SIU Arena is an 8,339-seat multi-purpose arena, on the campus of Southern Illinois University, in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Construction on the arena began in the spring of 1962 and took nearly two years to complete. It was completed in 1964 and is the home of the SIU Salukis basketball team.The basketball team played its first game in the new complex on December 1, 1964. The Salukis defeated Oklahoma State, 78-55, in the opener and went on to post a 14-1 record at home that season.Two first-round games of the 1969 NCAA basketball tournament were played at the arena. An NBA regular-season game was also played there in 1969.Peter Gabriel recorded there part of his live album, Plays Live, in December 1983. Widespread Panic released a live album, containing their complete concert performance from 2000. In December 2003, it was also the site of a memorial service for the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon. In March 2010, Drake performed his first live performance of his career; he was booked at the last minute as a surprise to the students, as the event was sold out. This was the beginning of his emerging career.
