Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines, Iowa)

Wells Fargo Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Part of the Iowa Events Center, the arena opened on July 12, 2005, at a cost of $117 million. Named for title sponsor Wells Fargo, the arena replaced the aging Veterans Memorial Auditorium as the Des Moines area's primary venue for sporting events and concerts.

Wells Fargo Arena seats 15,181 people for hockey and arena football games, 16,110 for basketball games, and as many as 16,980 for concerts. It also features The Fort Restaurant, which provides views of the Des Moines River and the Iowa State Capitol. The restaurant opened on October 6, 2005, coinciding with the Iowa Stars' inaugural home game.

The arena is also connected to the rest of the Iowa Events Center as well as downtown Des Moines through the city's Skywalk system.

Usage
The first event held at the arena was Tony Hawk's Boom-Boom Huck Jam, on July 1. Its first concert, featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with The Black Crowes, was held on July 18.

Wells Fargo Arena is home to the Iowa Wolves (formerly named the Iowa Energy) of the NBA G League, the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League and the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.

From 2005 until 2009, Wells Fargo Arena served as the home of the American Hockey League's Iowa Chops. The arena is notable for hosting the inaugural game of the reincarnation of the Arena Football League on April 2, 2010, between the Barnstormers and Chicago Rush, televised nationally by NFL Network.

It was the host for the first and second Round games for the 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament and served as a regional site 2012 tournament. In 2013, it hosted the NCAA Wrestling Team Championship.

It has hosted the state high school wrestling and basketball tournaments since 2006 and the Big Four Classic, a doubleheader featuring the state's four men's Division I teams, since 2012.

The arena hosted the 2011 NBA D-League Finals, which saw the Iowa Energy win their first title on their home court and set the D-League attendance record with 14,036 fans in the arena for Game 2.

In 2016, the arena hosted first and second-round games for the South and East regionals of the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament and the games featured the likes of perennial college basketball powerhouse schools Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Connecticut. The NCAA Men's basketball tournament returned to Wells Fargo Arena in 2019, hosting the tournament's first and second round from March 21 to 23. Once again the city was treated with national powers, featuring Florida, Louisville, Michigan, and Michigan State.

Current tenants

 * Iowa Wild of the AHL, affiliate of the NHL's Minnesota Wild
 * Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League, affiliate of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves
 * Iowa Barnstormers of the IFL

Former tenants

 * Iowa Stars of the AHL; the team operated from 2005 to 2008 as the Iowa Stars (affiliate of the NHL's Dallas Stars) and in 2008–09 as the Iowa Chops (affiliate of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks).

Events

 * Slipknot: from Des Moines 2009 & 2016; played their song "Iowa"
 * Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam: 2005
 * Paul McCartney: 2005 & 2017
 * Garth Brooks: 6 sold-out shows (April - May, 2016)
 * NCAA Wrestling National Championship: 2013
 * WWE Raw & Smackdown Live!
 * The Eagles: 2018
 * Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: 2016
 * Foo Fighters: November, 2017
 * Drake: 2016
 * NCAA Men's Basketball First & Second Rounds: 2016 & 2019
 * The Chainsmokers: 2017
 * Red Hot Chili Peppers: 2017
 * Boston: 2016
 * Eric Church: 2018
 * Chris Stapleton: 2017
 * Hall & Oates: 2017
 * NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships: 2016
 * Justin Moore & Lee Brice: 2017
 * Journey & Def Leppard: 2018
 * Fall Out Boy: 2016 & 2018
 * Shania Twain: 2015 & 2018
 * Tool: 2019