KB Hallen Destroyed By Fire

A fire has destroyed what was once one of Copenhagen’s most popular venues but the demise of the KB Hallen will likely tug at promoters’ heartstrings rather than their wallets.

Denmark’s two main promoters of international acts have a handful of shows at KB.

In the past, the 73-year-old multipurpose hall, which was classified as a listed building in the spring, has seen performances by Louis Armstrong, Tommy Steele, and hosted some of the first Danish shows by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin.

Its history is also linked to Winston Churchill, who gave a speech about freedom there shortly after the World War II, but its best days are now little more than a fond memory.

“It became the venue that we loved to hate,” said Live Nation Denmark chief Fleming Schmidt, explaining how its “great atmosphere” failed to outweigh its logistical problems.

“It has a great historical value but it was a nightmare for production. You had to load in through the foyer and then push the equipment through the hall.

“But I can still remember seeing Led Zeppelin there and standing on my seat through the entire show.”

He said nowadays LN uses the venue only about a dozen times per year and its loss will only involve the company moving a couple of shows.

It will switch Within Temptation to the similar-sized Falconer Theater and likely try to move Machine Head to the 1,000-capacity Amager Bio.

Kim Worsøe from ICO Concerts, Denmark’s second-largest promoter of international acts, still uses the venue but at the moment has only one show “pencilled” in for the KB and is looking to move it to Vega.

He said his company will miss the venue because losing the 3,000-capacity room means the city now has a gap between the 1,500-capacity Vega and the 10,000-capacity Forum.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Sept. 28 and appeared to be under control by 5:30 a.m. But it had taken a greater hold than was first thought and gradually swept through the building.

“We expect that it will soon collapse so we have withdrawn from the building,” a Copenhagen fire service spokesperson told Ritzau news service on the day of the fire.

There’s no official word on how the blaze started but the Danish media is reporting that it’s believed to have been caused by a halogen lamp heating up cardboard boxes near its entrance.

The middle section of the Frederiksberg arena’s roof collapsed, while a dense blanket of smoke hung over Copenhagen. It could be seen from several miles away.

Two people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. They were reportedly among a couple of dozen workers sleeping in the venue while preparing for a sex fair called “Erotic World,” which was to open in KB Sept. 29.