Milton Keynes National Bowl
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| Former names | Milton Keynes Bowl (1979-1992) |
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| Location | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Owner | English Partnerships |
| Operator | Gaming International/Live Nation UK |
| Type | Stadium Amphitheater |
| Capacity | 65,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1979 |
| Renovated | 2012 |
| Website | |
| National Bowl | |
The National Bowl (originally the Milton Keynes Bowl) is an entertainment venue located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay-pit (for brick-making), filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil excavated by the many new developments in the area and it has a current maximum capacity of 65,000. The arena is open-air grassland, without seats.
The venue opened in 1979, with gigs by Desmond Dekker and Geno Washington. In 1982, Genesis performed their reunion show Six of the Best at the venue with Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel.
In 1983 on the 1,2, and 3 July David Bowie played three dates of the Serious Moonlight tour at the bowl. He returned in 1990.
On 21 and 22 June 1986 Simple Minds performed at the bowl. Also on the bill were Doctor and the Medics, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Big Audio Dynamite and The Waterboys.
On 10 September 1988, Michael Jackson performed at the bowl during his Bad World Tour in front of 60,000 people.
In 1992, Sony/Pace bought the venue and re-branded it as the National Bowl, building a permanent massive sound stage. They pulled out in 1996 citing profitability reasons.
English Partnerships, which merged with the Homes and Communities Agency in 2008, bought the site in 2000. It is currently leased to a Gaming International/Live Nation UK consortium. In 2012, the original stage was demolished to make way for a new one in time for the Swedish House Mafia concert in July.
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