The Crystal Palace Park Concert Platform, formerly the Crystal Palace Bowl, is an outdoor stage and performance venue in Crystal Palace Park in the London Borough of Bromley.
The Crystal Palace Park Concert Platform, formerly the Crystal Palace Bowl, is an outdoor stage and performance venue in Crystal Palace Park in the London Borough of Bromley.
The Crystal Palace Bowl was constructed in 1961. It originally hosted classical concerts, before moving to popular music through the 1970s and 1980s. [1]
Pink Floyd performed at the Bowl on 15 May 1971 to a crowd of 15,000, though their performance was marred by heavy rain. [2] Yes performed at the venue on 31 July. [3] At one event in 1972, The Who drummer Keith Moon acted as compere; after arriving via helicopter and reaching the stage by hovercraft, he proceeded to take a rowing boat on the lake and, while dressed as a pirate, served tea and cake to people in the crowd closest to the waters edge. [4] Audience members, again went into the lake in 1974 when inflatable dinosaurs meant to act out, on the water, the climactic battle in Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth , instead failed to fully inflate and became stuck in front of the stage, blocking the view. [5] Bob Marley performed his largest and last ever concert in London at the venue on 7 June 1980, an event which is commemorated on the site with a blue plaque with Ethiopian/pan-African/Rastafari tri-colours. [6] It was Marley's last UK concert, and the first one where he played "Redemption Song" accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. [7]
The Bowl fell into disrepair and was replaced in 1997 [8] by the Crystal Palace Concert Platform, an oxidised steel structure with an angled roof rising above a hardwood stage. [9] The first performance took place there in August 1997. [10] The structure, designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, was nominated for the RIBA's Stirling Prize award in 1998. The project received the 'Excellence in Design' award from the American Institute of Architects.[ citation needed ] The architects described their design as focusing on the use of natural colour, contrasting senses of gravity and levity, and simplicity of material and surface. [9] The stage became known locally as the "rusty laptop". [11] [12]
The platform and stage are positioned within a small lake overlooking a large bowl in the landscape that is capable of holding 8,000 people. The stage can accommodate a 100 piece orchestra. [9] The platform has what has been described as the world’s first computer controlled outdoor active acoustic system, with a total of 46 speakers. A pair of columns either side of the platform contain more speakers and an amplification system. [13]
The stage was not used for several years[ which? ] and fell into disrepair, the structure becoming covered in graffiti and the lake filling with algae. By 2018, the London Borough of Bromley were "exploring potential new uses". [14]
A temporary stage [15] was installed on the lake for a series of concerts in August 2021, with plans to restore the Concert Platform stage in 2022. [1]
Yes are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by lead singer and frontman Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye and drummer Bill Bruford. The band has undergone numerous line-up changes throughout their history, of which 19 musicians have been full-time members. Since May 2022, the band has consisted of guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, singer Jon Davison, and bassist Billy Sherwood, as well as touring drummer Jay Schellen. Yes have explored several musical styles over the years and are most notably regarded as progressive rock pioneers.
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English musician, best known for being the keyboardist in progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s.
Chislehurst is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in Kent.
Crystal Palace is an area in south London, England, named after the Crystal Palace Exhibition building, which stood in the area from 1854 until it was destroyed by fire in 1936. Approximately 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Charing Cross, it includes one of the highest points in London, at 367 feet (112 m), offering views over the capital. The area has no defined boundaries and straddles five London boroughs and three postal districts, although there is a Crystal Palace electoral ward and Crystal Palace Park in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms a part of the greater area known as Upper Norwood, and is contiguous with the areas of Anerley, Dulwich Wood, Gipsy Hill, Penge, South Norwood and Sydenham.
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by Rolling Stone magazine in 2018.
Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Originally built by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson, it opened in 1873 but following a fire two weeks after its opening, was rebuilt by Johnson. Intended as "The People's Palace" and often referred to as "Ally Pally", its purpose was to serve as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment; North London's counterpart to the Crystal Palace in South London.
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and outdoor athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace Exhibition building which had been destroyed by fire in 1936, and is on the same site as the former FA Cup Final venue which was used here between 1895 and 1914.
Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African rock musician and composer. Born into a musical family and raised in Johannesburg, Rabin took up the piano and guitar at an early age and became a session musician, playing and producing with a variety of artists. In 1972, he joined the rock band Rabbitt who enjoyed considerable success in South Africa, and released his first solo album, Beginnings. In 1978, Rabin moved to London to further his career, working as a solo artist and a producer for various artists including Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 27 March 1975 by A&M Records. It is a concept album based on the stories and people of the King Arthur legend. Wakeman started to write the music in 1974 while recovering from a heart attack and recorded it with his five-piece band the English Rock Ensemble, the New World Orchestra, and the English Chamber Choir.
