Veterans Memorial Coliseum

I attended few performances /​events @ this ‘iconic’ building over the years, recently being the Arizona State Fair 2015, to see Sheryl Crow’s free show.
This huge building has a now-​weathered characteristic saddled look that’s a bit dated; perhaps being kept this way, along with the other ‘iconic’ onsite landmark– the Grandstand, for vintage purposes? But, then, again, the neighborhood of 19^th Ave /​McDowell Rd have pretty much gone downhill without much upgrading. While they did keep up with keeping the area clean– including the restrooms, the air conditioner was lately brrrrr in the arena (during Sheryl Crow’s performance). The parking lot is also huge.
The Coliseum celebrated 50 years when it was built in 1964– the year I was born (!) and opened in 1965 to host many sporting events and eventually State Fair concerts and other events (ice capades, animal adoptions). President Obama held a rally on January 28, 2008 during his candidacy for president. Oh, and the building was designed by the architecture firm that built a fellow iconic & beloved Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix.
Nowadays, the box office is not so busy like it used to be since there have been other competing arenas been built over several decades that have snared many events away to cater more to materialistic Arizonans who have been willing to pay more to watch events at a more formal surrounding ;)
Yet, no matter what, while they talked of re-​modeling the Grandstand and preserving other small nearby buildings, I do hope the Coliseum stays around for many more years ahead…

I have been to a few performances at the coliseum. I am generous at giving the facility 2 stars.
Concerts have issues with the sound of drums and cymbals bouncing off the back wall. General admission to the performances is free with admission to the state fair. So, I usually catch a couple concerts each fall.
The bathrooms are interstate truck stop quality. Clean, but still extremely dated and usually without hand soap.

This is a tough one for me. I’ve been to countless concerts, basketball games, hockey games, dog shows, and State Fairs in this building. I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve spent here over the last 30 years.
That being said – it’s OLD. The bathrooms are still pretty nice, but the whole building smells OLD.
I was just there again last week, and I spent 4 hours in the building and had a wonderful time. I guess if you need luxury, then this is not the venue for you, but take my advice, if there is an event you want to attend there, don;t turn it down just because the building is old. Consider it’s age to be «Character» and enjoy yourself.

I love hearing people hate on the Vet. Every native of Phoenix knows the history of the Vet, its importance to the town, and so on. Just a few decades back, it was the liveliest stadium in the NBA, and housed the first true sports team in the valley, Phoenix Roadrunners Hockey. Now a hulk of its former self, its depressing, yes.
The Vet gets 3 stars for three seperate reasons:
1-​History: Like I mentioned, this place has a lot of Phoenix history packed in it. It was THE stadium you would go to for an event. Hockey games, when played here, were very fun, boisterous, and there were very few parking issues. Every Suns fan knows this place as «The Madhouse on McDowell», and for good reason… it could get extremely loud. The seats are old-​school, you can see the 70’s style billboards still up there, and of course they have all of the old Roadrunners info up in the rafters… the place has history, a strong history, that can’t be denied. Connie Hawkins, KJ, Dan Majerele, Dick Van Arsdale… list goes on, all of them played here. Just remember that when bashing the place.
2– Parking: For a small stadium, they do have a ton of parking in the lot. It may not seem like a lot when the fair is in town, but when a general event is taking place, they have more than enough room to accomodate space. The original planners did a good job with that, at least.
3-​Architechture: Like I said, this place is a blast from the past. Everything is old-​school. Who DOESN’T like old-​school? I love the chairs, once again… I used to sit in those same chairs decades ago when the stadium was still in use, the Dbacks were just a dream, the Suns were at the Purple Palace (aka AWA) for a couple years now… its old, lol. The outside has aged a ton because of the Sun’s rays, but the old retro stylings on the outside are funky-​cool.
It loses a couple stars for just the same reasons as mentioned above. Its old… probably should be replaced because it needs repairs (despite what others have said) if you want to make it a multi-​use stadium again. It has very few redeeming factors to out-​of-​towners or kids these days, they really do not dig history much, bank on that. To many, its just a big hulk that «smells bad».
I love this stadium. Sooner rather than later it’ll get torn down, and a part of me will die. Oh well, life goes on. Go Runners’!

This place should be leveled. I can see why who ever owns it does not do any improvements, It is pretty much ghetto with a capital G!

I bought some ticket to the AZ Derby Dames season opener being held at the Coliseum. Doors were supposed to open at 6:00pm and the event started at 7:00pm. we arrived at 6:30pm and the line was enormous! No one knew what was going on and the lines barely moved. Over and hour later they just shut the ticket windows and it was a stamped to the entrance. I am shocked that no one was hurt or even killed.
Once inside we had to stand in the drink line for about 30 min. They had two inexperienced girls making mixed drinks and pouring beer. The tap ran dry as soon as we got to the front of the line.
This building is old and smelly. I have never seen a more poorly executed event!
I feel bad for the Derby Dames, as it was not their fault, but I do suggest that they find a new venue that can handle the amount of fans they have.