BJCC Concert Hall Information
For over 50 years, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex — originally known as the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center — has served as a central convention, entertainment, and sports hub in Birmingham, AL.
It was located in Birmingham’s Uptown Entertainment District and was designed by the well-respected architectural firm Geddes, Brecher, Qualls & Cunningham in the late 1960s. It was constructed in the early 1970s and included a variety of entertainment venues, such as the BJCC Coliseum (later known as BJCC Arena and now as Legacy Arena), BJCC Theatre, and BJCC Concert Hall.
The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex and its various components continue to play a key role within the Birmingham community. They allow it to serve as everything from a full-fledged convention center with over 350,000 square feet of exhibition space to a place where local organizations can congregate and find meeting space options.
However, it’s BJCC Concert Hall that keeps both locals and visitors from other parts of Alabama and neighboring states coming back time and time again for concert events and other live performances. See below what makes this particular event venue special.
Venue Summary
BJCC Concert Hall is one of the many entertainment venues that help make up the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. It’s a theater capable of holding up to 2,835 spectators, and it routinely hosts national touring concerts that make stops in Alabama in addition to other forms of family-friendly entertainment. The event venue is also responsible for bringing Broadway performances to The Heart of Dixie each year.
BJCC Concert Hall opened in 1974 at the same time as BJCC Theatre, an even more intimate 1,000-seat theatre that hosts smaller concert events and comedy shows while also serving as the home of the Birmingham Children’s Theatre. BJCC Concert Hall was once the home of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, though it has since moved to the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center on the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus.
BJCC Concert Hall has an 84’ x 88’ stage at the center and a 24-foot proscenium, made possible by its being the tallest venue within the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The event venue also boasts a large pipe organ and a backstage area featuring a dozen dressing rooms, a VIP Reception Room, and a pair of rehearsal spaces.
The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex attracts well over 1.1 million visitors annually, with thousands flocking to concerts and other culturally important events at BJCC Concert Hall. Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Chicago, Harry Connick Jr., Natalie Merchant, and Barenaked Ladies are just a handful of the notable musicians and bands who have graced the venue’s stage. World-class comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, and Tyler Perry have also performed on it — even President Gerald Ford once appeared.
Despite recently celebrating its 50th anniversary, BJCC Concert Hall has been updated over time to improve its versatility so that it can accommodate almost any type of event. In addition to hosting live performances, it offers configurable seating that enables groups to utilize it for graduations, corporate gatherings, and more.
About the Venue
BJCC Concert Hall is located within the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex at 2100 Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard N, Birmingham, AL 35203. It was once best known for being the home base of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. But since opening its front doors in October 1974, it has also earned a reputation for being one of the best places in Alabama to catch concert events, Broadway shows, and other family-friendly live performances from top entertainers.
Although BJCC Concert Hall isn’t quite as small and intimate as the nearby BJCC Theatre, which holds just 1,000 spectators, the event venue still manages to deliver a unique experience to music fans and cultural enthusiasts since it features just 2,835 seats. People can get up close and personal with their favorite musicians, comedians, Broadway performers, and other entertainers while watching live performances at the venue.
BJCC Concert Hall is known to attract its fair share of musical acts, particularly those on the brink of superstardom. Back in early 2003, for example, the concert venue hosted Coldplay during its first U.S. tour, solidifying it as a stepping stone for artists on the verge of getting their big breaks and putting BJCC Concert Hall on the cutting edge within the music industry.
At the same time, BJCC Concert Hall maintains a decidedly old-school charm thanks to the intricate system of pulleys and backstage ropes designed to control the stage’s curtains as well as any backdrops that entertainers might use. Features like this help accent BJCC Concert Hall’s history without making it seem outdated. They also deliver an unparalleled experience to those in attendance at live performances at the venue.
Venue History
The BJCC Concert Hall officially opened for business on October 3, 1974, alongside the BJCC Theatre, and the event venues pulled out all the stops to celebrate their grand opening. They teamed up to hold several opening festivities that featured performances from the Birmingham Ballet, the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and the Birmingham Civic Chorus, among others. There was also a special dedication ceremony held for the 1,135-pipe Schlicker pipe organ that was installed in BJCC Concert Hall.
The BJCC Coliseum, later renamed Legacy Arena, would come along two years later and steal some of the BJCC Concert Hall’s thunder by providing big-name musical acts and other entertainers with a much larger venue to perform at within the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. John Denver set the stage for this by becoming the first musician to perform at the BJCC Coliseum on September 28, 1976.
However, the emergence of the BJCC Coliseum also opened up a new opportunity for BJCC Concert Hall. It allowed the concert venue to provide musicians and other entertainers with the chance to perform in a more intimate setting for fans. It also broadened the venue’s horizons by pushing it to start hosting Broadway performances, and since then, Broadway lovers have been able to enjoy shows like Camelot, Cats, Les Misérables, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Sound of Music, Grease, and The Phantom of the Opera, among many others.BJCC Concert Hall continues to host a diverse collection of musical acts, Broadway shows, and other family-friendly events every year. It isn’t uncommon to see country music star Anne Wilson, a Cirque du Soleil production, and the touring PAW Patrol Live! show come through this concert hall, all within a span of just a few weeks.
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Seating Chart:
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