The History of Underground Music in Sports Arenas
In the period between the 1970s to 1990s, aside from being places for sport events, sports arenas in many cities were locations for music concerts. These places gave birth to many talented musicians. The Saparua Sports Arena in Bandung, for instance, was the place for underground music communities to see bands emerge in the 1990s. These included Burgerkill, Puppen, Jasad, Koil, PAS Band, Pure Saturday, and Dajjal, who later became big and were the pioneers for other bands which came after.
Sports stadiums in other cities also provided space for the glory of local bands. There is the Manahan Sports Arena in Solo, Bulungan in Jakarta, also Pulosari in Malang. Unfortunately, several of these sports centers have been pulled down. Some are still standing, but they no longer service the performing arts. A slice of memory surrounding the glory of these sports centers for musicians has been recorded in a documentary about the Saparua Sports Arena, broadcast on several live streaming channels in June. The documentary by director Alvin Yunata raised the query whether sports centers could go back to being creative spaces for young people in an era when everything is digital.
Isma Sawitri
July 4, 2021
“SLEEVELESS black leather jackets, pierced ears, Doc Martens boots. Most of the crowd would be wearing black,” said Giri Nugroho, 41. That was what Giri would see on weekends several decades ago. In those days, every Sunday Giri and a score of friends his age would go watch an underground music event. “We always went to the Saparua Sports Arena,” he said when contacted on Thursday, July 1.
The middle school boys would go
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