Heritage Bank Center

The arena was the home of the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979. Since then, the arena has hosted two minor league hockey teams and various concerts, political rallies, tennis tournaments, figure skating, professional wrestling, traveling circus and rodeo shows, and other events. The facility's longest-serving tenant was the Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati, who used the arena from its construction until 1987, when the team moved to Cincinnati Gardens and eventually to the on-campus Fifth Third Arena.

Until the opening of Fifth Third Arena at the University of Cincinnati and Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky University, commencement ceremonies for both schools were held at Heritage Bank Center. On occasion, there have been local pushes for the attraction of another major sports franchise to occupy the arena, possibly a National Basketball Association (NBA) or National Hockey League (NHL) franchise.{{cite web |title=CityBeat Letters: Any Hope for NBA in Cincinnati?|first=Don|last=Jefferson|url=http://citybeat.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A139542|work=CityBeat|date=June 6, 2007|access-date=November 27, 2008}} The Cincinnati Royals moved to Kansas City – Omaha in 1972, and were the last NBA team to call Cincinnati home. The NBA Cleveland Cavaliers have played preseason games at Heritage Bank Center.{{cite news |title=Cavaliers Announce 2013–14 Preseason Schedule |url=http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/releases/preseason-schedule-130709 |publisher=National Basketball Association |date=July 9, 2013 |access-date=June 21, 2016}}

In August 2019, it was announced that U.S. Bank would not be renewing its naming rights sponsorship of the arena, which had been in effect since 2002.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/08/15/u-s-bank-arena-getting-a-new-name.html|title=U.S. Bank Arena is getting a new name|last=Watkins|first=Steve|date=August 15, 2019|work=Cincinnati Business Courier|access-date=19 August 2019}} Kentucky-based Heritage Bank assumed naming rights of the arena on November 4, 2019.[https://www.citybeat.com/news/blog/21095548/cincinnati-riverfront-venue-us-bank-arena-has-a-new-name Cincinnati Riverfront Venue U.S. Bank Arena Has A New Name]

• Brian and Albert Heekin (1975–1997){{cite web|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1997/09/28/loc_crown.html|title=Local – The Enquirer – September 28, 1997|date=September 28, 1997|work=enquirer.com|access-date=December 26, 2016}}
• Cincinnati Entertainment Associates (1997–2001){{cite web|url=http://enquirer.com/editions/2000/09/14/loc_arena_history.html|title=Arena needs financial help|date=September 14, 2000|work=enquirer.com|access-date=December 26, 2016}}
• Nederlander Entertainment (2001–present){{cite web|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/06/16/fin_firstar_center_sold.html|title=Firstar Center sold to ex-owner|date=June 16, 2001|work=enquirer.com|access-date=December 26, 2016}}
• Anschutz Entertainment Group (2011–present){{Cite web | date=March 24, 2011 | url=http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2011/03/24/aeg-nederlander-partner-to-own-us.html | title=AEG, Nederlander partner to own U.S. Bank Arena, Cyclones | website=The Business Journals | publisher=Cincinnati Business Courier | access-date=December 26, 2016}}

The arena was renovated in 1997 as part of the facility's purchase that year by a group headed by Doug Kirchhofer, owner of the Cincinnati Cyclones. The renovation cost $14 million and included new seating, improved concourses and restrooms, expanded concession areas, and a new center-hanging video board. As part of the renovation, the building was renamed "The Crown" and the Cyclones, who then played in the International Hockey League, moved from the Cincinnati Gardens.{{cite news |title=Cyclones group buys Coliseum |url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1997/02/11/loc_coliseum.html |author=Hobson, Geoff |date=February 11, 1997 |newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=June 21, 2016}}{{cite news |title=Banking on the river |url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1997/05/18/loc_river.html |date=May 18, 1997 |author=May, Lucy |newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=June 21, 2016}}

A $200 million renovation was proposed in 2015 by arena owners Nederlander Entertainment and AEG Facilities. The renovations would include both upgrades to the seating and expansion to increase capacity to 18,500 seats, additional luxury suites and other premium seating, a new exterior facade, new video boards, and a renovation of the exterior concourse.{{cite news |title=Renderings of proposed U.S. Bank renovations |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/07/28/renovation-ahead-us-bank-arena/30775649/ |author1=Hussein, Fatima |author2=Tweh, Bowdeya |date=July 28, 2015 |newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=June 21, 2016}}

