Did you know your Sedano's Supermarket in Pembroke Pines is one of the most forgotten Historic Sites in Rock Music History? Hollywood-Sportatorium
Yes, located at 17171 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027, this has got to be one of the most historic places in Broward County that has been forgotten. It was the site of the Hollywood Sportatorium.
Seriously, next time you are grabbing pastelitos or groceries at the Sedano's on Pines Blvd, take a look at the floor. You are standing exactly where some of the greatest music legends in history on Earth went down.
From 1970 to 1988, that exact plot of land was home to the Hollywood Sportatorium. It was a hot, leaky, chaotic, 15,000+ seat warehouse. Traffic on Pines Blvd was a nightmare because it was just a two-lane road back then. But despite having terrible acoustics and barely any AC, every major rock star in history played right here in Broward County.
The Mind-Blowing Rock Highlights:
- The Grateful Dead (5/22/77): They played a legendary show here that was later immortalized as Dick's Picks Volume 3. Deadheads widely consider this "Sugaree" and "Help>Slip>Franklin's" to be some of the absolute best live versions the band ever performed.
- Santana (1977 & 2/17/79): Carlos Santana brought his mind-bending Latin-rock fusion to the arena multiple times. His legendary 1979 show with Eddie Money opening is one of the most talked-about "Cellar Door Concerts" nights in South Florida history, with people still hunting down the vintage backstage patch passes from that night!
- Lynyrd Skynyrd (10/15/77): They played the Sportatorium just five days before their tragic plane crash. It was one of the final times the original lineup ever shared a stage.
- Elvis Presley (2/12/77): The King kicked off his 54th tour right here in his iconic "Indian Feather" jumpsuit. It was one of his very last major Florida appearances before he passed away six months later.
- Queen (2/19/77 & 11/78): Freddie Mercury blew the roof off the place during the peak of their global dominance.
- And everyone else: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon tour, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Rush, and Bruce Springsteen all graced that stage.
And it wasn't just rock and roll—the Sporto was a massive hub for Funk and R&B. Legends like Parliament-Funkadelic, Rick James, Earth Wind & Fire, and the Isley Brothers brought the absolute heaviest bass lines in history to Pembroke Pines, turning that giant warehouse into one massive dance floor.
The Masters of Funk & Soul
- Marvin Gaye (9/10/77): The Prince of Soul brought his smooth, legendary vocals to the sweltering arena at the absolute height of the venue's historic 1977 run. (Fun fact: The Grateful Dead actually closed their famous May '77 show at the Sporto covering his anthem "Dancing in the Street"!)
- Earth, Wind & Fire: Renowned for their highly energetic, elaborate, and theatrical stage shows, EWF brought their precise horn sections, cosmic imagery, and multi-genre R&B, funk, and jazz catalog to the arena during their peak 1970s run.
- Parliament-Funkadelic: Led by the cosmic visionary George Clinton, P-Funk brought their legendary intergalactic stage shows and massive horn sections directly to Pembroke Pines. Older concertgoers vividly recall the absolute madness of dancing to "Flash Light" and "Give Up the Funk" inside the sweltering arena.
- Rick James & The Stone City Band: Rick James brought his legendary "punk-funk" movement to the Sporto multiple times. His high-octane, chaotic performances of hits like "Super Freak" are heavily talked about by South Florida old-timers—especially his infamous, wild 1981 tour stop.
- The Isley Brothers: On July 7, 1980, they headlined an absolute powerhouse funk bill at the Sportatorium. They blew the crowd away with their signature blend of smooth soul and blistering, fuzz-toned funk guitar.
- The Gap Band: Opening for the Isley Brothers on that same legendary July 1980 night, the Wilson brothers brought their heavy, synth-driven Tulsa funk sound to Broward County, getting the entire arena moving to early hits right before they exploded into global superstars.
- The S.O.S. Band: Also sharing the stage on that massive 1980 funk bill, they brought a fresh, electronic disco-funk groove to the Sporto just as their massive anthem "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" was dominating the charts.
And when the Sportatorium was being built in 1969, that same Sedano’s location was the site of the most amazing, totally forgotten and Last Music Festival of the 1960’s! Everyone talks about Woodstock 69, but did you know there was a Rock Festival here is South Florida that was attended for by about 50K young people, and it included a line up such as The Grateful Dead, B.B. King, Santana, The Allman Brothers Band, Sweetwater and many more?!
Unfortunately, a hurricane, building decay and the growth of suburban sprawl caused the bulldozing of its culture to build townhouses and strip malls**.**
The Sporto was torn down in 1993, and today, there isn't even a historical marker to tell kids that rock royalty used to sweat out legendary sets in their neighborhood.
Let's preserve our history. I started a petition to get a proper historical marker or legacy dedication established at the site so this piece of South Florida culture isn't forgotten forever.
Please sign and share the petition here:
Preserve the Legacy of Grateful Dead's Historic Pembroke Pines Show
Who else here is old enough to remember the Sporto? What was your favorite show there? Let's talk!
