Inside the Mid South Coliseum - Memphis, TN - The Art of Abandonment

The Mid South Coliseum in my hometown of Memphis, TN will always have a special place in my heart for several reasons. First; it is where I saw my first ever St. Louis Blues game (as an exhibition), it is also where I went to several WCW wrestling events with friends and USWA wrestling Monday nights as a kid growing up. But the reason why the Coliseum holds a very special place in my heart is because it is where I graduated High School in 1997.

Elvis The Concert '97 took place here. It was the first concert to feature Elvis live on screen.

Went to many graduations(i graduated in 1986 from the Coliseum)went to a few wrestling matches, went to the Prince concert in Feb '85, Milli Vanilli in '90(before we heard about the lip synching), and a few semi pro basketball games. Would love to see the old Coliseum renovated and put to use....so many memories.

I attended many events there. Good Times. It’s ashamed they let it go.

I've never even been to Memphis, but what I wouldn't give to see Lawler vs Dundee wrestle here. I guess technically it still could happen...

What happened to it

sweet video dog. Any updates on this place for 2021?

that's one big ass place

Great Video.

My parents went to see the Jackson's live there years ago in the 70s seeing it broken down is sad to me

I'll never forget seeing A Perfect Circle there in 2003.

Sad..I have been there so many times and have such great memories

Thank you. I needed to see the inside of this place to remember how it looks. It just might be the right size.

Elvis did some amazing shows in this Building :)

Wow thank you for that. Such a special place. My father and I went to so many Memphis State games back then. The first team that went to the national championship (Larry Finch, Robinson, Kenon). The Keith Lee era. (and the ceiling would have pieces falling even back then. They would stop games...) Saw so many 70s bands like Yes, Elp etc. My wife's dad worked there at night during wrestling, basketball, concerts etc. Would bring back signed items for her. I could go on..... That place was a HUGE party of the city for me. I left in the 80s but loved that place. Sorry for rambling.

Anyone else see Bon Jovi and Skid Row here on Feb 22, 1989?

Grew up rockin the Coliseum during the 70s and 80s, had a helluva time there.

I had season tickets to the Riverkings bank in th day. Section Z north. I miss that place.

I've sat in so many of these seats since 1982.

Concerts alone. AC/DC (multiple times), Tora Tora and The Cult, Ozzy, Heart ❤️, Def Leppard - in the round, Chicago, ZZ Top (I keep thinking about that night in Memphis), David Lee Roth, Motley Crue, Poison, Great White, Cinderella,Tesla, Ratt, Qeensryche, and many more that I can't recall at the moment. So many memories.

Saw Ozzy here twice, Motley Crue, Rush. Good times! So sad to see it like this.

Remember Johnny Neumann and the Memphis Tams.

what a beauty. I wish memphis would do something with it I stead of let it rot

Would love a time machine trip back to watch Elvis play there in the 70's,The hometown audience sounded insane, And he seemed to up his game to entertain his fellow Memphians.

Looks just like the municipal auditorium up here nashville

I graduated from Memphis State University there in 1980. It was still in pretty good shape then. The wrestling ring was collapsed and stored off to one side.

COGIC should buy it. Might be more cost effective to purchase and renovate Mid-South than rent Fedex for a week.

OMG! This building was such a part of my life growing up. I miss everything about it and to see it literally abandoned now is heartbreaking. Liberty Land and the coliseum just went hand in hand. Thank you for the memories and the footage. ❤❤❤❤❤

I saw the Jackson 5 and Ringling Bros Circus there in the late 60’s and early 70’s as a kid, I saw Prince, Steve Wonder(he had to do his concert in the afternoon because of a curfew in Memphis),Tina Turner, The Bar-Kay’s, The Commodores, The Isley Brothers, Parliament/Funkadelic, Rick James,Luther Vandross, The Jackson’s and the Memphis State Tigers there in the 80’s, plus many a high school and Memphis State graduation… memories!

People forget how many legendary concerts were here. I wish it was just renovated instead just gonna tear it down

I miss that place. I saw so many concerts, wrestling matches, and a rodeo there. It was awesome, it wasn't so big you needed binoculars to see the stage or ring. There really wasn't a bad seat in the coliseum.

Update on this building, they planning on testing it down and building a new one

I grew up in Memphis I saw my first college basketball game I went to my first rock concert there so many memories in that building it makes me sad to see it just sit there and rot

What a beautiful, atmospheric yet depressing report of the fading of an iconic place. This arena gave home to countless historical events - the fact that Elvis as Memphis‘ most famous son who did some of his most celebrated iconic shows in the 70s should be reason enough for the community to preserve this place full of memories. Let’s hope that there will be someone who cares..

I saw Marilyn Manson there in 1997.

Cool

I started going to Tiger basketball games at the Coliseum when I was 10 years old. Larry Finch was a freshman, and it was Gene Bartow's first year as coach. My dad had tickets on the front row, center court. I lived for Tiger basketball...so many bittersweet memories. I swear, that building was magic. Many years later, I had a conversation with legendary former radio play-by-play man Jack Eaton, and he said the same thing. Even today, at 62 years old, When I think about Tiger basketball at the Coliseum, it makes me tear up a bit.

Went by here on a trip back to Kansas City and the entire perimeter of entry is boarded up. Really a shame this place is wasted. But quite truthfully from what I saw of Memphis, everything is wasted there.

How did you get in? My wife and I are in Memphis this weekend for AEW and I really want to drive by and at least see the outside.

Memphis ALWAYS destroys any "jewel" of the city. The people that "run" the city are complete IDIOTS!

I was born in Memphis, much great childhood memories, The Mid South Coliseum, i remember my dad took me when i was 3 years old to see the circus.

I graduated from high school there in 2007, and so did my oldest sister in 1997.

I went to many concerts there in the 70s and 80s. The Who, Tina Turner, Chaka Kahn, Mister Mister, Neil Diamond, Johnny Rivers, The Brothers Johnson, and more. Also a few basketball games and one Hockey contest.

For a place that has been abandoned, it sure looks great. I think that with a few fixing ups, the place could be restored back to its rightful place as a concert/game venue.

I went to so many events there as a kid in the 80’s. Young adult in 90’s . I saw me last show there in 2006. 2 nights of Widespread Panic

The last time I was in that building was back in the early 2000's to watch the Memphis Riverkings play hockey. Lots of memories growing up watching Tiger basketball games, wrestling and concerts. They don't want to tear that building down because of the history, yet the city doesn't want to sink any money in order to renovate it when there would be no prospects of it hosting any events when all the city events are held at the FedEx Forum.

Right now, the Mid-South Coliseum is Memphis' mini version of the Houston Astrodome. One big large historic landmark being used as a municipal storage.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Elvis '97 concert held there during Elvis week in august 1997. Met most of the TCB band that afternoon. I'll never forget that place.

Dont worry Memphis ond day im going to find a way to get the coliseum back

Such great memories of this place. I wanna cry watching this.

To this day it is still the best venue in Memphis when it comes to sightlines.