Pinnacle Bank Arena

by Charlyne Berens

“Community center” is not part of Pinnacle Bank Arena’s official name, but it probably could be.

Tim Savona, general manager of the Arena since February 2023, said the iconic Haymarket anchor provides a community gathering place, a vehicle where people unite and celebrate.

“We are where people go to create lasting memories,” he said. The arena is a space that hosts graduations and ceremonies, concerts and athletic events. “That’s what keeps us going every day.”

The 16,000-seat arena celebrated its opening in 2013 with a series of 10 shows in 80 days, including the likes of Elton John, the Eagles and Jay-Z. That jump start was followed by packed crowds to hear artists like Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Def Leppard and Garth Brooks. Just five years later, Lincoln had become a “must stop” for concert tours.

By 2025, PBA had hosted around 170 concerts, including, most recently, two nights of Cody Johnson, Jason Aldean, Sleep Token, Nate Bargatze, and Riley Green. Other 2025 events included the Monster Jam, Parker McCollum, MercyMe, Creed, Jordan Davis, Maroon 5, Bulls, Bands and Barrels, T-Pain, and Bert Kreischer. “The arena is always pursuing all types of events. More variety and more people are always our goals,” Savona said.

And then there are the graduations: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Southeast Community College and the local public and private high schools host their ceremonies at PBA.

Furthermore, the arena is the host for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s men’s and women’s basketball teams ­— and the teams’ practices and exhibition games — which keeps the court hot.

Every March, the Nebraska girls’ and boys’ basketball tournaments come to town, drawing families and fans from across the state to cheer their teams. And don’t forget girls’ state volleyball each November. Other events include annual conventions that bring thousands of high school students to the site for FFA and FCCLA — Family, Career and Community Leaders of America — conventions.

In August, PBA hosted six NCAA Division 1 volleyball games over three days for an AVCA First Serve Event that included both the UNL and Creighton University teams. The event in a volleyball crazy state drew more than 40,000 people for the weekend.

And, as Savona said, nearly every concert or sporting event or celebratory ceremony draws thousands of visitors to Lincoln, visitors who stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants and help to support the Haymarket area — and the rest of the city.

Planning for the arena began in 2005. The project involved moving Burlington Northern Railroad’s tracks farther west to make room for the arena and to expand the rest of the historic Haymarket District’s footprint.

Sponsored by a joint public agency formed by the City of Lincoln and the University of Nebraska, the project — the building, land, roads and walkways, parking, environmental cleanup and so forth for a total of $334 million — got support from voters who, in 2010, approved a $25 million bond issue and a “turn back” tax to help pay it off. All hotels in a 600-yard radius around the arena collect 5.5 percent state tax on guest rooms, and the state returns 70 percent of that to pay down the arena’s bonds.

The “turn back” tax is gone now, but a 2 percent tax at hotels, rental car agencies, bars and restaurants, dedicated to the arena project, remains in place. Revenue generated by tickets, concessions, rent and parking in the adjacent garages is also subject to the turn-back tax. And Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank ponied up $11.25 million for a 25-year claim to the arena’s name.

Savona said the economic impact on Lincoln comes in at millions of dollars every year. He and his staff continue to broaden their programming, looking for more ways to attract people to the city. “The more audiences we can appeal to, the more traffic we’re driving and creating awareness about all the community has to offer,” he said.

To add to the excitement, in 2012 the PBA team started programming at Pinewood Bowl, Lincoln’s outdoor theater located within Pioneers Park.

“It’s a venue unlike anything I’ve seen before,” Savona said. “It’s a magical environment to see live entertainment.”

Many groups in the community came together to bring Pinewood Bowl under the PBA umbrella, Savona said, especially visionary guidance and support of the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Department and Tom Lorenz, PBA’s first general manager.

The expansion to a second venue included renovations to make the facilities at the outdoor theater more accessible and permanent. PBA procures and produces 10 to 12 concerts each summer at the facility at Pioneers Park. Some of the 2025 performers were An Evening with Chicago, Weird Al Yankovic, The Sunshine Band with the Village People, Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge.

The arena itself was the site of some major renovations during summer 2025, a $10 million capital investment that provides: a new center court scoreboard and ribbon board; new scorers’ tables; a full IT network refresh including enhanced WiFi throughout the facility.

In addition, arena management is consistently swapping out old lighting with LEDs and making food and beverage equipment upgrades, Savona said. “There are constant upgrades and updates” to keep the arena state of the art.

Jeff Maul, vice president and executive director of Visit Lincoln is enthusiastic about PBA and all the options it offers.

“With great entertainment options on the venues’ annual event calendar, people are bringing friends, family and corporate associates from across the region to concerts and sporting events,” Maul said. “These visitors are discovering a revitalized economy and our unique blend of hospitality and Midwest values, making for a memorable stay and great experiences shared on social media about Lincoln as a destination.

Savona praised the team he leads at the arena for making it a successful enterprise. He also noted the “great working relationship” PBA has with the City of Lincoln, UNL and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.

It’s what helps make Pinnacle Bank Arena a community center. And that spirit has been there from the start, according to Chris Connolly, assistant city attorney and the City of Lincoln’s primary contact person with the arena.

“Back when it was being built, there was such a sense of pride from the community about what was happening,” Connolly said. And the pride and spirit continues within the joint public agency and among Lincolnites in general.

“For an operation like this to be successful, you need teamwork and collaboration” Savona said. “We’re incredibly fortunate to share that community-minded approach among our partners.”