The Ancienne Belgique (AB) is a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the historic heart of Brussels, it is one the leading concert venues in Belgium, hosting a wide variety of international and local acts.
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The Venue
The venue consists of three concert halls: the "Main Hall", the "ABBox", and the "ABClub". The Main Hall is the Ancienne Belgique's main hall, and has a capacity of 2,000 people. It is said to be one of the best concert halls in Belgium, with perfect acoustics. The ABBox is the newest addition to the Ancienne Belgique. It is the same hall as the Main Hall, but rearranged to appear more intimate: the seats at the back and the balconies at the sides of the hall are covered, limiting its capacity to 800 people. The ABBox is the Ancienne Belgique's response to the need for a smaller concert hall that aims to host less well-known acts, helping them gain a new and larger audience. The ABClub has a capacity of approximately 250 people, and hosts smaller, up-and-coming acts.
Notable concerts
Notable concerts at the Ancienne Belgique include one in January 1955, when Jacques Brel supported the performances of the Belgian pop and variety pioneer Bobbejaan Schoepen for one week. In 1982 The Cure played a concert which ended in a fight between band-members on stage. The band split up right after this gig, yet reformed months later. In 1999, Iggy Pop performed, a concert that has been recorded on a DVD available with his 2005 release A Million in Prizes. Other notable concerts include:
- Lou Reed (1979)
- Madness (1980)
- U2 (1981)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers (1988)
- Public Enemy (1990)
- Def Leppard (1991)
- The Ramones (1994)
- Blondie (1998)
- Black Eyed Peas (1999)
- Einstürzende Neubauten (2000)
- Steve Vai (2000)
- Coldplay (2000)
- UB 40 (2002)
- Metal Female Voices Fest (2004)
- Van Morrison (2005)
- Josh Ritter (2006)
- Vive la Fete (2007)
among many others.
