Bob Seger To Send Off The Palace Of Auburn Hills As Pistons Return To Detroit

With autumn closing in, Bob Seger will perform the final concert at The Palace of Auburn Hills Sept. 23.

The Detroit Pistons are moving from the suburban venue, which opened in 1988, to Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit, which the team will share with the Detroit Red Wings. It's the first time the team has played within city limits since 1977.

The performance will be the 17th stop at the Palace for hometown rocker Seger, 72.

No Plans Yet For Arena Site 

Pistons owner Tom Gores, the billionaire founder of Platinum Equity, bought the Pistons for $325 million in 2011.

The deal for the Pistons and Red Wings to share Little Caesars Arena and to link Gores’ Palace Sports & Entertainment and the Illitch family’s Olympia Entertainment in a joint venture includes a clause that the Palace cannot compete with the new downtown arena, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Gores made $40 million in renovations at the Palace after buying the venue. Its future is unclear.

“No decisions or timetable regarding future plans for the building or the property have been made at this time,” according to a statement by Palace Sports & Entertainment. “Given the value and highly desirable location of the property, it is expected that a number of options will be available.”

Auburn Hills, about 30 miles north of Detroit, is home to both Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV FCAU and BorgWarner Inc. BWA corporate headquarters. A number of major companies have a presence in the city, including Takata Corporation, Continental Automotive and FANUC Robotics.

An Award-Winning Venue

The 24,000-seat Palace was built by the late Bill Davidson for $90 million and is unique among Detroit sports venues in that it was constructed without the use of taxpayer dollars.

Fans are sharing memories from the venue on social media using #MyPalaceMemory.

The Palace was named “New Venue of the Year” by Performance and “Best New Concert Venue” by Pollstar after opening, and went on to be named “Arena of the Year” by Performance on seven occasions and once by Pollstar in 1992, according to the Palace.

The entertainment group and Pistons organization will continue to be headquartered at Palace until a new facility is completed in Detroit, according to Thursday’s announcement.

The Palace is less than 4 miles from the Silverdome in Pontiac, where the Pistons played from 1978 to 1988. The 80,000-seat stadium has sat in disrepair for years and is set for demolition.

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Image credit: Ken Lund, Flickr