BESTBEST.. NIGHTNIGHT.. EVER. xcelenergyctr 1h 517 Likes xcelenergyctr BEST. NIGHT. EVER. For us, it’it’ss never just another showshow.. Because for them, it’it’ss a night they’ll never forget. For booking information, call 651-265-4800. | xcelenergycenterxcelenergycenter.com.com (Clockwise from top left) Xcel Energy Center at night; fans are Number 1; Minnesota Wild hockey action. One of the best compliments that can be paid to a venue is that years down the road it still has the look, feel and appeal it oozed when it opened. As Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., celebrates its 15th birthday this year, it is one such facility that defies the years and has the same aura of newness and freshness it did in 2000 when the doors first opened. “Believe it or not, people still call this the new building in town,” said venue veteran Jack Larson, who joined Xcel Energy Center as vice president/general manager the year after it opened after having worked at the Target Center in Minneapolis. “It still has a new-building feel to it, and the ownership group has committed to keeping the building first- class, clean and maintained.” PAGE 60 > SEPTEMBER 2015 VENUES TODAY 58 s Frozen Four Four Four Four Frozen Frozen Frozen Frozen s s s s Jason Aldean U.S. Figure Skating Michael Bublé Fleetwood Mac Mac Mac Mac Mac Mac Mac Mac Fleetwood Fleetwood Fleetwood Fleetwood Fleetwood Fleetwood Fleetwood Fleetwood National Championships Four Four Frozen Frozen Men’s Men’s Men’ Men’ Men’ Men’ Men’ Men’ Men’ Men’ Men’ Men’ NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA NCAA TaylorTaylor SwiftSwift AC/DC Dave Matthews Band Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Carol King & Prince Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red World’sWWorld’orld’orld’ss TToughestTToughestoughest RodeoRodeoRodeo James TaylorTaylor Bruno Mars Minnesota Wild Eric Clapton Elton John Coldplay The Eagles Foo Fighters Justin TimberlakeTimberlake NHL All Star George Strait Madonna Game Stars On Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice On On On On On On On On On On Stars Stars Stars Stars Stars Stars Stars Stars Stars Stars Katy Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy Billy Joel Joel Joel Joel Joel Joel Billy Billy Billy Billy Billy Billy .com Bon Jovi Jovi Jovi Jovi Jovi Jovi Jovi Jovi Bon Bon Bon Bon Bon Bon Bon Bon Santana Santana Santana Santana Santana Santana Santana Santana Santana orld Cup of Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey Hockey of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup Cup orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld orld World Cup of Hockey Hockey of of Cup Cup World W World THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES Cheers to 15 remarkable years in sports and entertainment. Saint Paul, Minnesota | xcelenergycenter.comxcelenergycenter VT SPOTLIGHT XCEL ENERGY CENTER IS 15 XCEL ENERGY CENTER YEARS YOUNG BY THE NUMBERS Capacity: 18,568 Owner: City of Saint Paul Operator: Saint Paul Arena Company Making the fan number one and the design timeless have served the (SPAC), an affiliate of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE) St. Paul arena well Architectural Firm: HOK Sports Facilities Group by R.V. BAUGUS Food & Beverage: Levy Restaurants Construction Cost: $170 million Opened: September 2000 he 15-year-old, 17,954-seat Xcel Performing Arts. “This was not a building built Home Tenant: National Hockey League Energy Center, which looks and on the cheap. It was built with really specific Minnesota Wild operates like a new arena even things in mind. We take care of it and want to be First Event: Minnesota Wild vs. Mighty today, is owned by the city of St. good stewards for the building because it’s a Ducks of Anaheim, NHL preseason, Paul and operated by Minnesota place that Minnesotans really, really care about.” Sept. 29, 2000 T Sports & Entertainment. Anchor Indeed, Minnesotans are a devoted fan Largest Concert Crowd: 20,554 for tenant is the Minnesota Wild of the National base as evidenced by the 400 consecutive sellout Shania Twain, Oct. 28, 2003 Hockey League. crowds that attended Wild games from the Most Sellouts By An Artist: 3, by In fact, it was the city’s desire to have an venue’s inception through Oct. 16, 2010. The Minnesota native Prince, June 16-18, NHL franchise that set the wheels in motion venue hosts four major high school hockey 2004 for the $165-million construction to even take tournaments including the state high school Percentage of staff who commute by place. The Minnesota North Stars began play- hockey championship, a two-day event in bus, bike, carpool or an efficient vehi- ing in the NHL in 1967 but relocated to Dallas March with two sessions per day that attract cle: 40 in the fall of 1993. Since Minnesota without capacity crowds and bring some 100,000 people Percentage of all waste recycled: 60 hockey is like a pancake without syrup, little through the venue for the four sessions. The Gallons of water saved per year by time was wasted in building a facility that event is televised and is one of the biggest changing out just one device on rest- would one day bring professional hockey back annual events in the state. The venue will host room faucets: 78,000 to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. When the doors the 2016 National Figure Skating Percentage of cleaning products that opened on Sept. 29, 2000, for the Wild’s first Championships in January as well as the meet green standards: 90 preseason game, that day had arrived. NCAA regional hockey tournament. It has Visitors each year: 1.7 million “To build this building at the price it was been awarded the 2018 Frozen Four, college Number of sporting and entertainment built … it’s unheard of,” said Jim Ibister, vice hockey’s equivalent of basketball’s Final Four. events each year: More than 150 president of facility administration for the It will mark the third time Xcel Energy Center Size: 650,000 square feet with four Minnesota Wild and general manager of St. Paul has hosted the three-game event of two semifi- separate concourses and four seating RiverCentre convention center that is part of the nals and the national championship. levels plus a press level. Able to downtown complex that, in addition to the None of this would even be talked about accommodate more than 20,000 attached Xcel Energy Center, also includes Roy had the NHL not awarded a franchise to the guests. Wilkins Auditorium and Ordway Center for the CONTINUED ON PAGE 64 > 60 VENUES TODAY SEPTEMBER 2015 VT SPOTLIGHT CERTIFIABLY SUSTAINABLE Xcel Energy Center earned its green status from the get-go by R.V. BAUGUS “We are very green and our sustainability efforts are near the top in the country. We promote that {fact to shows and concerts coming into the arena.” — JACK LARSON} oo often sustainability is used as a we could do a lot more than that. We were not before we even touched a guest so that when buzzword or catchphrase. That going to rush anything. We wanted to be cau- we got to the point where we were out in front is not the situation at the Xcel tious and careful about building a strong foun- of people we could show them what we were Energy Center, where it is lived dation from the internal side, where we doing with our systems and our processes. We Tand breathed in the life of the changed a lot of behind-the-scenes processes. were still going to make mistakes but we venue. “Most of all, we want to be transparent weren’t going to make those big mistakes “We are very green and our sustainability with our guests about sustainability. We put where somebody is going to be rolling by with efforts are near the top in the country,” said out reports for everybody to see so that they a big dumpster and putting all the bottles and Jack Larson, the venue’s vice president/general knew that this was something we were going cans and trash and compost in it and rolling manager. “We promote that fact to shows and to do together. A lot of it is just tapping into a away. We had built a good enough foundation concerts coming into the arena. Many of those Midwest mentality of not being wasteful.” before we made a big public push for that. I want to work with us at that point to help us Ibister said that many fans and people in think that became really, really critical because accomplish even more.” the community asked specifically what the we then were able to go out and talk to our The venue had always been green in the venue was doing in the area of sustainability guests about it.