14
MERCEDES-BENZ ARENA
BERLIN
CONCERT CAPACITY 15,000
12-MONTH GROSS $36.3 MILLION
The fall 2018 opening of Mercedes Platz
— a neighboring entertainment district
featuring a cinema, restaurants, hotels and
a 4,350-capacity music venue — has made
the 10-year-old Mercedes-Benz Arena an
even more popular destination. “We are
now having around 250-plus events a year
at this location, which makes it very special
in Europe,” says managing director Michael
Hapka. He points to November’s resched-
uled concert by U2 among the year’s
highlights, while Jack White “really shook
the walls” when he opened the Verti Music
Hall on Oct. 12.
15
BARCLAYCARD ARENA
HAMBURG, GERMANY
CONCERT CAPACITY 15,000
12-MONTH GROSS $35 MILLION
Over the past year, Hamburg’s 15,000-
capacity Barclaycard Arena hosted pop
hitmakers Justin Timberlake and Post
Malone, as well as a growing number
of local headliners, including a sold-out,
three-night run by German star Udo
Lindenberg. With the closure of the
nearby 12,500-capacity Congress Center,
which is under construction until 2020,
the space has embraced its capacity
to shrink to a smaller, intimate space
with the “push of a button,” says Steve
Schwenkglenks, vp/managing director.
“When you enter, you have no idea it’s
double the size.”
16
RAC ARENA
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
CONCERT CAPACITY 15,000
12-MONTH GROSS $34 MILLION
With its first naming-rights deal and eight
of the venue’s top 20 highest-grossing
shows of all time, the RAC Arena has
enjoyed a “huge year,” says GM Mi-
chael Scott. P!nk’s Beautiful Trauma run
smashed its record for most tickets sold
by a solo performer with over 16,000
visitors from out of town, a major boon
to the tourism economy, he says. The
“green” venue has implemented a raft
of sustainability initiatives, including the
introduction of reusable cups and a part-
nership with Hyundai, which will install
electric car charging stations on-site.
17
SPARK ARENA
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
CONCERT CAPACITY 12,000
12-MONTH GROSS $31.6 MILLION
Another record notch on P!nk’s Beautiful
Trauma run was when it swept the Spark
Arena with six sold-out shows to 73,087
fans. The largest indoor venue of its kind
in New Zealand, Spark Arena is a year
into its Zero Waste Strategy, where 100%
compostable packaging is now used for
front-of-house serveware. “We are seeing
a dramatic reduction in our annual waste
to landfills,” says GM Brendan Hines. In
April, the venue — located in Auckland,
the territory’s most populated city —
hosted the You Are Us/Aroha Nui concert
to raise funds for those affected by the
March Christchurch terror attack. “It was
an emotional evening for the artists and
audience with a powerful message of
acceptance and love,” says Hines.
18
THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY
LONDON
CONCERT CAPACITY 12,500
12-MONTH GROSS $31.4 MILLION
Hosting the world premiere of Queen
biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in October
2018 was just one of the highlights of
the past 12 months at the London staple,
says vp/gm John Drury. “Queen have
been regular visitors to the arena, so
we were delighted to have them back,”
he says. (The band famously played its
neighboring Wembley Stadium as part
of the legendary AIDS benefit Live Aid in
1985.) Sellouts from George Ezra, Slayer
and Arcade Fire contributed to a record
950,000 attendees in 2018, while this
year has brought memorable visits from
K-pop stars BLACKPINK, NCT 127 and
Monsta X.
19
VAN ANDEL ARENA
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
CONCERT CAPACITY 12,860
12-MONTH GROSS $30.1 MILLION
The Grand Rapids venue, which opened
in October 1996, heralded the return
of Michigan native Bob Seger, who
kicked off his final Roll Me Away tour last
November with two sold-out shows, his
ninth play in the building, according to
regional GM Rich MacKeigan. “The may-
or even declared the first show day as
Bob Seger Day in Grand Rapids.” Within
the next six months, the venue will debut
a $2 million renovation that includes
new dressing rooms and a reimagined
locker/weight room for hockey team The
Griffins. As part of Michigan’s annual
Battle of the Buildings energy initiative
in 2018, the arena won the Biggest Loser
prize, out of over 1,000 entries, for a total
energy consumption decrease of 12%
year to year.
20
MGM GRAND GARDEN
LAS VEGAS
CONCERT CAPACITY 15,500
12-MONTH GROSS $26.1 MILLION
The Sin City mainstay pulled in $25 million
from 21 concerts over the past 12 months,
with standout dates including Phil Collins,
who returned after 15 years for a sold-out
performance of his Not Dead Yet Tour
last October. He enlisted his son Nicholas
to play drums on the tour, after health
problems including foot paralysis left him
unable to play the instrument. “Even in
his current physical condition, it had zero
effect on his performance,” says GM Scott
Preston. “The crowd was extremely en-
gaged. It felt like he passed the torch.”
CONTRIBUTORS:
Lars Brandle, Dave Brooks, Brooke Mazurek,
Taylor Mims, Richard Smirke, Nick Williams
L
U
K
E^D
Y
SON
Interior of SSEHydro in Glasgow.
82 BILLBOARD • SEPTEMBER 28, 2019