32 Years Ago: The Palace Of Auburn Hills Opens Up

On August 13, 1988, the first ever event at the Palace of Auburn Hills was a concert. Do you remember who it was?

The Palace, which recently was torn down after its prime tenant, the Detroit Pistons moved downtown, opened in August 1988 with a show featuring former Police bass player, Sting.

Sting was on the road promoting his second solo album since leaving the Police, Nothing Like The Sun.

Even though the setlist for the show featured mostly his new material, Sting didn't belie his roots, giving the audience a healthy dose of Police classics, notably 'King of Pain', and a second encore that featured 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Message In A Bottle'.

By the way, the ticket price for Sting was a very affordable $20.

The band who performed the most concerts at The Palace was the Trans-Siberian Orchestra with 24 appearances, all in December as part of their Christmas show.

Second is Neil Diamond with 19 shows, Bob Seger is third with 17, Rod Stewart and Aerosmith tied for fourth at 14 shows each.

The Palace was one of only two NBA arenas that did not sell its naming rights to a corporate sponsor.

It was privately funded by the Pistons owner at the time, William Davidson.

It was torn down last month, to make way for a new mixed use development, whatever that is...