Venue notes: Arena Sleep-In, AmsterdamNot to be confused with the 51,000-seat Amsterdam Arena, this was a much smaller place, located at 's-Gravesandestraat 51. The history page on the website of the Hotel Arena, which still occupied the premises as of 2019, gives an excellent rundown of the multiple uses of the facility — originally constructed in 1886 as a Catholic girls' orphanage — over the years. The "Sleep-In" part of the name dates to the period (1982-1992) when it was a homeless shelter. According to the linked page, the "Arena" era began in 1992: "The municipality decided that they no longer wanted to exploit the Sleep-In. Therefore, a development plan was created for the building. The plan was to create a hostel, pub, restaurant and a stage for bands. In 1992 the International Youth Center for Culture and Tourism opened its doors under the name Arena.... After the arrival of the new millennium, it was time for a fresh start and new thoughts. The Youth Center was being replaced by a hotel. After a long period of renovation, Hotel Arena was opened February 7th 2002."This article notes that one of the rooms was converted into a space for conducting gay and lesbian weddings in 1994. Arena Sleep-In predated the Arena stadium, and confusion ensued when the latter was built. In 1996 the much smaller Arena Sleep-In won a court battle to retain its name. Correspondent Stefan 't Hooft recalls that in its latter years the place had become devoted mostly (if not exclusively) to dance nights and was seldom used for live music. [Do you have more information about this venue? Please email me.] Return to Hüsker Dü dates page |