The push for extensive renovations and upgrades came in 2014 after the city ran a bid for the 2016 Republican National Convention, which was unsuccessful due to the lack of adequate hotel rooms and infrastructure in the proximity of the Arena.{{cite news |title=U.S. Bank Arena blamed for losing convention |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2014/05/22/us-bank-arena-blamed-losing-convention/9472101/ |author1=Coolidge, Sharon |author2=Shesgreen, Deirdre |newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer |date=May 23, 2014 |access-date=June 21, 2016}}{{cite web |title=A New Vision |url=http://usbankarena.com/whatsnextcincy |date=July 28, 2015 |work=USBankArena.com |access-date=June 21, 2016}}

In 2017, Nederlander Entertainment announced its intention to tear down and replace the arena if a deal could be made with taxpayers, citing inadequate space and dated '70s aesthetics.{{cite web | url=http://local12.com/news/local/us-bank-arena-may-be-torn-down | title=US Bank Arena may be torn down, rebuilt but not without help from tax payers | date=April 19, 2017 | access-date=April 20, 2017}} This plan came after the Arena was awarded to be a site for the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, contingent upon updates to the venue. However, after little progress was made the NCAA decided in late 2019 to move the site of the games to Indianapolis.{{cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2019/12/11/heres-why-ncaa-tournament-games-wont-be-played-in.html |title=Here's why NCAA tournament games won't be played in Cincinnati after all |last=Watkins |first=Steve |date=11 Dec 2019 |website=bizjournals.com |publisher=Cincinnati Business Courier |access-date=30 Jun 2020 }}

Image:Heritage Bank Center – Cincinnati vs. Dayton – December 2024.jpg

The Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association played eight games at the newly opened arena for their 1975–1976 season before the team folded due to the ABA–NBA merger following the season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/KEN/1976_games.html|title = 1975-76 Kentucky Colonels Schedule and Results}}

Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball utilized Riverfront Coliseum as their home court from 1976 to 1987. During the Bearcats' tenancy the venue hosted the 1978 and 1983 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament.

Additional conference tournaments hosted here was the finals of the 1981 and the entire 1992 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball tournament as well as the 2005 and 2006 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament. In these instances, Xavier served as the host for the conference tournaments.

The 2002 and 2004 Conference USA men's basketball tournament were also hosted at the venue, in these instances with Cincinnati serving as the host for the conference tournaments.

The arena was the site of the Regional of the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, as well as a first and second round site for the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and the 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The arena was also host to the 1997 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Final Four.

In the aftermath of the 2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl, Cincinnati and Xavier agreed to move the Crosstown Shootout to the arena for the next two seasons. After the 2013 game, the Shootout returned to being played on campus.

Heritage Bank Center has hosted dozens of college basketball games as a neutral venue. The colleges which have most frequently played neutral-site games at the venue are Xavier (21 games), Cincinnati (15), Kentucky (11), Miami (OH) (9) Louisville (6), and Dayton (4).

This table does not include regular season games played by Cincinnati, when the team utilized Riverfront Coliseum as their home court from 1976 to 1987.

Source{{Cite web|url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/arenariverfront.html|title = Kentucky's Riverfront Coliseum Record}}{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/ucbearcats/docs/2019-20_cincinnati_media_guide |title=2019-20 Cincinnati Men's Basketball Media Guide |author= |date=17 Oct 2019 |website=issuu.com |publisher=UC Athletics |access-date=30 Jun 2020 }}{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/goxavier.com/documents/2018/12/28/115_172_Records_2018.pdf |title=2018-19 Xavier Men's Basketball Media Guide |author= |website=amazonaws.com |publisher=Xavier Athletics |access-date=1 Jul 2020 |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208034643/https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/goxavier.com/documents/2018/12/28/115_172_Records_2018.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/udayton.sidearmsports.com/documents/2018/12/21/2018_19_MBB_Media_Guide_Update_122118.pdf |title=2018-19 Dayton Men's Basketball Media Guide |author= |website=amazonaws.com |publisher=Dayton Athletics |access-date=2 Jul 2020 }}{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/gocards.com/documents/2017/10/20/mbb_1718mg_sec8.pdf |title=2017-18 Louisville Men's Basketball Media Guide |author= |website=amazonaws.com |publisher=Louisville Athletics |access-date=25 Jul 2020 }}{{cite web |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/miamiredhawks.com/documents/2020/5/18/2020_21_MBK_Record_Book.pdf |title=2020-21 Miami Men's Basketball Media Guide |author= |website=amazonaws.com |publisher=Miami Redhawks Athletics |access-date=25 Jul 2020 }}

Image:CincinnatiCyclones33013.JPG

The first tenant of the arena was the Cincinnati Stingers franchise, which existed from 1975 to 1979 as an expansion team of the World Hockey Association. Despite moderate success, the Stingers did not survive the NHL–WHA merger in 1979 and the team ceased operations. A handful of minor league hockey franchises have called the arena home, with the most successful and longest standing being the Cincinnati Cyclones. As of 2020, the Cyclones are the only active tenant of the venue.

