United Center

Michael O'Connor is a glass half-full kind of guy. His new sports bar, The Ogden, is set to open in a few weeks, just blocks east of United Center. The address will make it one of the closest bars to the arena, a prime stop for Bulls fans - that is, if there's a season. O'Connor, general manager at the bar and restaurant, and owner Joseph Panfil had thought their food-driven sports spot would be opening as the Bulls 2011-2012 season was picking up steam. Instead they're busy crossing their fingers that it will happen at all. "It's interesting, because this could potentially be...

Round 1, Game 5: Blackhawks 5, Wild 1 The Blackhawks have begun the chase for the Stanley Cup, and RedEye is covering their journey through the eyes of the fans. With their 5-1 victory Thursday at the United Center, the Hawks won their first postseason series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2010. In attendance was Hawks fan and Minnesota native Desirae Kirchmeier. Desirae Kirchmeier, 33, Streeterville @ToldYaChi "In '93, Norm Green sent the North Stars, the hometown team, to Dallas.

Wednesday night's Bulls-Indiana Pacers game was both a rematch of a hard-fought first-round playoff series from last season and what some see as a preview of another collision in this season's playoffs. The players themselves seemed to treat the game as if the playoffs already were here. In a back-and-forth contest in which each team seemed to have a grip on the game at one point or another, the Pacers walked away with a well-deserved 95-90 win. If this indeed is a playoff preview, what exactly did we learn?

Wow! Are you ready for another thrilling concert announcement? Well, The Rolling Stones are "thrilled to announce" a second show in Chicago on May 31, just days after the May 28 date that was announced earlier this week. They're thrilled, you guys. In less thrilling news, tickets begin at $150 on ticketmaster.com. Both shows will be at the United Center, and tickets go on sale April 8 at 10 a.m. UPDATE: The Stones have added yet another show: June 3, also at the UC. All other ticket information applies to this new show as well.

The UFC was in town Wednesday to hype up its Jan. 28 event at the United Center, and league president Dana White and his fighters came equipped with their best quotes. Here are some of the best lines and moments from the news conference.   Chicago butt-kissing "We never had an event like this here in the United Center and our focus was always on this great arena. I don't see us waiting another three years before coming back to this great city. "--Dana White, UFC president Best smack talk "I guarantee you'll be the first to take a shot, because I'm gonna put my hands on you...

Leave your answers in the comment section. You might score an invite to appear in RedEye.   1. What's the danger in playing back-to-back games with the Indiana Pacers? 2. What might the Bulls learn about their team in two preseason games? 3. How will fans welcome the Bulls back to the United Center on Tuesday? 4. Which one Bears player/coach/exec absolutely should not be back in 2012? 5. The Bears are mathematically in the playoff hunt but realistically … Follow @redeyesportsguy on twitter for...

Wow! Are you ready for another thrilling concert announcement? Well, The Rolling Stones are "thrilled to announce" a second show in Chicago on May 31, just days after the May 28 date that was announced earlier this week. They're thrilled, you guys. In less thrilling news, tickets begin at $150 on ticketmaster.com. Both shows will be at the United Center, and tickets go on sale April 8 at 10 a.m.

ATTEND Blackhawks vs. Nashville 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, CSN Let's see if the Blackhawks can exact a bit of revenge on the Predators, who just won Saturday night's matchup of the two teams - oh, and also knocked out captain Jonathan Toews.   ATTEND Bulls vs. Indiana 7 p.m. Wednesday, CSN The Bulls and Pacers are the only teams to remain undefeated at home. The Pacers would like to change that.   RIDE Critical Mass monthly ride ...

Boy, Beyonce sure looked rusty on stage at the Super Bowl, huh? Um, no, she didn't. The pop/R&B icon strutted and belted like the superstar she is Sunday, and soon Chicagoans can see the elaborate show of big singing, stuttering dancing and proudly displayed legs up close. Today promoter Live Nation announced that Beyonce's "The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour" includes a stop Wednesday, July 17 at United Center. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 11 and will run you from $45-$250.

Crowd noise should be the only thing making it hard to talk on your cell phone at the United Center these days, as the arena recently wrapped up a long-term, multi-million-dollar project with AT&T to improve the venue's cell service. Steve Schulze, the United Center's CIO, said the new system was the result of a simple "demand equation," as "data usage and expectations have exploded" in recent years. Cell service is an issue in many sports complexes, with the high numbers of fans and media teams packed into the same facility, using an...

After successfully building up a following in Rosemont, Park Tavern is moving into Chicago, opening a location near the United Center at 1645 W. Jackson St. on Nov. 30. “It's an area that can use really good food,” said chief operating officer Marc Wuenschel. The food selections will be identical to those found at Park Tavern's locations in Rosemont and Dallas. Favorites there have included the house-smoked PBR can chicken and animal tots, tater tots loaded with pulled pork, cheese curds, fried egg and gravy.

In highly unsurprising music news, Dave Matthews Band has announced a winter tour, the 2012 Winter Tour.  It will bring the band to Chicago on Dec. 5 at the United Center. DMB has been one of the most prolific and lucrative touring bands in the world since their inception, selling more than 18 million tickets and ranking as the highest ticket selling act of the last decade. Album sales have not been much different for the group, as their most recent LP, "Away from the World," topped the charts immediately, making the group the first ever to have six...

Fans attending Prince's last show during his 3-day "residency" at the United Center will get to enjoy a fresh female opener who is exclusive to that show. Grammy-nominated singer Janelle Monae will bring her funk and spunk to the UC stage for the Sept. 26 show, Prince's third and final local performance in association with Rebuild the Dream, an organization dedicated to learning and supporting sustainable communities and practices. This is not the first time Monae has been involved with a socially aware music movement.

Perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising that the man who's taken 12 years-and-counting between albums would be running late. Yet I was still shocked when long-dormant R&B singer D'Angelo took the stage Thursday at United Center nearly two hours after LiveNation indicated he would and said goodnight after just a 30-minute set. Shortly into her performance, headliner Mary J. Blige noted that D'Angelo had had an “emergency” and had been unable...