Jan. 16, 2004

Columbia, S.C. –

The year end rankings are in, and the University of South Carolina’s Colonial Center has outdone any other college arena in the nation in terms of ticket sales for events in 2003.

USC’s 18,000-seat sports and entertainment facility ranked 22nd worldwide in the PollStar Magazine rankings, selling 216,679 tickets to its events. This does not include tickets sold for Carolina men’s and women’s basketball games last year. This makes The Colonial Center the highest ranked university owned arena in the nation and provides further evidence that this facility has helped put Columbia on the map nationally in terms of concerts and family shows.

Only one other arena in North or South Carolina was ranked among the top 50 in ticket sales, and that was the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, which came in at 47th. The Colonial Center ranked ahead of such other notable arenas as Denver’s Pepsi Arena (24), Sacramento’s ARCO Arena (25), Los Angeles’ Staples Center (26), Dallas’ American Airlines Center (28), Atlanta’s Phllips Arena (30), and Minneapolis’ Target Center (36).

Ten of the top 40 tours of 2003 have either already played The Colonial Center or are scheduled to play there, including Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Cher, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, The Eagles, Bill Gaither & Friends Homecoming, Jimmy Buffet, Yanni, and Billy Joel and Elton John. It was announced Friday that Britney Spears will perform March 24 at The Colonial Center.