The arena has played host to a handful of college hockey events, including the 1996 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Frozen Four, which was won by Michigan. The site also hosted the regional games for the 2014, 2016, and 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. In each instance, Miami (OH) served as the host for the regional games.

The first entertainment event (opening night) to be staged at the facility was a rock concert by The Allman Brothers Band and special guest Muddy Waters on the Win, Lose Or Draw Tour on September 9, 1975, attended by 16,721 persons.{{cite news |title=Opening Night at Riverfront Coliseum|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=September 10, 1975|page=A1}}{{cite news |title=In It's [sic] Debut, Coliseum Turns into Huge Smoke-Filled Room|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=September 10, 1975|page=B9}}

On June 25, 1977, Elvis Presley gave his second-to-last concert at the Riverfront Coliseum, with 17,140 persons attending.

In 1979, The Bee Gees played two sold-out shows during their Spirits Having Flown Tour.

On March 28, 2010, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performed a sold-out show at the venue during her Fearless Tour.

Musical duo Twenty One Pilots performed as part of their Bandito Fall Tour on October 22, 2019, then again for The Icy Tour on August 21, 2022.

On October 24, 2019, Canadian singer Celine Dion performed a show during her Courage World Tour. She had performed at the venue previously when the facility was named "The Crown", as part of her Let's Talk About Love Tour, on September 19, 1998. {{cite web |url=https://www.celinedion.com/in-concert/ |title = In Concert {{!}} CelineDion.com}}

On August 24, 2022, My Chemical Romance performed a sold-out show at the venue as part of their Reunion Tour.{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=CityBeat |title=Everything We Saw the the[sic] My Chemical Romance Show at Heritage Bank Center |url=https://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/everything-we-saw-the-the-my-chemical-romance-show-at-heritage-bank-center/Slideshow/13752607 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=Cincinnati CityBeat |language=en}}

Multiple other artists and groups have performed at the venue, including Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Elton John, gospel music artist Ron Kenoly, and several performances of Handel's Messiah.

{{Main|The Who concert disaster}}

On December 3, 1979, 11 teenagers and young adults were killed by compressive asphyxia, and 26 others were injured, during a crowd crush caused by a rush for the best seats before the start of a sold-out concert by English rock band The Who.{{cite news |title=Stampede Kills 11 Persons at Coliseum Rock Concert|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=December 4, 1979|page=A1}}{{cite news |title=Too Few Doors, Angry Crowd; 11 Die in Coliseum Stampede|newspaper=The Cincinnati Post|date=December 4, 1979|page=1}}{{cite magazine |title=Rock & Roll Tragedy – Why Eleven Died in Cincinnati|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=January 24, 1980|issue=309|page=1}}{{cite news |title=National Affairs – Cincinnati Stampede|work=Newsweek|date=December 17, 1979|pages=52–53}}{{cite news |title=The Stampede to Tragedy|magazine=Time|date=December 17, 1979|pages=88–89}}{{cite journal |title=The Who And Pete Townshend Face A Tour And Face Their Fears After Cincinnati|journal=People|date=May 12, 1980|volume=13|issue=19|pages=97–102}} On that evening, a total of 18,348 ticketed fans were attending, which included 14,770 in general admission seats. The concert was using festival seating, where seats were made available on a first-come, first-served basis.{{cite news |title=General Admission 'A Way of Life'|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=December 5, 1979|page=B3}} When the fans waiting outside the Coliseum could hear the band conducting a late sound-check, they incorrectly presumed that the concert was beginning without them and tried to break through the still-locked venue doors. Some people (at the very front of the crowd) were either trampled underfoot or squeezed to the point of suffocation while standing, as the crowds pushing from behind were unaware that the doors were still closed. Only a few doors were in operation that night, and there were reports that management did not open more doors due to union restrictions and the concern of people gate-crashing the ticket turnstiles.{{cite book |last1=Chertkoff|first1=JM|last2=Kushigian|first2=RH|title=Don't Panic: The Psychology of Emergency Egress and Ingress|publisher=Praeger|year=1999|pages=79–83|isbn=0-275-96268-7}}{{cite journal |last=Johnson|first=Norris R.|title=Panic at 'The Who Concert Stampede': An Empirical Assessment|journal=Social Problems|volume=34|issue=4|date=October 1987|pages=362–373|doi=10.1525/sp.1987.34.4.03a00040}}

