The Pyramid A Wrap

A recent Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band show marked the end of one of the most iconoclastic facilities in the U.S., which was mummified February 3rd after 15 years of confusing and endearing Memphis citizens.

Billed as the final show for the Pyramid Arena, the sold-out concert filled nearly 14,000 seats.

Its ancient counterparts in Egypt may still be standing, but the inverted arena of Memphis won’t even see drinking age. It struggled in recent years and its end was nigh when the FedExForum opened in 2004.

The Memphis Grizzlies, which operates the venue, secured a non-compete clause during negotiations with the city in 2001, in exchange for accepting responsibility of venue operating losses. When the team moved to the FedExForum, all other city-owned facilities, including the Pyramid and the Mid-South Coliseum, were required to obtain the team’s permission to stage competing major events.

After Grizzlies and University of Memphis basketball games were moved to the FedExForum, Pyramid officials were left scratching their heads as to what to do. The idea of a mega-casino was floated, along with converting the facility into a shopping mall or indoor amusement park.

The ultimate fate of the colossal structure, which ranks as one of the largest pyramids in the world, has yet to be announced.

"No matter how many times we see it, still the urge is to crane our necks, scratch our heads and wonder: What in the name of Rameses possessed us to build a pyramid, anyway?" the city’s Commercial Appeal said.

Memphis CFO Robert Lipscombe recently told the paper he has an agreement in principle and is close to inking a deal with Bass Pro Shops to redevelop the arena.

Bass Pro announced last year its plans to turn the Pyramid into a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store that would feature a restaurant, aquarium, waterfall, and possibly a hotel and museum, tentatively scheduled to open in 2008. The company has yet to secure those plans.

Pierre Landaiche, GM of the Cook Convention Center, told the Commercial Appeal what the arena’s redevelopment could do for the city.

"Personally, I’m looking forward to it and hope it happens," Landaiche said. "When Bass Pro comes to a city, within a short period of time, it becomes one of the top tourist attractions of the state."