5 memorable events from the first 5 years of T-mobile Arena

Even on the Las Vegas Strip where some of the world’s greatest theaters and showrooms reside, it only took one night for T-mobile Arena to instantly become one of the most important entertainment venues in a city built around exactly that. It opened five years ago, on April 6, 2016, sandwiched between New York-new York and Interstate 15, and celebrated its debut with performances from three generations of iconic Vegas artists—wayne Newton, the Killers and Shamir.

The $375 million, 20,000-seat arena has since hosted hundreds of sports and entertainment events and was named 2017 Venue of the Year by Billboard magazine as well as Best New Major Concert Venue by Pollstar. It’s the top combat sports event arena in the world, and its powerful identity as the Fortress when hosting Vegas Golden Knights games is legendary in the NHL and across the professional sports landscape. And the biggest names in music have played T-mobile in its first five years, including George Strait (with his groundbreaking Strait to Vegas arena residency), Ariana Grande, Guns N’ Roses, Drake, Kanye West, Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Jay-z, U2, Elton John, Metallica, KISS and many more.

There have been so many unforgettable experiences and landmarks for Las Vegas entertainment at T-mobile Arena. To celebrate the anniversary, here are five memorable events, to occur there over the first five years.

1. Oct. 10, 2017: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Arizona Coyotes

So much has been said and written about the Knights’ inaugural home opener at the Fortress and the emotional impact of that night and the team’s miracle first season after the unprecedented community tragedy of Oct. 1, 2017. It’s safe to say our hockey team and its fans

FILE PHOTOS BY SAM MORRIS / LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU (2017) From left, Daniel Platzman from Imagine Dragons, Penn & Teller, Wayne Newton, Brandon Flowers from the Killers and Dan Reynolds from the Imagine Dragons join for a rendition of “Viva Las Vegas” during the Vegas Strong Benefit Concert Dec. 1, 2017, at T-mobile Arena. Today marks the Las Vegas venue’s fifth anniversary.

Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland addresses the crowd before the Knights home opener Oct. 10, 2017, at T-mobile Arena. His emotional speech in front of a capacity crowd and a group of first responders just days after the Oct. 1 mass shooting has a special place in the hearts of Las Vegans.