Melkweg
Melkweg, Amsterdam
Melkweg is located in Amsterdam
Melkweg
Location in Amsterdam
General information
LocationAmsterdam, Netherlands
AddressLijnbaansgracht 234a
OpenedJuly 17, 1970 (1970-07-17)
Known forMusic venue
Website
www.melkweg.nl
Ani DiFranco during her 2007 concert

Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a music venue and cultural center on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is housed in a former dairy and includes four music halls as well as a cinema, a restaurant and an exhibition space. It is operated by a nonprofit organisation founded in 1970.[1][2]

History

The building originally housed a sugar refinery built in the 19th century. In 1920, OVVV bought the factory and used it as a milk factory until it closed in 1969. The building was closed for a year, but reopened by Cor Schlösser and others as a cultural center, with its first event on July 17, 1970. It was only open for the summer; it featured a café, a restaurant and one hall for music and theatre. This was a success: Melkweg reopened in the summer of 1971 and 1972 before becoming a year-round venue in 1973. In the 1980s, it became more focused on live music. In 1985, a photo gallery opened. In 1995, The Old Hall opened, first with a capacity of 1,000 people, expanded to 1,500 in 2007. By 2010, the venue was hosting 400,000 guests annually and was estimated to have hosted 9 million guests since it opened.[3]

Notable events

  • In October 1980, U2 played their first concert outside of Ireland and the United Kingdom at the Melkweg.[1]
  • In October 1981, Grateful Dead played an unscheduled show at the venue using borrowed instruments.
  • Nirvana played at the venue in November 1989, before they were famous.[4]
  • In 1994, Rammstein, then an unknown newly formed band, played a show at the venue that was attended by 40 people.[1]
  • In 2011, Prince played a surprise show at the venue, with tickets going on sale one hour before the show started.[2]

Songs referencing the Melkweg

Albums recorded at the Melkweg

Halls

The venue has six halls:

  • The Max (capacity: 1,500; opened in 1995, renovated in 2007), the largest room, hosts the biggest music acts and is also used for parties, meetings and film projections.
  • The Old Hall (Oude Zaal) (capacity: 700) is the oldest concert hall of the venue, also the only one until the opening of "The Max" in 1995.
  • The Rabo Hall (Rabozaal) (capacity: 1,400) is in a separate building and mostly hosts film projections or theater plays.
  • The Theater Hall (Theaterzaal) (capacity: 90-130) is a small hall used for smaller artists and theatre plays.
  • The Cinema (capacity: 90) is a private film projection hall.
  • The Exhibition space (Expo) is used for art exhibitions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Van U2 tot Rammstein: voor veel bands was jarige Melkweg een springplank" [From U2 to Rammstein: birthday Melkweg was a springboard for many bands]. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). 17 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Prince als verrassing in de Melkweg Amsterdam" [Prince as a surprise in the Melkweg Amsterdam]. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). 25 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Poppodium Melkweg bestaat 40 jaar" [Poppodium Melkweg exists 40 years]. NH (in Dutch). 17 July 2010.
  4. ↑ Nirvana, Melkweg, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 11/05/89 – via YouTube.

52°21′53″N 4°52′53″E / 52.36472°N 4.88139°E / 52.36472; 4.88139

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