50 YEARS OF TCU

Five notable moments in its history

FIRSTS

The day Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium opened its doors, it was graced by an inaugural performance of Carl Orff ’s Carmina Burana by the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. It only took eight days before international musicians were also taking to the theatre’s stage — when the British rock band The Troggs made a stop in Saskatoon to perform some of their biggest hits, such as the ever-popular Wild Thing.

RENOVATIONS

TCU Place has undergone two notable renovations in its 50 year history — one of which gave it the name we call it today. The first took place in the early 1990s, when the box office was moved from what we now know as the auditorium’s registration area to its current location, which used to be a green space outdoors. The second renovation took place in 2005-06, expanding the building with the area that became the convention centre. That renovation cost roughly $10 million and was funded with help from TCU Financial Group, which received naming rights for 10 years — though it since renewed those rights until 2026.

TICKETS

Ticket prices for major concerts have changed significantly since 1968. Gerard Cullen, who has worked at the auditorium for the last 40 years, says when it opened, $5 would have been one of the most expensive tickets you could buy, with most early concerts topping out at around $2.50. Cullen said the average ticket price now, depending on the show and the seat, generally hits around the $80 mark.

QUICK SALES

In its history, TCU Place has played host to a number of soldout shows, but it was Anne Murray’s appearance in Saskatoon on March 12, 1971, that sold out the auditorium in just 90 minutes, thanks to her hit song Snowbird. More recently, with the addition of online ticket sales, American rockers The Black Keys took the title of fastest concert to sell out when all the tickets to their June 30, 2011, show were snapped up in a matter of minutes.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Looking back on 50 years, TCU Place has experienced a fair share of memorable moments. Spokesperson Crystal Tew noted the 2012 donation by Jim and Lisa Yuel was exciting, allowing the auditorium to not only purchase a new Steinway grand piano, but also refurbish one from 1967, along with two other upright pianos. Cullen said some of his most memorable moments as part of the TCU Place team included when Marilyn Manson threw up on stage, an incident that made headlines around the world, and the unfortunate tumble Irish singer and harpist Mary O’Hara took off the stage into the pit during the first song of her set — a tumble that ended with the refunding of all tickets sold.