Perth Entertainment Centre
| Perth Entertainment Centre | |
|---|---|
| PEC | |
 |
|
| Location | Perth, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°56′57″S 115°51′16″E / 31.94917°S 115.85444°ECoordinates: 31°56′57″S 115°51′16″E / 31.94917°S 115.85444°E |
| Opened | 27 December 1974 |
| Closed | 2002 |
| Demolished | 2011 - 2012 |
| Owner | Seven Network Limited |
| Capacity | 8,200 |
| Tenants | |
| Perth Wildcats (NBL) (1990-2002) Perth Breakers (WNBL) (1988-1989) |
|
Perth Entertainment Centre (PEC) was an indoor arena and cinema complex, located in Wellington Street, in the city centre of Perth, Western Australia. It was demolished to make way for the Perth Arena in late 2011.
Contents |
[edit] History
The venue was conceived and championed by the late Brian Treasure, then General Manager at Perth television station TVW 7 and theatrical entrepreneur Michael Edgley. Their interest was principally that their two organisations had mounted large stage shows which toured the country in circus tents; a process that created major logistical challenges. The venue was designed by architects Hobbs, Winning and Leighton and was forecast to cost $5 million, but its construction coincided with a period of intense industrial action. Delays and interruptions, including strike action which was timed to coincide with concrete pours, led to a cost blow-out. The final cost was $8.3 million and interest charges put immediate financial pressure on the venture.[1]
The venue opened on 27 December 1974 as the Channel 7 Edgley Entertainment Centre with the Australian debut of the second Disney On Parade show. In around 1975 the owners approached the State and Federal governments for assistance and the Government of Western Australia took ownership of the building, renaming it The Perth Entertainment Centre.[1]
With a capacity of 8003 seats, the Entertainment Centre was Perth's primary large concert venue from 1974 until its closure in 2002. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest purpose built regular theatre (containing a proscenium arch) in the world.[2] The venue also played host to a number of theatrical extravaganzas, as well as a range of other events including musicals, circuses, corporate functions and international beauty pageants (Miss Universe 1979).
The PEC was home to NBL team Perth Wildcats from 1990 until 2002. The Wildcats won the 1990, 1991, 1995 and 2000 NBL championships while the centre was their home court. It was also home to the Perth Breakers of the WNBL from 1988 to 1989.
[edit] Concerts
- Eric Clapton - 28 April 1975 and 28 November 1984
- John Denver - 13–14 October 1975, 10 May 1983 and 1 December 1994
- Status Quo - 17 October 1975, with Snafu, 24 November 1976, 2-3 August 1978 and 16 November 2000
- Wings - 1 November 1975
- Queen - 11 April 1976, with Lucifer
- The Skyhooks - 21 August 1976 and 7 May 1983
- Rainbow - 4 November 1976, with Buffalo
- AC/DC - 2 December 1976, 15 February 1977, 13 February 1981, 1-2 February 1988 and 23–24 October 1991
- The Robin Trower Band - 31 January 1977
- ABBA - 10th (2 shows) - 11th - 12th (2 shows) March 1977
- Alice Cooper - 14-15 March 1977, 5 September 1997, 23 February 2000 and 17 April 2001
- Jethro Tull - 4-5 September 1977[3][4] and 14 March 1994[5]
- 10cc - 24 September 1977
- Lou Reed - 7 November 1977
- Fleetwood Mac - 18–19 November 1977, 21–22 February 1980 and 8–9 April 1990
- Boz Scaggs - 9 March 1978, with Dragon
- The Beach Boys - 14–15 March 1978
- Bob Dylan - 25 and 27 March 1978, 16-17 February 1986, with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 18 March 1992 and 18 March 2001, with Paul Kelly
- Billy Joel - 1 April 1978
- Olivia Newton-John - 12 November 1978
- David Bowie - 14–15 November 1978 and 4–6 November 1983
- Bob Marley & The Wailers - 23 April 1979
- Elton John - 7 December 1979, 7 April 1982, 6–7 March 1984, 25-26 November 1986, 27–29 January 1990 and 23-24 February 1993
- The Police - 19 March 1980 and 26 February 1981
- The Boomtown Rats - 10 June 1980
- Thin Lizzy - 18 October 1980
- KISS - 8–11 November 1980 and 4 February 1995
- Dire Straits - 22 March 1981, 24 March 1983 and 13-20 April 1986
- Johnny Cash - 16 June 1981 and 2-3 March 1994
- Devo - 17 February 1982
- Elvis Costello - 21 May 1982, with The Attractions, 15 December 1987, with The Confederates and 18 September 1991, with Rude 5
- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - 6 December 1982
- Duran Duran - 27 November 1983
- Robert Plant - 28 January 1984
- INXS - 24 February and 27-28 September 1984, 4-5 September 1985, 6-7 and 9 November 1988, with Sting, 15-16 April 1991 and 20 March and 21 May 2000
- U2 - 23–24 September 1984 and 21–23 September 1989, with B.B. King
- Deep Purple - 27 November 1984 and 5 March 2001
- Tina Turner - 23-24 December 1984, 23–24 December 1985, 24–24 February 1988, 29–30 October 1993 and 3–5 April 1997
