One of my favorite places to go to for concerts and sporting events is the Palace of Auburn Hills. Some of my favorite memories are sitting in those seats or in the parking lots surrounding the arena. My first concert I ever went to was there. It was a concert that was headlined by Three Days Grace with supporting acts of Breaking Benjamin, Seether and Neverest. I was in 8th grade and it was one of the greatest memories from that time in my life.
The Palace, also, happens to be the first place I ever saw a professional sporting event. It was the Detroit Pistons versus the Indiana Pacers, and they may have lost, but I remember every shot and every pass that happened in the game. I didn’t take my eyes off the game and I may have just been starting to understand the game but everything that was happening in the game seem to just stick to my memory.
One other huge event that takes place at the Palace and has played a huge part in my life is The Vans Warped Tour. It occurs every year and one of the stops is at the Palace. Its where up and coming artists and big headlining artists come together and put on a show that lasts all day. There is anywhere from five to seven stages and artists go on at designated times. Concert goers get a schedule of the artist’s stage times when they arrive and then they spend the next ten minutes planning the day and which acts to see. Those times with friends are the ones I will never forget, and to see the Palace go would be like me losing those memories. Every time I go past it, those memories come flooding back into my head and it’s an amazing feeling.
So please, do not tear this amazing building down. This place has brought so much joy to this great state and its people. It has housed some of the greatest sporting memories that this state has ever seen. The Malace in the Palace occurred here, the Bad Boys were created here, and basketball in Detroit was put on the map here. Everywhere you look when you enter this arena you see history and you can feel it in its walls.
To see this place go along with The Joe in the same year would be heartbreaking. Two generations of Michiganders know nothing more than the Palace and The Joe for the Pistons and the Wings so for these arenas to come to an end is a big deal.
It has not been released when The Palace will be torn down, but from what we can tell it’s not going to be long after the Pistons season ends. The Pistons will be moving to Little Caesars Arena, that is going to be finished this coming summer, where they will join the Detroit Red Wings in calling this new arena home. I am intrigued to see how this new venue will change the culture and feeling of the two teams but I know I will embrace it fully.
The Palace is a location that can house multiple acts, so it’s a place that could still be used in the future so I hope they decide to cancel the demolition and keep the place around for future generations to enjoy.
