Cow Palace

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Front entrance of the Cow Palace

The Cow Palace (originally known as the California State Livestock Pavilion) is an indoor arena that straddles the border between Daly City, California and San Francisco. It hosted the San Francisco Warriors of the NBA from 1962-1964 and 1966-1971 and the San Jose Sharks of the NHL from 1991-1993. Additionally it hosted the Bay Bombers of the Roller Derby; the Derby's world championship playoffs were held at the Cow Palace every fall beginning from 1959 through 1973 when the organization was disbanded. The arena seats 11,100 for ice hockey and 12,953 for basketball. It has also been the home of the annual Grand National Rodeo, Horse & Stock Show since 1941 (except for a break from 1942 to 1945 due to World War II). The Cow Palace is officially the 1-A District Agricultural Association, a State agency of the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Division of Fairs and Expositions. The venue hosted the 1960 men's NCAA basketball Final Four and the 1967 NBA All-Star Game. It hosted three WCW SuperBrawl shows and recently it was the site of WWE No Way Out, in 2004.

The idea for the arena was originally conceived as the result of the popularity of the livestock pavilion at the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition. It was another decade before steps were taken to finance the building, and legislative delays and the onset of the Great Depression meant that the building was not completed until 1941. One story for how the current name came about tells of a newspaper editorial that wondered aloud "Why, when people are starving, should money be spent on a "palace for cows?" Thus, the Cow Palace was born. Other sources say that an advertisement company actually coined the name the "Cow Palace" after a man named Willard S. Anderson who said, at the time of the building's construction, that "they are just building a palace for cows."

The arena opened in April, 1941. During World War II, though, the arena was used for processing soldiers bound for the Pacific Theater. In the following years, it hosted innumerable hockey and basketball games, wrestling and boxing matches, concerts, and political events, most notably the 1956 and 1964 Republican National Conventions. The arena is still used for the Grand National Rodeo today and other events.

Rock music bands that have held concerts at the Cow Palace include: The Beatles, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Pink Floyd, KISS, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Elvis Presley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Rolling Stones, U2, Metallica and The Who. The entire album Live Rust by Neil Young & Crazy Horse was recorded during a 1978 concert at the Cow Palace. Fleetwood Mac filmed both of their 12th and 13th December 1987 concerts at the Palace for a DVD, later released in 1988.

The Cow Palace has a San Francisco address, but it is physically mostly in Daly City, and it is the Daly City Police Department which patrols its grounds during events.