moments were Bon Jovi performing on the roof to launch the venue , Led Zeppelin ’ s triumphant return , the many artist residencies that kicked off with Prince ’ s remarkable 21-night stint in 2007 , and 12 years later saw the venue ’ s name changed to The O3 for Drake ’ s seven shows there .
Since the launch of Up at The O2 in 2000 it has been possible to climb on the roof of the building and enjoy live performances , as well as the view , and when the pandemic hit , a virtual version of the venue was created for online game Fortnite , with players able to explore the arena ahead of an in-game gig .
There have also been countless key family and comedy shows as well as sports events including the ATP World Tour Finals , London Olympics gymnastics and NBA Basketball . It has been home to The BRIT Awards since 2011 , and in 2020 The O2 arena played its part in the battle against Covid-19 by being transformed into an NHS training facility for 44 days .
There has been much water along
“ The arrival of The O2 revolutionised the way the business was done and underscored the fact London could be the greatest live music market in the world .”
the nearby River Thames since Tony Blair ’ s Labour Government poured close to £ 800 million into building the Millennium Dome to house its ill-fated Millennium Experience project .
The Philip Anschutz-backed Meridian Delta consortium ’ s
– John Langford
John Langford successful bid to lease the Dome for 999 years , and the resulting deal with AEG , not only led to the birth of The O2 but the transformation of the entire Greenwich Peninsula .
Architects HOK Sport and engineering consultancy Buro Happold were responsible for designing and building the £ 600m The O2 arena , a process that involved the construction of a 4,000-tonne roof that had to be prefabricated in situ on the floor of the Dome . It was then jacked up into place , as it was not possible to use cranes within the existing structure .
When the arena finally opened it sent shockwaves throughout the industry , it immediately led the UK arena field by some distance , not least in terms of the consumer
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