Tormato is the ninth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes. It was released on 22 September 1978 on Atlantic Records, and is their last album with singer Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman before their departure from the group in 1980. After touring their previous album Going for the One (1977), the band entered rehearsals in London to record a follow-up. The album was affected by various problems, such as internal disputes over the direction of the music and artwork, and the departure of engineer Eddy Offord early into the sessions, resulting in the group producing the album themselves.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII is the second studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records. It is an instrumental progressive rock album with its concept based on his interpretations of the musical characteristics of the wives of Henry VIII. After signing with A&M as a solo artist, Wakeman decided on the album's concept during a tour of the United States with the progressive rock band Yes. As he read a book about the subject on his travels, melodies he had written the previous year came to him and were noted down. The album was recorded throughout 1972 with musicians from Yes and Strawbs, the group Wakeman was in prior to Yes, playing on the album.
Crystal Palace Park is a Victorian pleasure ground located in the South London suburb of Crystal Palace which surrounds the site of the former Crystal Palace Exhibition building. The Palace had been relocated from Hyde Park, London after the 1851 Great Exhibition and rebuilt with some modifications and enlargements to form the centrepiece of the pleasure ground, before being destroyed by fire in 1936. The park features full-scale models of dinosaurs in a landscape, a maze, lakes, and a concert bowl.
Journey to the Centre of the Earth is the second album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 3 May 1974 by A&M Records. It is a live recording of the second of his two concerts at the Royal Festival Hall on 18 January 1974, the premiere of his 40-minute orchestral rock piece based on Jules Verne's 1864 science fiction novel of the same name. It tells the story of Professor Lidinbrook, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans, who follow a passage to the Earth's centre originally discovered by Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic alchemist. Wakeman performs with the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Choir, and a group of hand-picked musicians for his rock band, which later became the English Rock Ensemble. Actor David Hemmings narrates the story.
Ian Ritchie Architects Ltd is a British architectural and design practice, based in London led by its founder Ian Ritchie. The practice changed its name to 'Ritchie Studio' on 24 June 2021. Recently completed projects include the RIBA Award-winning Susie Sainsbury Theatre and Angela Burgess Recital Hall for the Royal Academy of Music and the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London.
Ian Ritchie is a British architect who founded Ian Ritchie Architects in 1981. His projects include the RIBA Award-winning Susie Sainsbury Theatre and Angela Burgess Recital Hall for the Royal Academy of Music, Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London and the American Institute of Architects Award-winning Royal Shakespeare Company Courtyard Theatre. Ritchie was the first foreign architect to receive the French Academie d'Architecture Grand Silver Medal for Innovation.
Yessongs is a concert film by the English progressive rock band Yes. It was recorded at the Rainbow Theatre, London on 15 and 16 December 1972 during the band's Close to the Edge Tour, and features the line-up of Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White. The video was produced by David Speechley, directed by Peter Neal, and co-edited by Howe's brother Philip. The film was arranged at short notice, which affected the quality of filming as a result, and originally a private memento for the band to document their two performances at the Rainbow before they agreed for its theatrical release.
The Yes Album Tour was a concert tour by progressive rock band Yes. Though it began more than six months before its release, the tour was named after the band's third studio album. Lasting from 17 July 1970 until 31 July 1971, and including 170 performances, the tour began at the Lyceum in London—Steve Howe's first performance with the band—and ended at the Crystal Palace Bowl, also in London—Tony Kaye's last performance with the band before his 13-year absence.
The Fragile Tour was a concert tour by progressive rock band Yes in promotion of their 1971 album, Fragile. Lasting from 24 September 1971 until 27 March 1972, and including 115 performances, the tour began at the Queen's Hall in Barnstaple, Devon, and ended at the Aquarius Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts—Bill Bruford's last performance with the band before returning for 1991's Union. The tour was Rick Wakeman's first with the band; sources differ as to whether his first live appearance with the band was on 24 September at the Queen's Hall in Barnstaple, or on 30 September—the third tour date—at Leicester's De Montfort Hall.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace is a live album and video by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 5 October 2009 by Eagle Records. It documents Wakeman's concerts on 1 and 2 May 2009 at Hampton Court Palace that featured his 1973 progressive rock concept album The Six Wives of Henry VIII performed in its entirety for the first time. A DVD and Blu-ray edition of the concerts was released.
The 2022 Bromley London Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. All 58 members of Bromley London Borough Council were elected. The elections took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.