The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall — Attraction in Great Britain

We went to see Dexy's Midnight Runners - this was my first time attending The Royal Concert Hall, and it was an interesting experience! The bar area resembles a high school cafeteria with harsh, unforgiving overhead lighting and tables & chairs arranged in peculiar formations. The seating set up is not ideal if you are part of a big group. The bar staff were friendly, but the service was slow. I got the impression that the staff were not used to working behind a busy bar with customers eager to be served within a 15-minute, half-time interval.

The tumblers were made of plastic but durable and stackable - handy! Customers who returned their empties to the bar were rewarded with a £1 off their next drink. It was evident that most punters were pleased with this cleverly executed arrangement, ourselves included. Drinks were reasonably priced, especially when compared to other gig venues in the city.

The ushers had their patience tested by patrons who were hell-bent on talking, standing when they should be seated, snapping photos on their phones, devoid of shame, and subtlety. The majority of gig goers were having a ball, choosing to ignore the venue's "strict" rules prohibiting photography and filming as they danced, bopped and toe-tapped through Dexy's sets. Most of the crowd seemed to soak up and emerse themselves in the jolly atmosphere, perhaps indirectly 'encouraged' by those who ripped the arse out of the returned cup policy but sadly, having a braw time didn't appear on everyone's agenda that evening.

We secured decent seats, along the left hand side. The seating is tiered ensuring that we each had a great view of the performers on stage. The sound quality was fabulous and the lighting was wonderful. The Concert Hall is a bonnie space for a musical act such as Dexy's Midnight Runners and although I would definitely return, I don't imagine the venue would be conducive to having much fun with a...

Fantastic venue. Sorry no pics.

Attended my son's graduation ceremony here in early July. I have mobility issues due to MS and always worry about visiting new places. I shouldn't have worried. Lifts to all floors, including a glass lift specifically for wheelchairs but can be used by people who are ambulant disabled, at the front doors on Killermont Street. There is a system of ramps at the other entrance on Buchanan Street so that disabled guests don't have to climb the quite steep steps. I was very happy. The seating arrangements were allocated by the University, but we had a little bit of input in our allocation. We were seated on the first floor seating area at the side of the stage, above the main auditorium. The seats we had were fantastic. We could see everything and hear everything too. The area we were seated in was a designated wheelchair access area, although we were seated in an area in front of these which required me to go down four steps. I don't have a problem with this, but I did have trouble going back up. The seats were comfortable at first, but after a few hours my MS started to disagree. I have no doubt that this is my problem and not the venue's! I managed to get back up the stairs slowly, with the help of my walking aids and my husband, who was behind me to stop people pushing past me! How rude. The sound system was exceptional, as you would imagine for a Concert Hall. I would love to go back to hear a concert in it. It is a beautiful building. The staff were fantastic and very helpful. We didn't partake of the facilities in the venue refreshments areas so can't comment on them. All in all, we had a great day, in a great venue, in the fantastic...

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (GRCH) is a wonderful concert venue for classical music (it’s also used for other events but I’m not really au fait with anything other than classical music at this venue). It’s a bit modern and unsympathetic in architecture, so you may think it’s like the South Bank RFH or Barbican venue down in London. However, it was built later than both, and its acoustics avoid the excessive dryness of those places. It is just as unpleasant to the eye though, charmless 1980s design rather than brutalist 1950s/1970s. Who cares, its interior is a terrific space to hear big orchestras like the RSNO. I prefer it to the more beautiful Usher Hall in Edinburgh as well, the rectangular shape of which can be challenging for performers- you get a different effect in the Usher Hall depending on where in the rectangle you sit. The sound in the GRCH is very reliable, so if you buy a cheaper seat ticket you’ll still hear a great sound, wherever you sit. The size and proximity to the stage is well judged too, you are always close enough to the players to feel part of the event but not so close that you lose the overall integrated effect of the music. It’s a much better hall than the Royal Albert Hall in London, which is so large that the sound gets lost and there is no sense of intimacy with the music-making. So, you may get a wider range of orchestral music in London but you’ll always hear a better sound in the Glasgow Royal...