This article is the first in a series by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine celebrating MOA’s 30th birthday. Join us as we ride through some of our favorite memories of the last 30 years.
New York has Broadway. Los Angeles has the Walk of Fame. We proudly claim Mall of America. In the last 30 years, MOA has hosted countless celebrities, music performances, book signings, and movie premieres providing us with a bounty of opportunities to meet, greet, and gawk at our favorite celebs. From boy bands to bodybuilders, actresses to activists, the Mall has welcomed so many famous faces, you could fill an entire alphabet—and that’s just what we did.
A
Arnold Schwarzenegger not only dined at MOA’s Planet Hollywood, he was a co-owner. He also filmed scenes for the holiday classic Jingle All the Way at the Mall. The epic toy store fight between Schwarzenegger and Sinbad took place at Toy Works in 1996.
B
It was before they were larger than life, but after they started playing games with our hearts. The Backstreet Boys visited MOA in 1997 and some fans still have those photos framed.
C
Pop diva Mariah Carey knows how to hit a high note. There’s a chance no higher note has been hit inside the Mall’s many walls since Carey performed songs from her album “Charmbracelet” live on location for NBC’s Today show in 2002.
D
Directioners will remember when boy band heartthrobs One Direction visited the Rotunda in 2012. More than 8,000 adoring fans came out to celebrate the release of One-D’s debut studio album “Up All Night.”
E
With direct lineage to Elvis, it’s appropriate that we honor Lisa Marie Presley’s visit in 2003. Fans certainly were all shook up as Presley signed copies of her CD “To Whom it May Concern.”
F
Nick Cannon may be making current headlines for his fatherly advice, but in 2015 he was better known as a sidekick to hip-hop sensation Flo-Rida. They dropped by for a surprise performance and to record a segment for TeenNick Top 10.
G
They may not have broken out into a mash-up of songs when they visited MOA in 2009, but you can bet the cast of Glee was tempted to bust a move in Hot Topic as they greeted guests during their “Gleek” tour. Finn Hudson and Quinn Fabray, aka Diana Argon and Cory Monteith, were only slightly out of place as their preppy characters in the notoriously emo store.
H
Though she didn’t have a love fern by her side, Kate Hudson was looking radiant when she swung by in 2016 to sign copies of her book Pretty Happy. The lovable celeb also has an outpost of her active-wear line, Fabletics, at MOA.
I
Ice Cube and Kevin Hart made an appearance in 2015 to talk about their movie “Ride Along 2.” Hart returned to MOA with Snoop Dogg before Super Bowl LII in 2018 to appear live on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith.
J
Before the Jonas Brothers were married. Before the Jonas Brothers were dads. Before the Jonas Brothers were headliners, they opened for Hannah Montana. While touring in 2007, the trio of heartthrobs stopped by the Mall for a free acoustic concert before a show at Target Center. When we can say we saw them back when…
K
There are mall cops and then there’s Paul Blart. In 2009, Kevin James stopped by to show mallgoers the difference. He took a ride on a Segway to promote his film “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.”
L
Before she was internationally famous for volunteering as tribute, Jennifer Lawrence stopped by with her Hunger Games costars Amanda Stenberg, Josh Hutcherson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Alexander Ludwig to answers questions from fans in 2012.
M
Fans love her today as Rebecca Pearson, but in 2001 Mandy Moore was known for her musical hits “Candy” and “I Wanna Be With You.” She performed her sweet numbers in 2001 for thousands of adoring fans.
N
Fans were devastated to say “Bye, bye, bye” to N’Sync after an autograph session was cut short by a water balloon in 1999.
O
Every tween’s dream came true when Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson visited MOA to film “You’re Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley’s Mall Party” in 1996. Kids got a chance to fictionally shop along with their celebrity besties—meanwhile, the famous twins just wanted to eat at Rainforest Café.
P
Like many celebrities who flocked to Mall of America during Super Bowl LII in 2018, Brad Paisley performed at the Sleep Number store the week leading up to the big game.
Q
Some call her the Queen of Instagram, so it only makes sense that Selena Gomez stopped by Verizon Wireless’s innovative Verizon Destination store in 2013. It was definitely a visit fan’s loved to “like.”
R
Georgia may have been on his mind, but Minnesota was bringing the love when Ray Charles visited the Mall of America in 1992. Accompanied by a full orchestra, the Father of Soul, performed “America” during the Mall’s grand opening.
S
There was nothing holding Shawn Mendes back when he launched his debut album Handwritten at Mall of America with a performance and autograph signing in 2015. The next month, his song “Stitches” started its run of 52 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.
T
Celebrity sightings weren’t uncommon at Planet Hollywood—and tales of those sightings often made their way to the pages of celebrity mags. One specific date night for Tom Arnold and Roseanne ended up in People magazine, as this date was their first appearance together after a famous breakup.
U
Some may say Taylor Swift’s fame is untouchable; others pore over her many songs searching for Easter eggs, including those hidden in her cover of the song ‘Untouchable.” But before she was a mystery-making superstar, Taylor put on a mini Christmas concert a year after her debut album in 2007.
V
She made a run for office of the Vice President, and though Sarah Palin didn’t make it to the White House, she did make it to the Best Buy Rotunda in 2011 to greet fans.
W
The opening of Nickelodeon Universe in 2008 was a star-studded event. Actor Nat Wolff and artists Ashlee Simpson, Miranda Cosgrove, and Lil’ JJ all kicked-off the fun park’s adventurous tenure.
X
Pop princess Xtina, more formally known as Christina Aguilera, encouraged fans to come on over to Mall of America in 1999.
Y
America’s country sweetheart Trisha Yearwood was not only in love with a boy when she performed in 1998—she was in love with the Mall, too.
Z
He wasn’t there to get his head in the game as Troy Bolton; rather, Zac Efron made daughters and mothers alike swoon as he dropped by the Mall in 2010 to promote his flick Charlie St. Cloud—it sure was dreamy.