The last curtain has fallen on the Colisée Pepsi

Main pic: Situé sur le terrain d’Expo-Cité dans le quartier Limoilou, le Colisée Pepsi est le haut lieu du hockey dans la Capitale Québécoise. Inauguré en 1949, il est le 5ième aréna majeur construit au Québec. Photo credit: Eric Fortin.

Quebec City (Quebec) 15 September 2015 – Last night, September 14 was the last time the old Colisée Pepsi would be hosting any kind of show or sporting event in its 66 years of existence. It was also one to remember for the regular employees who have spent most of their working lives serving food and taking tickets for the thousands of patrons who frequented the old structure built in 1949.

The last show to be presented was by Metallica, a group well liked by a good number of people in the city and they brought down the house with their usual blast of heavy metal music knowing it would be the last one.

Metallica has played Quebec often and recorded part of their DVD, Quebec Magnetic in the Colisée itself.

As for the employees, it was a nostalgic evening as most of them have been serving food and drink for most of their lives in the old building and won’t be moving to the new arena.

Some found it hard to speak to journalists with tears building in their eyes as they spoke.

The old Colisée arena was home to the Quebec Aces, the Citadelles, Les Remparts and Les Nordiques hockey teams.

In its time it hosted many different artists from Leonard Cohen to Celine Dion among others.

There was talk the building would be torn down in the very near future after its last show but Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume suggested last night that the decision to tear it down has been reviewed and instead, it may take several years before the demolition takes place.