Premier concert venue in London (Royal Albert Hall in general)

Member Name: mrjoegoodwin

Product:	Royal Albert Hall in general
Date:	08/07/09 (101 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Acoustics, Arena & Stalls seats, fairly intimate when in lower sections

Disadvantages: Upper sections are very high, food and drink prices not cheap

Situated opposite Hyde Park in the South Kensington area of London, the Royal Albert Hall is one of the most famous concert venues in the UK, and has hosted concerts from some of the biggest names in popular music, including Bruce Springsteen, The Who and Eric Clapton, who regularly performs multiple night stands at the venue that must feel like a second home to him.

Primarily a venue for classical music (the famous Proms season is held here every year, culminating in the spectacular 'Last Night of The Proms'. Having never seen a classical concert at the venue however, this review focuses primarily on the concert experience when seeing the various rock/pop acts that I have seen in the Royal Albert Hall.

As the picture in this review suggests, the main auditorium is circular, and quite unique in terms of the layout and seating set up. The stage is towards one 'end' (if circles can have ends?), with the imposing house organ situated behind. To the rear of the stage are the choir seats, which - when on sale - offer a really interesting and different view of a concert. I sat in choir seats to watch R.E.M. recently, and it was great to see the gig from what felt like the perspective of the band, looking out into the main audience. I could also make out the setlist, and watch the technicians do the guitar tuning, restringing etc - great if you're a music geek like me!

The main floor part of the hall (the arena) can comprise two layouts depending on the concert - standing, or seats. The floor area is actually very small (only a few hundred people at most) and if you have standing tickets, it's quite easy to get to the front. Alternatively, the seating layout offers really good views from most areas, blocks A and F being the ones closest to the front of the stage. I sat in block A for a John Mayer concert, and the seats were so close, I felt like I was almost sat on the stage itself!

The tiered seats (only about 10 rows in the lower tier) offer a brilliant view if you are lucky enough to secure tickets here - I've personally sat in blocks O & M, and the view is incredible. The whole arena at this level feels small however, and most seats should offer a good view (check out the excellent 'theatremonkey' website for full opinions of the best seats in the Royal Albert Hall, and all other London theatre/concert venues).

At the top of the tiered stalls seats are the boxes (3 levels worth), which if you can get a seat in the front of the box, are worth the money. If not, you're effectively stuck in a private area behind some other random people, who may not appreciate you moving your chair really close up behind them to get a better view of the show! Buyer beware in the boxes.

Further up is the circle area - views from here are steep, but still enjoyable if you are sat towards the front of your block - and then above that, the gallery standing area. As with the choir seats, the gallery area offers quite cheap seats, but you are VERY high up!

Acoustically, the Albert Hall is unparalleled. Again, I've not experienced a classical music performance, but the gigs I have attended here have all benefitted from superb sound quality.

Concession-wise, I paid £3.50 for a bottle of Carlsberg on my most recent visit, and wasn't able to take the drink into the main auditorium, which I hadn't realised...cue hastily downed drink as the performance was about to start! Prices are typical of central London to be honest - no great shocks here. There are a couple of cafe/restaurant areas that offer a variety of food - good for a pre concert snack, but don't come looking for a bargain meal!

Overall, the Albert Hall is an experience without much comparison for a concert. Get a decent seat, and your view will be excellent, the sound will be incredible, and the time will fly because you will be having so much fun!

If you get the chance, go along - the building alone is worth the admission price.

Summary: Take a trip in the round, check out the Albert Hall for a super concert experience