The Saint Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex () was an arena in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was closed in August 2019, and was subsequently demolished in 2020 for the construction of a new modern complex which opened in 2023.
History In the Soviet era, it was called V. I. Lenin Sport & Concert Complex (). The complex was completed in 1979 and opened in 1980.
Besides concerts, the arena was used for various sports, notably tennis, as it was the location of the St. Petersburg Open. Other sports hosted at the SKK include bowling, table tennis, and fencing.
Demolition incident
On 31 January 2020, the roof and a large portion of the walls collapsed during the process of dismantling. Matvey Kucherov, a 29-year-old Russian demolition worker, was killed.
Drone footage of the incident shows Kucherov using a blowtorch to dismantle a supporting girder while working on the roof without a safety harness. As the structure began to rapidly fail, Kucherov attempted to reach a safety cage suspended by a nearby crane but was unable to secure himself before the roof and approximately 80% of the stadium's walls caved in. His body was recovered by emergency responders from the debris later that evening.
The investigation highlighted severe safety violations, including workers leaving suspended safety cages to perform dangerous hot work (using a blowtorch) on the roof structure itself. During the removal of the roof membrane, workers were cutting 112 support cables, causing a "loss of balance" in the structure. The premature collapse was attributed to the improper sequencing of cutting these supporting structures.
Guilty verdicts, sentencing and compensation On July 5, 2021, guilty outcomes were formalized by the Moscow District Court of St. Petersburg. Three managers were found guilty of violating safety rules during construction or other work that resulted in the death of a person (Article 216, Part 2 of the Russian Criminal Code). All three defendants were sentenced to two years of suspended (conditional) imprisonment with a two-year probationary period. The court initially ordered the defendants to pay roughly 900,000 rubles ($12,000 at the time) to the victim's family, though family members later filed additional civil claims for higher amounts.
Significant events + Concerts Artist(s) Tour/Event Date(s) NoteDidier MarouaniSpace1–5 July 1983Billy Joel2, 3, 5 August 1987Released as Kohuept in 1987 and A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia in 2014ScorpionsSavage Amusement Tour 17–26 April 1988Yngwie MalmsteenOdyssey Tour1–10 February 1989Released as Trial by Fire: Live in LeningradMylène FarmerMylène Farmer en tournée28 June 2009PlaceboBattle for the Sun Tour23 September 2010Roger WatersThe Wall Live25 April 2011MuseThe Resistance Tour20 May 2011ShakiraThe Sun Comes Out World Tour24 May 2011Iron MaidenThe Final Frontier World Tour10 July 2011MadonnaThe MDNA Tour9 August 2012Lady GagaBorn This Way Ball9 December 2012Justin BieberBelieve Tour28 April 2013Green Day99 Revolutions Tour23 June 2013Mylène FarmerTimeless4 November 2013Armin van BuurenArmin Only8 February 2014Depeche ModeDelta Machine Tour4 March 2014Thirty Seconds to MarsLove, Lust, Faith and Dreams Tour18 March 2014Justin TimberlakeThe 20/20 Experience World Tour15 May 2014AerosmithGlobal Warming Tour27 May 2014MetallicaLords of Summer Tour25 August 2015Depeche ModeGlobal Spirit Tour13 July 201716 February 2018Roger WatersUs + Them Tour29 August 2018Christina AguileraThe X Tour21 July 2019Jennifer LopezIt's My Party Tour11 August 2019 The last concert in SKK before demolition
See also List of tennis stadiums by capacity
References
External links