Black Sea Arena
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ბლექ სი არენა | |
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 Interactive map of Black Sea Arena | |
| Location | Shekvetili, Guria, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°56′18.376″N 41°46′29.166″E / 41.93843778°N 41.77476833°E |
| Capacity | 9,000 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2008 |
| Opened | 31 July 2016 |
| Construction cost | ₾200 million GEL ($93 million USD) |
| Architect | Drei Architekten |
| Website | |
| www | |
Black Sea Arena is an indoor arena located on the coast of the Black Sea in Shekvetili, Guria, Georgia, some 45 km north of Batumi, the country's second largest city.
The venue, designed by the architects from the German company Drei Architekten, is the largest open concert hall in the Caucasus. The oval shaped auditorium, with a capacity of 9,000 seats configured in circular grandstands, has a retractable roof and rotatable facade panels.[1]
The American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera performed at the official opening of the Black Sea Arena on July 30, 2016. Since then it has hosted various events, including the concerts of major international stars such as Aerosmith, Scorpions, Elton John, The Black Eyed Peas, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jessie J, Vanessa Mae, CeeLo Green, Ennio Morricone, The Killers, OneRepublic. Numerous concerts featuring Georgian stars were also held at Black Sea Arena.
Cancelled Concerts
| Concerts at Black Sea Arena | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Artist | Stage | Tour | Ref. |
| 2016 | ||||
| July 31 | Christina Aguilera | Main | N/a | [2] |
| August 6 | Vanessa-Mae | |||
| August 20 | Scorpions | 50th Anniversary World Tour | [3] | |
| 2017 | ||||
| May 20 | Aerosmith | Main | Aero-Vederci Baby! Tour Part of the Check in Georgia project |
[4] |
| July 23 | Katie Melua | Part of the Check in Georgia project | ||
| August 10 | Eric Benét & CeeLo Green | |||
| August 18 | Gipsy Kings | |||
| August 21 | Nino Katamadze & Insight | |||
| August 26 | Goran Bregović | N/a | [5] | |
| 2018 | ||||
| May 19 | Ennio Morricone with Orchestra Roma Sinfonietta | Main | 60 Years of Music Tour | [6] |
| June 30[a] | Elton John | Wonderful Crazy Night Tour | [5][8] | |
| July 1[a] | ||||
| July 19 | Robert Plant & Sensational Space Shifters | Black Sea Jazz Festival | [9] | |
| 2019 | ||||
| June 16 | The Black Eyed Peas | Main | Masters of the Sun Tour | [10] |
| August 6 | Jessie J | The Lasty Tour | [11] | |
| August 13 | Thirty Seconds to Mars | Monolith Tour | [12] | |
| 2022 | ||||
| August 15 | L'Impératrice | Front | N/a | [13] |
| 2023 | ||||
| August 5[b] | Nile Rodgers & Chic | Front | Part of Starring Georgia project | [15] |
| August 6 | FKJ | |||
| August 15 | The Killers | Main | ||
| Cancelled concerts at Black Sea Arena | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Artist | Tour | Reason for cancellation | Ref. |
| May 28, 2022[c] | OneRepublic | The European Tour | Cancelled due to Russian invasion of Ukraine | [16][17] |
Controversies
In June 2024, English group Massive Attack canceled a concert at the Black Sea Arena, originally scheduled for 28 July, in response to the Georgian government's repression of the nationwide civil protests against law proposals that could have restricted freedom of press and LGBT rights in the country. The venue's management initially attributed the cancellation to "unforeseen circumstances"; however, the band later explained their decision in a statement, writing quote, "At this moment, performing at the state-owned Black Sea Arena could be seen as an endorsement of their violent crackdown against peaceful protests and civil society".[18][19]
