The Crystal Palace Park Concert Platform, formerly the Crystal Palace Bowl, is an outdoor stage and performance venue in

Crystal Palace Park 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 18 ...

in the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is the southeasternmost of the London boroughs that make up Greater London, bordering the ceremonial county of Kent, which most of Bromley was part of before 1965. The borough's population is an estimated 332,336 ...

History

The Crystal Palace Bowl was constructed in 1961. It originally hosted classical concerts, before moving to popular music through the 1970s and 1980s.

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

performed at the Bowl on 15 May 1971 to a crowd of 15,000, though their performance was marred by heavy rain.

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

performed at the venue on 31 July. At one event in 1972,

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

drummer

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...

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. 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 Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born and raised ...

's ''

Journey to the Centre of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

'', instead failed to fully inflate and became stuck in front of the stage, blocking the view.

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

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. It was Marley's last UK concert, and the first one where he played "

Redemption Song "Redemption Song" is a song by Jamaican singer Bob Marley. It is the final track on Bob Marley and the Wailers' twelfth album, ''Uprising'', produced by Chris Blackwell and released by Island Records. The song is considered one of Marley's gre ...

" accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. The Bowl fell into disrepair and was replaced in 1997 by the Crystal Palace Concert Platform, an oxidised steel structure with an angled roof rising above a hardwood stage. The first performance took place there in August 1997. The structure, designed by

Ian Ritchie Architects 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 Aw ...

, was nominated for the

RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

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award in 1998. The project received the 'Excellence in Design' award from the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. 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. The stage became known locally as the "rusty laptop". 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. 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. The stage was not used for several years 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". A temporary stage was installed on the lake for a series of concerts in August 2021, with plans to restore the Concert Platform stage in 2022.

References

External links

Concert Platform
{{coord, 51.4240, -0.0691, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Bromley Music venues in London Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Bromley Crystal Palace, London