January 12, 2018
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
The Xcite Center, a 1,500-seat live entertainment and concert venue at Parx Casino in Bensalem, opens with a Chicago concert on Saturday night.
Parx Casino will cut the ribbon on its 1,500-seat entertainment venue with a sold-out concert from Chicago on Saturday.
The concert is one of several lined up in the coming months at the new venue, with Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Third Eye Blind and Dane Cook among a host of familiar names coming to the Xcite Center in Bensalem.
Chicago, which received its long-awaited induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, will also take part in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at 6:45 p.m. The ceremony is free to attend, the casino said in a statement this week.
The venue is part of a $50 million expansion at the casino that also includes two new restaurants and a new poker room.
PhillyVoice staff photographer Thom Carroll captured images of the arena and other additions at the casino this week:
The Xcite Center features completely removable seating to allow a standing audience of 2,100 people.
In addition to on-stage entertainment, the venue also allows for a boxing ring to be constructed in the center with surrounding seating.
The Xcite Center is equipped with a 65-foot wide, 30-foot deep stage.
There are three 16-by-9 IMAG video screens throughout the Xcite Center that allow the audience to see close-up details of the performers on stage from any seat.
The green room at the Xcite Center features a piece of art designed by Nathan Powell, director of entertainment technology and design at Parx Casino, and created by artist Brian Auge.
The entrance to the Xcite Center at Parx Casino in Bensalem.
The new Liberty Bell Gastropub at Parx Casino.