As a result, the remaining concerts scheduled for 1979, namely Blue Öyster Cult on December 14 and Aerosmith on December 21, were canceled,{{cite news |title=Concert Promoters Cancel Two Events Set For December|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=December 5, 1979|page=B1}} and concert venues across North America switched to reserved seating or changed their rules about festival seating. Cincinnati immediately outlawed festival seating at concerts. After establishment of a crowd control task force by Cincinnati mayor Ken Blackwell, the first concert held at the facility after the tragedy was ZZ Top with the Rockets on March 21, 1980, on ZZ Top's Expect No Quarter Tour.{{cite news |title=Concert Crackdown: 130 Arrested; Security Strong, Crowd Happy at Rock's Return|newspaper=The Cincinnati Post|date=March 22, 1980|page=1A}}

On August 4, 2004, the Cincinnati City Council unanimously overturned the ban on festival seating because it placed the city at a disadvantage for booking concerts.{{cite news |title=Festival Seating Unanimously OK'd – Council Reassured Who Tragedy Won't Be Repeated|first=Steve|last=Kemme|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/05/loc_council05.1.html|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=August 5, 2004|access-date=February 12, 2013|pages=C1,8}} Many music acts prefer festival seating because it can allow the most enthusiastic fans to get near the stage and generate excitement for the rest of the crowd. The city had previously made a one-time exception to the ban, allowing festival seating for a Bruce Springsteen concert on November 12, 2002. Cincinnati was, for a time, the only city in the United States to outlaw festival seating altogether.

In 1987, the facility hosted the World Figure Skating Championships.

The arena hosted two major professional wrestling pay-per-view events: WCW's Souled Out in 2000 and WWE's Cyber Sunday in 2006.

UFC 77 was held at the arena on October 20, 2007, and was headlined by local fighter Rich Franklin. The UFC returned to the arena for the second time on May 10, 2014, with UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva. The Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov event was held at the arena on September 10, 2011.{{cite web |title=Barnett vs. Kharitonov |url=http://www.sherdog.com/events/Strikeforce-Barnett-vs-Kharitonov-17411 |publisher=Strikeforce|date=September 10, 2011|access-date=February 13, 2012}}

On April 17, 2011, the arena hosted Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Lockdown pay-per-view event.

The arena hosted the opening and closing ceremonies to the 2012 World Choir Games that were held in Cincinnati.{{cite news |title=City Shines in Welcoming World Choir Games|first=Janelle|last=Gelfand|url=http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120704/NEWS/307050049/City-shines-welcoming-World-Choir-Games|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=July 4, 2012|access-date=February 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711033439/http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120704/NEWS/307050049/City-shines-welcoming-World-Choir-Games|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 11, 2012}}{{cite news |title=Idina Menzel to Headline 2012 World Choir Games Closing Ceremony|first=Janelle|last=Gelfand|url=http://cincinnati.com/blogs/arts/2012/06/05/idina-menzel-to-headline-2012-world-choir-games-closing-ceremony/|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=June 5, 2012|access-date=February 12, 2013}}

In 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.{{cite web|title=2016 Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions takes center stage beginning Sept. 15|url=https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=19213|publisher=usagym.org|access-date=May 1, 2019|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085825/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=19213|url-status=dead}}

On August 1, 2019, the arena was the location of a rally held by then-President Donald Trump.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-holds-campaign-rally-in-cincinnati-ohio|title = WATCH: Trump denounces Democrats at rally, plays down race|website = PBS|date = August 2019}}

The arena hosted All Elite Wrestling's Title Tuesday event on October 18, 2022.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=AEW Dynamite #159 - Title Tuesday 2022|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=349643 | access-date=October 25, 2024|website=cagematch.net|language=en}}

• WKRP in Cincinnati February 11, 1980, episode "In Concert"

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.heritagebankcenter.com/}}
• [https://cincymusic.com/calendar/heritagebankcenter Concert listings] at CincyMusic

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{{succession box

| title=Davis Cup
Final Venue

| before=Malá Sportovní Hala
Prague

| after=Palais des Sports
Grenoble

| years=1981

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{{succession box

| title = Host of the
Frozen Four

| years = 1996

| before = Providence Civic Center
Providence, Rhode Island

| after = Bradley Center
Milwaukee

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{{succession box

| title = Host of Lockdown

| years = 2011

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| after = Nashville Municipal Auditorium

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