Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Encyclopedia
The Brisbane Entertainment Centre (BEC) is a centre, located in Boondall
, a Brisbane City suburb, in Queensland
, Australia
.
The arena has an assortment of seating plans, which facilitate the comfort of its users, subject to performance. Specific seating plans usually are allocated, depending on the performance and the size of its audience. The general seating arrangements are end stage mode, "in the round" and intimate mode, which only uses half of the arena.
It also has a sporting complex and many other smaller function rooms, which are available to hire for wedding receptions, business functions and the like.
The centre has 11,000 tiered seats and a maximum concert capacity of 13,500.
The centre's large audience capacity is used for the staging of concerts and musical theatre
shows, including Grease
, Beauty and the Beast
, and The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular
. It has also staged ice-skating shows, including Disney on Ice
.
From 1986–1997 the BEC was home to former NBL team the Brisbane Bullets
. The Bullets won the 1987 NBL championship at the centre against the Perth Wildcats
. The largest basketball crowd was 13,221 for game two of the 1990 NBL Grand Final series, also between the Bullets and the Perth Wildcats. The crowd also stands as the largest NBL Grand Final crowd away from Rod Laver Arena
in Melbourne
.
Due to a conflicting schedule, the BEC was used as the home venue for the Bullets 2007 grand final series against the Melbourne Tigers
Brisbane won Game 1 of the series 98–95 and won their last ever game at the arena 113–103 in Game 3. In all the BEC saw six NBL Grand Final games played between 1986 and 2007 with the Bullets winning three of the six games.
The Entertainment Centre was also the filming venue for the original Australian series of Gladiators
from 1995 to 1997.
performed during his Bad World Tour
for two sold out shows on November 25 and 28. During the performance on the 28th, Stevie Wonder
came out and performed "Bad".
In 2009, 11 concerts were performed by Pink
, on her worldwide Funhouse Tour
, which proved to be Australia's largest tour.
In 2010, Nitro Circus performed 3 Motorbike Stunt Shows at the venue.
Many other notable artists have performed at the venue, including Mariah Carey
, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, David Bowie, Green Day, AC/DC, Muse, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Elton John, The Eagles, Coldplay,Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, The Black Eyed Peas,Kylie Minogue and many more. The entertainment centre continues to house exciting and notable events, with anticipated upcoming concerts from Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Elton John, Kings Of Leon and Meat Loaf. It has also hosted World Wrestling Entertainment
house shows.
Citytrain
to Boondall railway station, on the Shorncliffe railway line, or travel by taxi. There are 4,000 car parking spaces and buses do not run to the centre. It is located just off the Gateway Motorway
.
Boondall, Queensland
Boondall is a northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, formerly known as Cabbage Tree Creek . Situated approximately 20 km north of Brisbane near Moreton Bay, almost half way between Brisbane and the coastal city of Redcliffe...
, a Brisbane City suburb, in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The arena has an assortment of seating plans, which facilitate the comfort of its users, subject to performance. Specific seating plans usually are allocated, depending on the performance and the size of its audience. The general seating arrangements are end stage mode, "in the round" and intimate mode, which only uses half of the arena.
It also has a sporting complex and many other smaller function rooms, which are available to hire for wedding receptions, business functions and the like.
The centre has 11,000 tiered seats and a maximum concert capacity of 13,500.
The centre's large audience capacity is used for the staging of concerts and musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
shows, including Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (musical)
Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
, and The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular
The Man From Snowy River: Arena Spectacular
The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular, which was based on Banjo Paterson's poem The Man from Snowy River, was a very popular musical theatre production which toured Australian capital cities twice during 2002....
. It has also staged ice-skating shows, including Disney on Ice
Disney on Ice
Disney On Ice is a touring ice show produced by Feld Entertainment under agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at children, the shows feature figure skaters dressed as Disney cartoon characters in performances that each derive their music and plot from elements collected from...
.
From 1986–1997 the BEC was home to former NBL team the Brisbane Bullets
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks. The team played in Midnight Navy...
. The Bullets won the 1987 NBL championship at the centre against the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...
. The largest basketball crowd was 13,221 for game two of the 1990 NBL Grand Final series, also between the Bullets and the Perth Wildcats. The crowd also stands as the largest NBL Grand Final crowd away from Rod Laver Arena
Rod Laver Arena
Rod Laver Arena is a tennis stadium that is part of the Melbourne Park complex located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and has been the main venue for the Australian Open in tennis since 1988, replacing the ageing Kooyong Stadium...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Due to a conflicting schedule, the BEC was used as the home venue for the Bullets 2007 grand final series against the Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...
Brisbane won Game 1 of the series 98–95 and won their last ever game at the arena 113–103 in Game 3. In all the BEC saw six NBL Grand Final games played between 1986 and 2007 with the Bullets winning three of the six games.
The Entertainment Centre was also the filming venue for the original Australian series of Gladiators
Gladiators (Australian TV series)
Gladiators is an Australian television series which aired on Saturday nights on the Seven Network from 1995 until 1996 almost consecutively for eighteen months. It was based on the American version of the same name...
from 1995 to 1997.
Notable events
In 1987, Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
performed during his Bad World Tour
Bad World Tour
The Bad World Tour was the first solo concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson that visited Japan, Australia, the United States and Europe. Sponsored by Pepsi and spanning 16 months, the tour included 123 concerts to 4.4 million fans across 15 countries...
for two sold out shows on November 25 and 28. During the performance on the 28th, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
came out and performed "Bad".
In 2009, 11 concerts were performed by Pink
Pink
Pink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
, on her worldwide Funhouse Tour
Funhouse Tour
The Funhouse Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Pink. The tour supported her fifth studio album, Funhouse. The tour visited Europe, Australia and North America....
, which proved to be Australia's largest tour.
In 2010, Nitro Circus performed 3 Motorbike Stunt Shows at the venue.
Many other notable artists have performed at the venue, including Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, David Bowie, Green Day, AC/DC, Muse, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Elton John, The Eagles, Coldplay,Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, The Black Eyed Peas,Kylie Minogue and many more. The entertainment centre continues to house exciting and notable events, with anticipated upcoming concerts from Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Elton John, Kings Of Leon and Meat Loaf. It has also hosted World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
house shows.
Getting to the centre
Located in Boondall, users can catch a QRQueensland Rail
Queensland Rail, also known as QR, is a government-owned railway operator in the state of Queensland. Under the control of the Queensland Government, Queensland Rail operates the inner-city and long-distance passenger services, as well as some freight operations and gives railway access to other...
Citytrain
CityTrain
Citytrain is the brand name of urban, suburban and inter-urban electric passenger railway services in South East Queensland, Australia. Its network, centering in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, is approximately in route length...
to Boondall railway station, on the Shorncliffe railway line, or travel by taxi. There are 4,000 car parking spaces and buses do not run to the centre. It is located just off the Gateway Motorway
Gateway Motorway
The Gateway Motorway is a major motorway in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Gateway Bridge is owned and operated by Queensland Motorways....
.
External links
- Brisbane Entertainment Centre – Official website
- Information about the Brisbane Entertainment Centre by the Queensland Government