8 man line up of Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Alan White, Bill Bruford, Trevor Rabin and Tony Kaye, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Many other large touring acts, including Gloria Estefan, AC/DC, Page & Plant, David Bowie, Rush & Van Halen have used the arena for pre-tour rehearsals in the past, thanks to the venue's relatively inexpensive rental rates and availability for extended occupation. (Rush opened their Counterparts Tour in Pensacola on January 22, 1994.) On March 9, 1994, the Pensacola Bay Center hosted the largest Rock for Choice concert in history, which was organized by the band L7 and headlined by Pearl Jam. On February 26, 1995, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant played a show on their No Quarter Tour in Pensacola. Page & Plant opened their Walking Into Everywhere Tour in Pensacola on May 19, 1998. On March 11, 1995, Van Halen opened The Balance "Ambulance" Tour in Pensacola. In March 2000, Britney Spears kicked off her Crazy 2K Tour. In February 2012, Jeff Dunham appeared performing for his Uncontrolled Chaos Tour. Springfest, an annual music event in downtown Pensacola, used the arena in its final years. Lynyrd Skynyrd has also performed there and the arena also featured moderately in the music video for "What's Your Name" (with Johnny Van Zant and a newly reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd performing a live concert as part of the music video). Widespread Panic performed on Labor Day weekend, 2019. Politics The Pensacola Bay Center has also had various guest speakers, including President George W. Bush in 2006. During the 2008 presidential race, both Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama used the venue for political rallies as the November election drew close. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney visited the venue for a campaign rally on November 3, 2012 as part of his final push in the United States presidential election Republican candidate Donald Trump visited on January 13, 2016, during the Republican primary. Trump also visited again on September 9, during his presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton. External links Pensacola Bay Center Official Site References Basketball venues in Florida Continental Basketball Association venues Convention centers in Florida Indoor arenas in Florida Indoor ice hockey venues in Florida Indoor soccer venues in the United States Music venues in Florida Sports venues in Pensacola, Florida Sports venues completed in 1985 1985 establishments in Florida