Venue: Pershing Center
Town: Nebraska, US
Capacity: 7,000

The Pershing Center (originally known as Pershing Auditorium) was a 4,526-seat multi-purpose arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. The arena opened on March 10, 1957 and was named after General John J. Pershing. Tenants included indoor football teams, Lincoln Capitols, Lincoln Haymakers, and roller derby team No Coast Roller Derby. The arena was demolished in August 2023. Pershing Center was preceded by Lincoln's first municipal auditorium. Owned by Lancaster County and operated by the local chapter of the American Legion, the auditorium opened on February 13, 1900. However, on April 16, 1928, the building was destroyed by an accidental fire. The auditorium was replaced by a new facility at Tenth and M streets, which opened in March 1930. While bond issues to build a city-owned auditorium were passed in 1939 and 1950, the auditorium went through extensive delays, with multiple disputes on which site to develop. The auditorium was officially named after General John J. Pershing in 1943. Plans were finalized in 1955, and the auditorium began construction later that same year. The auditorium officially opened on March 10, 1957. On May 4, 1959, a time capsule was placed under the building. It was meant to be opened on May 4, 2059. In 2008-2009, discussions began to build a new, larger arena for Lincoln due to mid-sized arenas no longer able to meet the demands of most tours. According to Pershing General Manager Tom Lorenz "the music and entertainment industry has pulled back on midlevel tours, reducing the number of shows likely to come to Pershing. Normally, Pershing has six to eight concerts annually, but this year will have three or four". A subsidy to cover a budget shortfall of $150,000 was passed by the Lincoln City Council because the situation was so dire, only "10 months into the fiscal year." The larger arena in Lincoln's Haymarket District was ultimately built between 2011 and 2013, opening as Pinnacle Bank Arena in August 2013. The final major event, a