Mid-South Coliseum is an indoor arena in Memphis, Tennessee. The facility was opened in 1964, and became known “The Entertainment Capitol of the Mid-South” due its significance in hosting events such as concerts, sports games and professional wrestling shows. The Coliseum closed in 2006. In the late 2010s, efforts emerged to help preserve and refurbish the arena as part of a larger redevelopment of the surrounding area. History Construction of the facility began on April 15, 1963. From its opening in October 1964, the Coliseum was the first racially desegregated facility in Memphis. Unlike most facilities in Memphis, which largely hesitated to integrate following the 1963 Watson v, United States U.S. Supreme Court case regarding local segregation, and which was also argued two days after construction began on the Mid South Coliseum, Mid South Coliseum management would not include any signs advising segregation. Concerts The arena was one of the few stops on The Beatles' final American tour in 1966. The group played two concerts there on August 19, 1966; in the wake of protests and boycotts of the band over John Lennon's controversial "more popular than Jesus" remarks, Memphis city council called for the cancellation of the concerts for safety reasons. The event still went on, although they were met by protests by the Ku Klux Klan, an anonymous assassination threat against "one or all" of the band's members, and an audience member exploding a firecracker on-stage during one of the performances (which was initially believed to be a gunshot). Rod Stewart and The Faces played the Coliseum on April 21, 1972 along with the rock band Free. Elvis Presley also performed at the arena. His first show was on March 16, 1974, which was his first Memphis concert since 1961. His March 20 performance was recorded for a concert album, Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis. He returned the following year at the close of his second tour, on June 10, 1975 and performed for the last time on July 5, 1976. Michael Jackson along with The Jacksons kicked off their Triumph Tour by performing at the arena on July 8th, 1981. English heavy metal band Judas Priest filmed a December 12, 1982 concert at the Coliseum, later released on video as Judas Priest Live and on DVD as Live Vengeance '82. Canadian singer Celine Dion performed a two-night stand at the arena on March 14 and