With a final estimated cost between $8.5 million to $9 million, the arena was designed by Odell Associates and constructed by McDevitt and Street, of Charlotte, North Carolina.[2] The venue capacity is configurable from 9,800 to 13,800 seats. Fans of the Grateful Dead and Phish have nicknamed the building The Mothership, a term coined by The Virginian-Pilot reporter John Colt in a 1981 Grateful Dead concert review.[3][4]
The Grateful Dead performed 21 concerts at Hampton Coliseum between 1979 and 1992,[10] including two shows in 1989 under the billing of The Warlocks - the band's name before they changed it to the Grateful Dead. Unofficial tapes of these two shows proved extremely popular amongst Deadheads and the shows were later commercially released as Formerly the Warlocks. Garcia returned to the Coliseum with the Jerry Garcia Band for single shows in 1991 and 1993.
Elvis Presley performed 2 shows at the Coliseum in April 1972, another show in March 1974, and another 2 shows in August 1976. All shows were sold out. Performances from Presley's show on April 9, 1972, featured heavily in the 1972 Golden Globe winning documentary, Elvis on Tour, with Presley donning a powder blue jumpsuit.
The venue remains popular with the rock band Phish, whose multi-night stand in 1998 was released as Hampton Comes Alive as well as choosing Hampton Coliseum as the site of their 2009 reunion shows. The band has performed at the venue 24 times between 1995 and 2025.[11][12]
The world's first pay-per-view live broadcast of a rock show was held at the venue on December 18, 1981, when The Rolling Stones American Tour 1981 ended with a two-night stint. Guitarist Keith Richards memorably hit a man who ran onstage with his guitar.[13]
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