www.gwinnettdailypost.com

By: Curt Yeomans

Published: February 15, 2018

---

The Infinite Energy Arena will close out this week by commemorating a decade and a half of concerts, special events and sporting events.

Friday marks the 15th anniversary of the first-ever event at the arena, which was a Georgia Force Arena Football League game. Officials said they are marking the occasion by offering a chance for the Gas South District’s social media followers win a premium suite for the upcoming sold out Harry Styles show that will be staged in June.

“Over the past 15 years, the Arena has been a staple for entertainment in Gwinnett,” Gas South District General Manager Joey Dennis said in a statement. “We take enormous pride in hosting a wide variety of events in the community, and we look forward to continuing to do so for many years to come.”

The arena has hosted 1,565 shows, including 167 sold-out performances, and 11.5 million guests. It is currently the home of the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators and the National Lacrosse League’s Georgia Swarm.

The first concert at the arena was a George Strait show that was held a few days after the Georgia Force played the first game at the facility.

Since then, the long list of artists who have performed at the arena has included Paul McCartney, Green Day, Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Taylor Swift, and Kid Rock.

The arena’s anniversary comes of the heels of a successful year in 2017, when it hosted 22 sold-out performances by artists such as McCartney, Church, Sheeran and Green Day. In one week in July, it hosted six events in seven days, and five of those events were sold out major concerts, including McCartney.

With the Harry Styles concert coming up, the Gas South District said anyone who wants to win the premium suite can visit http://bit.ly/2CgRO5r to enter.

In 2015, the arena — which had been known as the Arena at Gwinnett Center up to that point — was renamed the Infinite Energy Arena as part of the sale of naming rights for the entire center.

Late last year, the entire Gas South District campus celebrated the 25th anniversary of the opening of its original component, the conference center which is located at the center of the complex.

The center isn’t resting on past accomplishments though.

It is set to undergo major expansion approved by voters as part of the 2017 SPLOST.