Coming to Memphis for the NCAA Tournament? What you should know about FedExForum

If you're coming to Memphis for the first and second rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, you're probably hoping to find time to visit the bars of Beale, a few Downtown restaurants and maybe such attractions as Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum.

But FedExForum will be your home base. It's where the games are played, and where you need to be.

So, why not learn a little about the arena? Here's a brief "biography" of Memphis' largest venue for indoor sports and entertainment.

FedExForum's history

Located adjacent to world-famous Beale Street, the avenue that earned Memphis its "Home of the Blues" title, FedExForum was introduced to the public with an "open house" gala on Sept. 6, 2004. An estimated 30,000 fans toured the arena during the 6-hour gala, which came two years and three months after the building's groundbreaking.

Financed with $250 million in public bonds, FedExForum attracted controversy before it attracted fans. Some people objected to the public funding. Others criticized the "non-compete" clause that allowed the Memphis Grizzlies to block concerts and other events at the Pyramid (now a distinctively gargantuan Bass Pro shop) and Mid-South Coliseum (now closed). Inevitably, however, Memphians were more eager to hark to the squeak of basketball sneakers than to the squawk of debate. Two days before the open house, The Commercial Appeal editorialized that FedExForum "qualifies as an amazing success story in a town with a history of botched construction projects."

NBA IN MEMPHIS: The bear facts: Why are the Memphis Grizzlies ... well, the Grizzlies? | Know Your 901

The dream of a new venue to replace the once ballyhooed riverfront Pyramid arena began to materialize into reality in 2001 (when the Pyramid was only 10 years old), when Vancouver Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley said that before moving his team to Memphis, "it would be very important that we have a new arena." Within a month, Memphis and Shelby County mayors had pledged support for the arena. Memphis-based FedEx purchased the naming rights to a new arena, for $92 million. The Grizzlies moved South, and played their first season at what would become known as the "Grindhouse" in 2004, after three years in the Pyramid. The Memphis Tigers moved to FedExForum during the arena's opening year. The move increased comfort but not seating: The Pyramid had about 20,000 (notoriously crammed together) seats, while FedExForum seats 18,119 for basketball.

Tigers and Grizzlies aren't the only attractions that have stalked the Forum. Others who have performed there include Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Justin Timberlake, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Billy Joel, Kiss, Katy Perry, Garth Brooks, James Taylor, Post Malone, Yo Gotti (the Memphis rapper's annual "Birthday Bash" has been a staple) and C-3PO himself, actor Anthony Daniels, who hosted a "Star Wars in Concert" show at the arena in 2010.

March Madness at FedExForum in Memphis

"March Madness" is a recurring fever for FedExForum. The men's regionals previously came to the arena in 2009, 2014 and 2017. Memphis had been slated to host South Regional games in 2021, but that year the tournament was moved in its entirety to venues in Indiana, to reduce travel and thereby reduce the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus.

March Madness in Memphis has been especially lucky for North Carolina. In 2009, the Tar Heels defeated Gonzaga and Oklahoma here, on the team's way to its fifth national championship. Eight years later, North Carolina beat Butler and Kentucky, on the road to what remains its last national championship to date (the final game again pitted the Tar Heels against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.)

A peek inside FedExForum

Memphis and barbecue are synonymous, so it's no surprise that The Rendezvous, a Downtown tradition since 1948 and arguably the world's most famous barbecue restaurant, sells sandwiches, sausage plates, seasoned popcorn and its signature barbecue nachos in the arena. An additional 40-plus food-and-drink sites offer multiple uniquely Memphis brands, including craft beers from WISEACRE brewery, cocktails from the Old Dominick Distillery, frozen confections from Zio Matto Gelato, and more.

Also unique: the décor. Both levels of public concourse space are designed to pay homage Memphis' status as one of America's great music cities, the so-called "Home of the Blues" and "Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll." The walls are covered with images of such Memphis music legends as Jerry Lee Lewis and Rufus Thomas, along with performers of more recent vintage, including Lucero. In a clever touch, the icons on the signs designating the men's and women's bathrooms are silhouettes of musical performers: The Men's Room icon clearly resembles Elvis, in mid-swivel; while the microphone-wielding Women's Room icon might be the Stax Queen of Memphis Soul, Carla Thomas (at least, that's who this reporter, with all due respect, likes to think it is).

Why is FedExForum called 'The Grindhouse'?

FedExForum's "Grindhouse" nickname originates in a quote from beloved Grizzlies player Tony Allen, who during a postgame comment in 2011 explained the team's formula for victory with this phrase: "It's just all heart. Grit, grind." The sound bite was repeated, amplified, and embraced by Memphis fans and the Memphis media, providing a name for an era of "grit-and-grind" basketball and, eventually, a complementary nickname for the Grizzlies home base.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: A look at FedExForum in Memphis, a 2024 NCAA Tournament site