Have you ever been somewhere and thought to yourself
“Wow this would make a great place for a concert”?
Check out some of these amazing, alternative concert places!
1 – Taronga Zoo, Sydney, Australia
Not just content with hosting a huge array of animals, Sydney’s Taronga Zoo also hosts an annual concert series: Twilight at Taronga. In recent years the picturesque zoo has hosted some top international and Australian acts in between the giraffes and tigers, such as Courtney Barnett, Belle and Sebastian and Rufus Wainwright.
2 – Slane Castle, Co. Meath, Ireland
One of Ireland’s best known and most loved concert spaces has held host to everyone from Bruce Springsteen and Thin Lizzy to David Bowie and U2 – even Madonna graced the Co. Meath stage in 2004.
3 – Corner of Quincy and Downing, Brooklyn, New York, USA
“Dave Chappelles Block Party” was held in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of Clinton Hill in September 2004 when the comedian decided to throw a block party in New York, and film the whole process for a Michel Gondry documentary. Featuring some of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world like Mos Def, Kanye West and the reunion of the world famous Fugees, the party and documentary were a massive success.
4 – Black Rock City, Nevada, USA
Host to the epic annual Burning Man festival, Black Rock City is a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert each year. Described as an experiment in community and art, the festival has gone from strength to strength and regularly sells out quickly.
5 – Union Chapel, London, UK
Any number of amazing church venues could go into this list but the Union Chapel stands out. Legendary artists such as Elton John, Beck and Amy Winehouse have all graced these hallowed halls.
6 – Parc del Forum, Barcelona, Spain
The large open air concrete area, containing amphitheatres, was built in 2004 as the “Universal Forum of Cultures” and now hosts some of Spain’s best festivals, including the renowned and always incredible line-uped Primavera Sound Barcelona. A mudless festival, a dream come through!
7 – Cumberland Caverns, McMinnville, Tennessee, USA
It wouldn’t be a beatvyne list without some type of homage to a cave! The Cumberland Caverns host Bluegrass sessions at 333ft underground. The natural acoustics are incredible, and it’s in a cave. Under the ground!
8 – Waldbuhne, Berlin, Germany
An amphitheatre built for the the infamous Berlin Olympics of 1936 holds over 20,000 people and is modelled on ancient Greek amphitheatres. When the Rolling Stones played there in 1965 the area was badly damaged after fans rushed the stage. The venue was sparingly used until Bob Marley played in 1980. Since then it has frequently been used as a rock venue and hosted superstars like U2, Queen and even the Dalai Lama.
9 – Dalhalla, Rattvik, Sweden
An open air theatre located inside an old quarry – it doesn’t get much more unique than this. Dalhalla hosts summer concerts across all genres. Seating about 4,000 people the acoustics in Dalhalla are among the best of any outdoor venue in Europe.
10 – St. James’s Church, Dingle, Kerry, Ireland
OK, so there’s already a church mentioned, but this one is in Ireland! Annual concerts take place here and are broadcast on Irish television. As well as being difficult for getting fans to get tickets to, a waitlist for artists to appear is also rumoured to exist. It’s probably easier to list who hasn’t played this venue, but some of the lucky few who have are Gavin James, The National, Glen Hansard, Lisa Hannigan and Edwyn Collins.
Do you know of any other cool spaces? Let us know!