New arena announces more events

The university has announced the lineup of events in the opening months of the Save Mart Center.

The inaugural public event at the venue will be the Bulldog Basketball Extravaganza on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.

World-renowned opera tenor Andrea Bocelli will be the first performer to take the stage at the Save Mart Center on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. The Bocelli appearance is presented locally by the Fresno Grand Opera.

Grammy-nominated rock group matchbox twenty will be in concert at the arena Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. The stop at the Save Mart Center will be one of three California shows promoting the band’s new album, More Than You Think You Are, featuring the hits, “Disease” and “Unwell.”

The Fresno Falcons, which recently joined the East Coast Hockey League and became the ECHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks , will play at their new home for the first time Nov. 16 at 5 p.m.

Modern rockers Good Charlotte hit the stage Nov. 23 as they tour promoting their latest album, The Young and The Hopeless.

The Fresno State women’s basketball team plays the first official basketball game at the Save Mart Center when it hosts the seventh annual Fresno State Classic. The Bulldogs will begin the defense of their Fresno State Classic title when they open the tournament against Louisiana-Monroe. The University of Utah and Western Kentucky will also play in the Classic.

The men’s basketball team plays its home opener at the arena when it hosts the McCaffrey Classic beginning Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs will look to defend their streak of seven straight Classic titles.

World Wrestling Entertainment will be “Unleashed” at the Save Mart Center on Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. More than 40 WWE “Raw” wrestlers will participate in “Unleashed.”

Coming to the Save Mart Center in 2004 are the Smucker’s Stars on Ice on Jan. 7, comedian George Lopez on Feb. 15, the Harlem Globetrotters on Feb. 23, Christian musical group The Gaither Homecoming on March 19, the Professional Bull Riders’ Built Ford Tough Series on March 27 and Barney, the purple dinosaur, on April 6-7.

Perhaps the premier event of 2004 will be an exhibition NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 19.

Tickets for events may be purchased at select Save Mart Center supermarket locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 485-TIXS. Some shows, though officially announced, may not have tickets on sale until closer to the event date.