Sydney Entertainment Centre

Sydney Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose venue, located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. The centre opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium which had been demolished to make way for a new railway line. The Chinatown precinct welcomed the Sydney Entertainment Centre into the precinct of Haymarket as it brought with it large numbers of patrons. Built at a cost of $42 million by John Holland Construction, the Sydney Entertainment Centre is the biggest complex purpose built for entertainment by the NSW Government since the Sydney Opera House. The iconic and much loved Sydney Entertainment Centre brought a more modern brand of live music to Sydney's CBD. Among the mega stars and artists who performed at the SEC since it opened its doors were the following stand-outs - In 1986, Dire Straits finished their 1985-1986 world tour by playing 21 consecutive shows. Genesis played 9 dates at the 1986 leg of the Invisible Touch Tour David Bowie recorded his performances in 1987 from his worldwide Glass Spider Tour Pearl Jam played two nights in 1995 Two of the Beatles have performed at the venue, Paul McCartney in 1993, and George Harrison at a Deep Purple concert in 1984. The very best of Australian music including INXS, Angels, Divinyls, Dragon, The Saints, Men At Work, and many others, performed at the Oz for Africa concert in 1985. Cher performed three shows during her Farewell Tour 2005. Kylie Minogue has performed in 25 concerts Pink performed seven shows there in 2007 I'm Not Dead Tour, 12 shows in 2009 and is set to play 8 shows in 2013. Elton John has played numerous concerts there over the years, including eight dates in 1986. The centre's only regular tenant is the Sydney Kings who play in the National Basketball League. SEC as the centre is known is one of Australia's largest and most versatile indoor live concert and sports venues with the ability to transform its arena into several different configurations, ranging in capacity from 500 to 13,000 people. The Centre is just about to undergo a massive transformation.