Meet Wilmington’s newest concert venue, the 76ers Fieldhouse

The 76ers Fieldhouse | photo by Suchat Pederson | via The News Journal

The Philadelphia 76ers recently opened a new space in Wilmington — but it’s not just for basketball. By day, the indoor arena will be home to the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers’ G League team. But when the players go home for the night, the space will be transformed into a 3,000 capacity concert venue.

The 76ers Fieldhouse will be Wilmington’s largest indoor concert venue — it’s more than double the size of the city’s other prominent venues, The Grand and The Queen — which opens up the possibility of becoming a touring destination for major acts, rivaling Philly venues like Franklin Music Hall and The Met. Already open for basketball purposes, the Fieldhouse will host its first concert on Saturday, February 16, featuring Maryland alt-rockers O.A.R.

The idea to use the space as a music venue was first broached by concert promoters VPM Events, who noticed the need for a venue of this size in the area. “There’s a void of that in Delaware,” VPM’s Matt Van Belle told The News Journal. “So when we heard the 76ers Fieldhouse was going to be built, we thought that would be a perfect space for something like this. At first, I think it was going to be strictly for sports, but after we all spoke, it became something that they were willing to take a shot on and try out.”

The VPM-booked O.A.R. show is the only concert scheduled at the Fieldhouse so far, but as The News Journal points out, other promoters, including LiveNation and the folks behind neighboring venue The Grand, may also jump on the chance to book concerts at the new venue in the future. Read The News Journal’s full story on the new venue here.

Find more information about upcoming shows at the 76ers Fieldhouse on the XPN Concert Calendar.