Fun concerts in the Arena

What a lucky guy I am! In a very short time I got to attend two top concerts in the Amsterdam Arena (officially now the Johan Cruijff Arena)! These fun concerts were by Ed Sheeran on June 28 and Kensington on July 14!

Ed Sheeran

We sat with two computers, two tablets and a phone ready to buy tickets to Ed Sheeran’s concert. We had also succeeded the year before for Adele, so we didn’t expect too much. Needless to say, the concert sold out in no time. But we succeeded! We just got tickets in the stands in section 104!

What a crowd!

Unfortunately, food fell through when we went to Ed Sheeran’s (Ed, because that’s easier) concert on June 28. There was a huge traffic jam on the way there so we had to cancel our reservation at Gusto, World of Pizza. My friend often visits the Arena because he is an Ajax fan. So he also knows how to find the best parking garages. So we parked the car in the Plaza Arena parking garage (P10). From there it’s about a ten-minute walk to the stadium, but far fewer people know how to find this garage. So you actually (at events like concerts) always have space. According to my friend, this is different at soccer games, by the way. The cost of an event parking ticket is €12.50. You can buy your ticket in advance, so you don’t have to wait in line after the concert.

Having something to eat

We were fortunately in the Arena in plenty of time, because we wanted to see the support act (Anne-Marie). We had to enter through the main entrance (entrance E) and that is actually pretty relaxed. We did have to identify ourselves though because the tickets for Ed Sheeran were by name. Now, the main grandstand is all just a little more comfortable than the regular grandstands. The seats are a bit softer, but also the catering is a bit more luxurious. So it wasn’t so bad having to eat there. The fries and hot dog went down very well and the bar was not busy at all.

The concert itself

The concert itself was obviously great, although I was shocked by the quality of the sound. The spoken parts were almost impossible to follow because of the reverb. Usually we put in earplugs during concerts, but that didn’t work at all at this concert. Fortunately, the sound was not very loud. By the way, I find it amazing that 1 person on stage can keep so many people on their toes. The audience was a little lukewarm in the beginning, but I think that was also because it was pretty light in the stadium. I must say that everyone didn’t loosen up until Robbie Williams suddenly took the stage. For a moment we were all perplexed! After that it really was a party, but so it took a while for the party to get going. All in all, I was a tad disappointed, but that wasn’t so much because of Ed. I just had very high expectations.

Rocking with Kensington

I had seen for a long time that there would be a Kensington concert in the Arena, but because it would be right after Ed Sheeran, I wasn’t seriously looking into it. Until my friend suddenly appended that extra tickets had become available. Also funny: those tickets were in the same section as with Ed. After some thought, we decided to go for it. Not because we don’t like Kensington, but because an entire Kensington concert might be a bit too much. When Direct was also the support act we knew for sure, those earplugs MUST come along, haha.

Again the same story

We decided to do the exact same thing as we did with Ed. Again we parked the car at P10 and had a snack at the main entrance. Some more people had discovered our parking garage, but we got there a bit later. Again we walked the same route to the Arena and again we entered through the same entrance. Kensington had done it cleverly: they had hung cloths on the sides so it was a little darker than at Ed’s. At Direct we immediately noticed that the sound was 100 times better than at Ed’s. We were a bit worried about that because we had bought the tickets for Kensington before we went to Ed’s concert. And a reverberant rock concert is no fun.

A big party

Wow, what a concert! Kensington really made it a blast! Complete with fireworks, fire and confetti. And good music of course. Kensington did not need a guest appearance to get the audience going. It certainly wasn’t too much and as the end came, the concert got better and better. We actually just stood in the stands from the second half on. Kensington really gained two new fans! After the show we had to recover from the show and had a drink at the bar near the main entrance. The nice thing about that was also that most people had already left so we got back to the highway almost without traffic jams. It was a top concert!

Things to do at the Arena

Soccer games are mostly on the Arena’s calendar in the near future, but you can also do fun things there during the vacations. Take your kids on Kidstour, for example. Of course, your kids must be a bit of a fan. This tour is suitable for children ages 5 to 12 and costs €16.50 per child and €11 per chaperone. During the tour you really get everywhere: in the players’ tunnel, in the locker rooms, you name it! Really a peek in the kitchen of Ajax. And to top it all off, your children will also get to play a game of soccer on the real field! It is a real experience. Afterwards, you can also enjoy a tasty kids’ menu at FEBO. Would you like to eat somewhere else before your concert? We give you tips for nice restaurants near the Arena and the Ziggo Dome.