The first public event held at the Ford Center was an Evansville IceMen hockey game on November 5, 2011, when the IceMen defeated the Fort Wayne Komets 3-1.
In its first year, the new arena also hosted concerts for Elton John, Lady Antebellum, Reba, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Steel Panther with Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe with Alice Cooper, Aerosmith with Living Colour, and Cirque du Soleil's performance of Quidam.