Remembering concerts at the X before it becomes the Grand

Say goodbye to Xcel Energy Center.

On Wednesday, the 25-year-old St. Paul arena will officially become Grand Casino Arena.

New titular sponsor, same old venue.

It’s not the first big Twin Cities venue to undergo a corporate name change. TCF Bank Stadium, where the University of Minnesota Gophers play football, became Huntington Bank Stadium in 2021 when the latter financial institution merged with the former.

Calling the Wild hockey venue Grand Casino Arena might be confusing to some because Grand Casino isn’t in the Twin Cities. It’s 77 miles away from downtown St. Paul in Hinckley, with its own music venues. And there’s another Grand Casino in Onamia, about 105 miles from the metro area. Both casinos are run by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

I suppose that’s no less confusing than Target Field (Twins ballpark), which is practically next to Target Center (home of the Timberwolves and Lynx) and only a matter of minutes away from any number of Target stores (home to Good & Gather products galore).

So, what other moniker were you hoping that the St. Paul arena would become?

Arenas and stadiums usually get sponsored by locally based companies. Like Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. Minute Maid Park in Houston.

This practice of corporate sponsorship, which started in the 1990s, has led to some unusual names including KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas. Some European soccer stadiums have even quirkier names like Dripping Pan and Hunky Dorys Park.

But I digress.

Here in Minnesota, we’ve gone from Xcel Energy Center to Grand Casino Arena. Or, in the vernacular, from the X to the Grand.

We can’t let this milestone pass without looking back at the X and celebrating that it was — and is — a grand concert venue.

First concert: Barenaked Ladies, Sept. 30, 2000, sold out, 15,000 people

Last concert: Benson Boone, Aug. 22, 2025, sold out, 14,000

Most concerts in a row: Three, Prince, June 16-18, 2004; Taylor Swift, Sept. 11-13, 2015

Most concerts total: 11, Bruce Springsteen, total attendance 168,708 (including Vote for Change in 2004)

Biggest attendance at one show: 20,554, Shania Twain, Oct. 28, 2003

Longest performance: 3 hours, 27 minutes, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Feb. 29, 2016

Youngest headliner: Billie Eilish, 20 years and 3 months, March 15, 2022

Oldest headliner: Barry Manilow, 81, Aug. 2, 2024

My choice for best show: Vote for Change featuring Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Neil Young, John Fogerty, R.E.M., Bright Eyes, Oct. 4, 2004