto Rico dedicated to entertainment. It is located at the financial district of San Juan, the island capital.
The coliseum opened its doors to the public in September 2004 after a prolonged construction financed by the government of Puerto Rico, and is currently managed by SMG. It can accommodate up to 18,000 spectators and can be reached by the ''Tren Urbano'' (Urban Train) system from a nearby station.

Contents

History

Original plans

Controversy

Dedication

Awards and recognitions

Notable events at the Coliseum

Concerts

Sporting events

Arts

Other events

External links

History

Original plans

The Coliseum was a project started during the administration of Governor Pedro Rosselló, initially as part of an Olympic bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games. The facility was supposed to be constructed between two local sport venues: the Roberto Clemente Coliseum and Hiram Bithorn Baseball Stadium, about a mile and a half away from the current arena site. The Coliseum would have been used for events such as Gymnastics and Olympic Basketball had the games been held in San Juan.

Controversy

In 1997, however, Athens was selected to host the games, and the construction of the Coliseum was jeopardized. Recognizing the need for such a facility anyways, the government decided to continue the construction, this time at a site physically close to San Juan's financial district, the ''"Milla de Oro"'' ("Golden Mile"). Since the new site was adjacent to a future Tren Urbano station, the Coliseum's planners decided not to incorporate parking facilities to the arena, as to induce visitors to use mass transportation to reach it.
Political opponents of the Rosselló administration raised various objections to the original plan, claiming that the lot of land purchased for the construction would benefit some of his political party's (the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico) heaviest financial contributors. They also objected to the lack of parking space, claiming that nearby private parking operators (who were also money donors to Rosselló's party, they claimed) would extort high parking fees from people who could not or would not use public transportation to the venue (at the time, the Tren Urbano was in its initial stages of construction; by the time the facility opened it was still under construction). Objectors would also point out that a private operator would take control of the facility under contract from the government of Puerto Rico under what was perceived as a highly expensive contract. The Rosselló administration countered by stating that previous experience with public sports facilities in Puerto Rico (which would quickly fall into disrepair at an accelerated rate requiring constant remodelings) demanded that a private entity manage the facility. The contract's expense would be justified by bringing in an operating partner with international experience managing world-class facilities, whose reputation would ensure that performers and sport events that had never been staged in Puerto Rico could visit the island.
The Coliseum's construction was stopped for close to two years during the administration of governor Sila María Calderón, the leader of the opposition party (the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico) whose administration followed Rosselló's. She claimed that the Puerto Rican government had spent $242 million dollars for a facility where only 42% of its scheduled project plan had been completed when she took office. The planners and constructors had overlooked the fact that a water pumping station next to the facility had been built over unstable land, and a portion of the building's foundations would have had to be redone because of this. There was even talk of demolishing what had been built and starting from scratch, which infuriated Rosselló supporters, who dismissed the suggestion as merely an excuse to spend more government money, this time to benefit the PDP's financial backers. Plans for a redesigned interior added during the Calderón administration added fuel to the intense public controversy.
Yet another controversy came about when the ticketing distributor was named. An exclusive contract was awarded to Banco Popular's Ticketpop, almost ignoring the bid by competitor TicketCenter. The situation almost went to trial, as both parties argued over who should sell the tickets for the events, but the puertorican government stood by their original contract with Ticketpop. Local producer Angelo Medina spearheaded a group that wanted the legislature to curb the managing powers of SMG, recently named to oversee operations and activities, because they feared that the company's relationship with non-local T.V. companies would limit the participation of local talent in the arena.
Finally, the coliseum was finally inaugurated in September 2004, several years into its construction and millions of dollars over budget.

Dedication

The naming of the structure caused a controversy by itself. During the construction phase, plans called for the coliseum to be named simply ''El Coliseo de Puerto Rico'' (The Coliseum of Puerto Rico), but when it was also suggested that a private entity could sponsor the facility and thereby lend its name to it, most local politicians objected to the idea, since the financial scandal involving Enron reminded them that the bankrupt company had sponsored a sports facility (Enron Field, later named the Minute Maid Park) in Houston, Texas, United States.
Some politicians argued on behalf of naming the coliseum after a Puerto Rican celebrity. Some of the names mentioned were that of pop star Ricky Martin, boxer Félix Trinidad and recently deceased actor Raúl Juliá. Puerto Rican law demanded that no facility could be named after a living individual, and there were talks of making an exception to the law should a living Puerto Rican icon be honored with the name.
However, the name of beloved local comedian José Miguel Agrelot was chosen when the coliseum was near its completion. Agrelot himself had suggested the name of Rafael Hernández Marín to be used, and when someone suggested his name instead he was both surprised and concerned. He was quoted as saying once in his radio program, ''"Tu Alegre Despertar"'': "I can only hope my name won't be used, since I'd like God to keep me alive for quite some time. .. it would be a great honor, and I wouldn't object to it if that is what people want, but public facilities here are customarily named after dead people. .. I won't even dare to think about it. I'd only like the controversy over the name to stop".
Soon after, Agrelot died in his sleep while taking an afternoon nap, on January 28, 2004. The almost unanimous consensus of most Puerto Ricans was that Agrelot deserved the honor, and the facility was dedicated to him on what would have been his birthday that year. A bust of "Don Cholito" now stands at the coliseum's lobby.