- Phil Collins - 20 April 1985 and 4–5 April 1990
- The Stranglers - 18 May 1985
- The Motels - 30 August 1985
- The Australian Crawl - 1 February 1986 (their last ever concert)[6]
- The Thompson Twins - 14 February 1986
- Jackson Browne - 2 December 1986
- Simply Red - 29–30 August and 1 September 1987, with Sinéad O'Connor, 19 August 1989, with Sinéad O'Connor, 3 October 1992, with Sinéad O'Connor and 10 April 1996, with Sinéad O'Connor
- Midnight Oil - 10 October 1987 and 11 June 1993
- George Michael - 8–9 March 1988
- Whitney Houston - 31 October 1988
- Poison - 12 July 1989
- Bon Jovi - 8 November 1989 and 4 October 1993
- Simple Minds - 18 November 1989
- Aerosmith - 15 October 1990
- Kylie Minogue - 13 February 1991 and 28 and 30 April 2001
- Diana Ross - 24 October 1991
- Paul Simon - 5-6 November 1991
- Def Leppard - 11 July 1992
- The Cure - 28 August 1992 and 10 October 2000
- The Red Hot Chili Peppers - 17 October 1992, 10 May 1996 and 7 February 2000
- Metallica - 7–8 April 1993 and 11–12 April 1998
- Faith No More - 30 April 1993, with Storytime, 17 August 1995 and 1 November 1997
- Bryan Adams - 25 January 1994 and 13 March 2000
- Peter Gabriel - 21 February 1994
- Depeche Mode - 5 March 1994
- The Pet Shop Boys - 1 November 1994
- Pantera - 18 November 1994, 24 September 1996 and 20 May 2001
- R.E.M. - 13-14 January 1995, with Died Pretty and Grant Lee Buffalo
- Janet Jackson - 23 February 1995
- Cliff Richard - 28 February and 1 March 1995 and 1–2 March 1998
- Pearl Jam - 6 March 1995, with The Meanies and 19–20 March 1998, with Shudder to Think
- Take That - 4 October 1995
- The Smashing Pumpkins - 4 March 1996
- Celine Dion - 18 March 1996, with Human Nature
- Santana - 7 May 1996
- Barry Manilow - 13 June 1996
- Everclear - 26 September 1996, with Silverchair and Jebediah
- Sting - 19 October 1996
- The Sex Pistols - 24 October 1996
- Bush - 6 November 1996, with The Superjesus
- The Corrs - 4 February 1997 and 4 February 1998
- B.B. King - 10 May 1997
- Live - 12 May 1997
- Silverchair - 20 December 1997 and 8 August 1999, with Placebo
- Radiohead - 10 February 1998, with The Big Heavy Stuff
- Oasis - 26 February 1998, with You Am I
- Van Halen - 29 April 1998
- The Offspring - 21 June 1999, with Guttermouth and The Andy Callison Project and 17 March 2001, with 28 Days and H-Block 101
- Alanis Morissette and Garbage - 5 October 1999, with Stellar
- ZZ Top - 17 April 2000
- Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - 14 June 2000, with The Wicked Beat Sound System
- Matchbox 20 - 14 November 2000
- Blink-182 - 9 April 2001
- Roxy Music - 19 August 2001
- Robbie Williams - 1 November 2001
- Tool - 4 May 2002, with The Melvins
- Youth Alive WA - August 2002 (the final show at the venue before closing.)
[edit] Current status
The venue was owned by the Seven Network and has not been used since 2002. It was officially closed in August 2002. In 2005, the Government of Western Australia unveiled plans for a new entertainment centre to be built on the site of the carpark for the existing centre. In 2006, the new centre was officially given the name of 'Perth Arena'.[7] This facility is currently under construction and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2012. Demolition of the disused venue began on 11 May 2011 (completed in December 2011) in preparation for the state government's Northbridge Link project and included tentative approvals for new residential and business towers on the site.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b [1] State Records Office: A guide to cabinet papers of 1976 Accessed 7 June 2008
- ^ [2] Save the Perth Entertainment Centre from the Bulldozers. Accessed 20 July 2006.
- ^ http://www.electrocutas.co.uk/dates/dim/040977.jpg
- ^ http://www.electrocutas.co.uk/dates/td10.htm
- ^ http://www.electrocutas.co.uk/dates/td27.htm
- ^ Black, Martin (1–2 February 1986). "Last Wave Farewell". Western Mail (Western Mail Ltd): p. front.
- ^ [3] Home of the new Perth Arena.
- ^ Jerga, Josh (11 May 2011). "Perth begins rejuvenation project". AAP/Sydney Morning Herald. http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/perth-begins-rejuvenation-project-20110511-1eig6.html. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
[edit] External links
- 6000TIMES : photo series inside Perth Entertainment Centre prior to demolition
- Northbridge Link
- NorthbridgeLink.com
- Brian Treasure
- Perth Entertainment Centre at Austadiums
|
|||||||||||||||||
- Indoor arenas in Australia
- Defunct indoor arenas
- Sports venues in Perth, Western Australia
- Basketball venues in Australia
- Culture in Perth, Western Australia
- Music venues in Australia
- Former music venues
- Buildings and structures in Perth, Western Australia
- Seven Network
- 1974 establishments
- Defunct sports venues in Australia
