The Riverside Press-Enterprise
STAPLES MOMENTS
esides being home to the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Sparks since 1999, Staples Center has also been a busy concert and event venue, bringing internationally known acts. On Saturday, however, Staples will no longer host any events, because on that day the downtown Los Angeles arena will be renamed Crypto.com Arena. The change comes as a result of a 20-year deal between the Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange and AEG, the owner and operator of the 20,000-capacity arena. So in remembrance of the venue’s former identity, here are some of the top entertainment moments in Staples Center’s more than 20-year history.
Duets are nothing new, but this one, which took place at the Grammy Awards, was pretty significant. Elton John had previously called out Eminem for homophobic lyrics. But the two connected and shocked many when it was announced that they would perform Eminem’s “Stan” during the live broadcast. It turned out to be an iconic performance that ended with a standing ovation and the two artists hugging it out.
November and packed the venue as part of its Vertigo Tour. But the most popular night was April 6, when 20,382 fans rocked out to songs from the band’s 2004 album, “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.” According to stats on the Staples Center website, that night marked the largest concert attendance at the venue.
the Mexican rock band’s home since it has a residency there next year. But before it moved into Inglewood, on June 20, 2015, Maná set the record for most performances by a band at Staples with 13 shows.
Maybe it was the lyrics to her song “Piece by Piece,” which is about her husband, that got Kelly Clarkson so emotional she did something no one had ever done from the stage at Staples. The first “American Idol” winner suddenly stopped singing and announced that she was “totally pregnant” with her second child. The announcement made news all over the world.
Elton John and Eminem duet » Feb. 21, 2001
Streisand rakes in the money » Nov. 20, 2006
Big announcement » Aug. 19, 2015
Compton in the house » Aug. 6, 2017
Kendrick Lamar was having a great year in 2017. The Compton native had headlined Coachella in April while his fourth record, “Damn,” debuted at No. 1 on the album charts. On Aug. 6 he performed the first of three shows at Staples on his first arena tour. He was the biggest rapper in hip-hop at the time, and he knew this was his moment as he thanked fans for helping him grow from club shows to this arena.
K-pop sensation BTS sold out four nights to mark the kick-off of the “Love Yourself” world tour. Dozens of diehard fans camped outside Staples for days ahead of the shows to try to score good seats.
BTS mania » Sept. 5-6 and 8-9, 2018
Nipsey memorial » April 11, 2019