Toyota Center

Toyota Center is the downtown Houston arena at 1510 Polk Street, opened in October 2003 as the home of the NBA's Houston Rockets. At the request of then-owner Leslie Alexander the 750,000-square-foot building was sunk 32 feet below street level so that fans would not have to walk up stairs to reach their seats, an excavation that was the largest in Houston's history and part of a $235 million build; Toyota paid US$100 million for the naming rights. It seats 18,104 for basketball and 19,300 for a concert, and the first event held in it was a Fleetwood Mac concert on 6 October 2003; the concert attendance record still belongs to Metallica, who played to 17,962 on 20 November 2008. The Houston Aeros played AHL hockey here until 2013 and the WNBA's Houston Comets return in 2027. Between Rockets nights the arena takes the touring calendar — Latin bills from Chayanne, Yandel, Don Omar and Maná, hip-hop from J. Cole and Rod Wave, rock from Rush, Weezer and Tame Impala, and stand-up from Jo Koy and Dave Chappelle.