Awards and recognitions

Pollstar, the prestigious U.S. based magazine, chose the Puerto Rico Coliseum as the "International Large Venue of the Year 2005". This means it is recognized as one of the most important venues in the world, competing with the Sydney Superdome in Australia; the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England; The National Auditorium in Mexico City, and the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
“The Choliseo, as Puerto Ricans affectionately call the Coliseum, was another of those pleasant surprises last year,” continued Rivera Cardona. “It received Pollstar’s coveted 2005 Best New International Large Venue of the Year and it is nominated again for the Best International Venue of the Year in 2006.” The Puerto Rico Coliseum ranks No. 15 in ticket sales worldwide according to industry trade magazine Pollstar.
The Puerto Rico Coliseum has developed into the premier entertainment site on the island. Since its inauguration (2004) 1.5 million people have crossed its gates bringing in $59.4 million in gross ticket revenue and generating $6.5 million in rent revenue. Last year alone, the Coliseum hosted 142 events and had gross gate revenue of $30 million, 34% above original projections. Food and beverage sales reached $5.2 million, $1 million above projections, and other income amounted to an additional $8 million for total revenue of $43.2 million, more than $10 million more than the original $33 million projection.

Notable events at the Coliseum

Concerts

★ Roberto Roena, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz and Papo Lucca's Sonora Ponceña - September 4, 2004

★ Van Halen - September 13, 2004

★ Robi Draco Rosa - September 18, 2004

★ Ricardo Montaner - October 1, 2004

★ Juan Luis Guerra - October 9, 2004

★ Andrea Bocelli - November 19, 2004

★ David Bisbal - December 4, 2004

★ Scorpions - December 10, 2004

★ KoЯn - December 15, 2004

★ Daddy Yankee - December 18, 2004

★ Luis Santiago - January 28, 2005

★ Sin Banderas - February 5, 2005

★ Duran Duran - February 8, 2005

★ Toto, With Special Guest Star Saga - February 11, 2005

★ Franco de Vita "Mil y una historias" - February 12, 2005

★ Mötley Crüe ''Carnival of Sins'' tour - February 14, 2005

★ Donna Summers - February 24, 2004

★ Chicago & America - February 25, 2005

★ Juanes "Mi Sangre Tour" - February 26, 2005

★ Usher - March 5, 2005

★ Alejandro Fernández "A Corazón Abierto" - March 12, 2005

★ Santana - April 1, 2005

★ Usher - April 4, 2005

★ Lionel Richie - April 28, 2005

★ Gloria Trevi - May 6, 2005

★ Objetivo Fama 2da Edicion "El Concierto" - May 7, 2005

★ Cristian Castro - August 6, 2005

★ "''Rock Never Stops Tour''" with Cinderella, Quiet Riot, Ratt & Firehouse - August 20, 2005

★ Journey - September 14, 2005

★ Carlos Vives - October 1, 2005

★ Megadeth - October 15, 2005

★ Hilary Duff - November 13

★ Ednita Nazario - November 18,November 19,and November 20 2005

★ The Rolling Stones - February 11, 2006

★ Ricky Martin - February 18 and February 19, 2006

★ Dream Theater - February 24, 2006

★ Sting - April 27, 2006

★ Calle 13 - May 6, 2006

★ Rakim y Ken-Y - August 18, 2006

★ RBD Tour Generación 2006 August 27, 2006 1° concert

★ RBD Tour Generación 2006 August 27, 2006 2° concert

★ "''Chinese Democracy Tour''" - Guns N' Roses, Sebastian Bach & Papa Roach - October 29, 2006

★ Bryan Adams - November 3, 2006

★ Def Leppard & Journey - November 19, 2006

★ "''Route of All Evil Tour''" Aerosmith only, opened by Vivanativa - November 26, 2006

★ Shakira Oral Fixation Tour - December 3, 2006

★ Ricky Martin Black and White Tour - February 9, February 10 ,February 11, and February 12, 2007

★ Maná Amar es Combatir Tour - March 30, 31, April 1, and 3, 2007

★ Bon Jovi - June 8, 2007

★ Ricky Martin - August 10, 11, 2007

★ Daddy Yankee - August 24, 25, 2007

★ RBD - September 15, 2007

★ The Spice Girls - TBA 2007-2008

Sporting events

★ Boxing: Miguel Cotto vs. Kelson Pinto - September 11, 2004

★ WWE New Year's Revolution - January 9, 2005

★ WWE Raw live event - August 26, 2005

★ Santurce Crabbers (BSN) home games (since 2005)

★ WWE SmackDown! live event - June 29, 2006

★ ArenaCup VII - August 26, 2006

★ NHL Exhibition Game, New York Rangers vs. Florida Panthers - September 23, 2006

★ NBA Exhibition Game 2006: Detroit Pistons vs. Miami Heat- October 10, 2006

★ WWE Raw live event - March 8, 2007

★ TNA 'Zona De Impacto' (The Impact Zone) - June 3, 2007

★ WWE Smackdown/ECW live event - November 11, 2007

★ Marchand Continental Cup (International basketball tournament) - August 2007

★ Puerto Rico Tip Off - Annual NCAA tournament, first one to be held in November 2007

Arts

★ Carmina Burana (staged cantata) - February 19, 2005

★ Art Exposition - July 27, 2005

Other events

★ Sesame Street Live - September 12, 2004

★ Barney & Friends y su mundo de colores - November 10 and November 14, 2004

★ Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular - January 22, 2005

★ The Wiggles (minus Greg Page, who could not attend due to illness) - November 25-27, 2005

★ Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus - December 18, 2005

External links

★ Official Website