Inside story of London’s most famous concert hall

From Adele to Einstein, Black Sabbath to The Stones, Led Zeppelin to Jay-Z, they've all graced one of London's most famed and prestigious stages - The Royal Albert Hall.

When Queen Victoria opened the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences in London in 1871 as a memorial to her late husband, Prince Albert, it was said that she was so overcome by emotion she couldn’t speak. Unfortunately, the opening concert was marred by sound issues caused by the hall’s glazed-iron domed roof and the echoes it caused. Improvements were made, but the echo remained a problem until the late 1960s. One wag once quipped that it was “the only place where a British composer could be sure of hearing his work twice”.

A century after opening and with the sound issues finally resolved, the 6000-capacity venue regularly hosted the loudest, hairiest and scariest rock bands on the planet. The Who, Led Zeppelin and even Black Sabbath would all stage memorable performances there. Not all were amused by rockers taking over this landmark British auditorium. Of 23 concerts at the venue in 1971, only one went by without damage, violence or rioting. As a result, the Royal Albert Hall banned pop and rock concerts, though the ban didn’t last long – revenue dwindled without the sold-out shows.

But it would take a few decades for hip-hop artists to be invited on stage. I was lucky to be in the audience in 2006 for the Royal Albert Hall’s first hip-hop show, with Jay-Z and Nas. When Beyonce joined Jay-Z on stage for Crazy in Love, the crowd erupted in pure joy on all five levels of the coliseum-style auditorium.

The list of performers in the hall over its 152 years is impressive and diverse: Adele recorded her award-winning concert movie there in 2011; Albert Einstein spoke there after his escape from Nazi Germany; and, in 1963, two young groups, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, shared a stage.

The list of performers in the hall over its 152 years is impressive and diverse. Picture: Andy Paradise.

You can learn about it all on a walking tour of the Royal Albert Hall. There are four distinctive tours, including the chance to explore the hall’s architectural history and backstage facilities. You’ll learn how they solved the infamous echo problem and made the structure safer so that over-enthusiastic music fans can be catered for.

And, of course, you can book a show. The Royal Albert Hall is easily accessed by taking the Tube to South Kensington or High Street Kensington underground stations. It’s also across the road from Hyde Park so it’s worth getting there early for a wander around the pond (Kensington Palace is also nearby). 

The hall hosts a range of popular events, most famously, the BBC Proms – an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral concerts with special guests including Rufus Wainwright and soprano Lise Davidsen. Tickets have just gone on sale for this season, which opens on July 14 and closes on September 9.

Recently, the Hall hosted a choral celebration during King Charles’s coronation. Those with box tickets in the Grand Tier, Second Tier or Loggia seating areas could order food and drink to be delivered directly, such as cucumber sandwiches, shortbread and a cuppa.

Originally published as Inside story of London’s most famous concert hall