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.