What’s in a name? For Staples Center, which is getting a change, decades of shows. Here are some highlights.
Ahead of the venue’s name change, a few standouts deserve to be recalled
Besides 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.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band » Oct. 17, 1999
The Boss set the tone for Staples when he became its first performer. He not only sold out opening night but three others at the venue as well.
First Latin Grammy Awards » Sept. 13, 2000
Luis Miguel, Santana and Maná were the big winners that night, each walking away with three awards. But the night was a huge win for diversity too, since it marked the first Latin Grammy Awards. The awards presentation was broadcast on CBS, making it the first primarily Spanishlanguage prime time event carried on an English language American TV network.
Elton John and Eminem duet » Feb. 21, 2001
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.
Free Stones » Feb. 6, 2003
Tickets for the Rolling Stones can get very pricey, but for one night in 2003, fans got to see the legendary band for free, and it was for a good cause, too. The band teamed with the Natural Resources Defense Council for the free show, which was meant to raise awareness of global warming. Tickets were given away by raffle and former President Bill Clinton opened the show, but not with his sax. Instead he was there to introduce the band to the crowd of 18,000 lucky ticket winners.
Prince and Beyoncé » Feb. 8, 2004
Beyoncé won a handful of awards at that year’s Grammys. But it was her opening medley with Prince that stole the show. The two stars performed “Purple Rain,” “Baby I’m a Star,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and Queen Bey’s “Crazy in Love.”
U2 packs the house » April 6, 2005
The Irish band performed in April and
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.
Streisand rakes in the money » Nov. 20, 2006
Barbra Streisand had a good year in 2006 because when she closed out the North American leg of her tour at Staples on Nov. 20, she also set the venue record for concert gross, making more than $5.4 million.
Tripleheader » Jan. 25-26, 2008
When California was devastated by wildfires in 2007, country star Garth Brooks didn’t hesitate to jump on the saddle and help out. He announced a series of benefit shows at the venue and in less than an hour sold 85,000 tickets for five concerts over two days. He did two shows on Jan. 25, and then on Jan. 26 performed at 1, 5 and 9 p.m., making him the first artist ever to pull off a tripleheader in a major arena.
King of Pop memorial » July 7, 2009
Two weeks after the sudden death of Michael Jackson, his family, friends and fans packed Staples for a public memorial service. The night was filled with stars such as Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Brooke Shields, who shared memories of him as they stood before his goldplated, flower-draped casket. One of the most emotional moments came when his 11-year-old daughter, Paris Jackson, delivered a tearful speech.
Stones turn 50 » May 3 and 20, 2013
The Rolling Stones celebrated their 50th year with the 50 & Counting Tour and sold out Staples on May 3. The anniversary set was filled with more than 20 hits and other stars, too: Keith Urban joined the band on “Respectable” and Gwen Stefani came out for “Wild Horses.”
Maná’s house » June 20, 2015
Well, actually the Forum is currently 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.
Big announcement » Aug. 19, 2015
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.
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.
BTS mania » Sept. 5-6 and 8-9, 2018
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.
Nipsey memorial » April 11, 2019
Thousands of fans got free tickets and came to pay their respects to rapper and community activist Nipsey Hussle at his celebration of life event. Eleven days earlier, he was gunned down outside of his South Los Angeles clothing store. Onstage with his family were rappers including Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar, and singer Stevie Wonder.
Music returns » July 30
Like other venues, Staples was shut in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Live music finally returned July 30 with a soldout performance by Tijuana, Mexico-based Grupo Firme. It was the first band to play at Staples in 531 days, and the ranchera group’s first of seven sold-out shows. The shows were the most in a single year at Staples by a Latin act.