Usher Hall

Excellent venue for concerts, plays, and other such events in the heart of Edinburgh. Usher Hall has a long history, stretching back to its original funding coming from a whisky distiller. Similarly, the university’s McEwan Hall was funded by the brewers. Am I sensing a bit of a trend in the city’s halls?
Anyway, Usher Hall is a large venue, certainly adequate for big events. I was lucky enough to see Alice Cooper here, and have also been to see the Royal Scottish National Orchestra several times. Quite a contrast there. During the International Festival, Usher Hall plays a central role, with many world class orchestras performing here. Staff are friendly, there is a nice bar, and there is a variety of prices depending on where you want to sit. However, the seats are not as comfortable as I would like for a venue of this quality, particularly but not only in the upper circle.
Great place for events, and worth a visit. As an aside, I will be graduating here next June, all going well. Wish me luck!

I came here for my friend’s graduation so I was excited to check it out cause I’ve never been and always wondered what the seating would be like. The hall isn’t that big, pretty intimate so I can imagine this place being a good venue for a concert. There’s the stalls on the ground floor and two tiers of sitting above it. From my stand point on ground level, it looks like any seating up in the top tiers have pretty good views.
The aisles are wide and there are cool circle lighting on the ground that have letters to help you find your seat. The seats are pretty comfy and spacious. I didn’t feel to cramp but than again I’m a small guy. The ticket box is connected to the hall so it’s easy to get or buy your ticket and enter the venue. Parking is pretty much a free for all and can be a problem especially since it’s in the west end and parking there can be a headache, but there is a parking garage nearby so that solves many issues… Just a bit expensive.
This venue is really nice, small, and I think really good for intimate concerts.

This is the kind of theatre you can wear blue jeans to.
Now half of you just rolled your eyes at me and the other half stopped reading — probably because you are of the mindset that theatres = fancy and you don’t want to live in a world where uncultured Canadian expats such as myself tromp around historical theatres in blue jeans.
You both would be wrong.
Because I too have lived the last thirty years equating trips to the theatre with decadence. Back home, I would genuinely look forward to a trip to a venue like Usher Hall, for those brief moments when I could stand in a beautiful dress, swirl a glass of wine and engage in small talk about the experimental nature of the current ballet before the lights dimmed and I shuffled my fancy ass self back to my fancy ass seat to take in some fancy ass theatre performance.
I lived for those moments.
Which is why my glee towards blue jeans at Usher Hall hits me so strongly. Back home, I would have never imagined that a venue so beautiful, could so often tip the scales between casual and fancy arse moments. Sure, Usher Hall puts out many a reason to wear a beautiful dress and wax poetic about experimental artistic endeavors. But it also boasts a surprising amount of shows that one can arrive in jeans, swirl wine and settle into something as comfortable and casual as a book signing.
Case in point, last night we went to see David Sedaris read at Usher Hall and I kept pointing out how lovely it was to see 1. a venue that size sell out for an author, 2. casually dressed folks chatting about books in such a beautiful setting and 3. a hugely diverse crowd of folks, all ages, comfortably spending their Monday night among good humour. The set up was simple — a man, a book, a podium — and yet it created a strangely intimate show for such a large space.
I will definitely return to this venue in many an extravagant dress. I undoubtably look forward to that. But I must say, i’m tickled pink that I live in a city where I have the same amount of opportunities to arrive back here in whatever I happen to have worn that day. It speaks volumes to the personality of the city and makes for an easy five stars for such a unique venue.

As a concert venue the Usher Hall is great. As London’s Albert Hall has shown, the round shape is excellent for acoustic music as it focuses the sound and minimises flutter echoes that you get with straight walls. More conventionally-​shaped concert halls (like Glasgow’s for instance) have to install complex systems of resonance chambers, baffles and drapes to mould the sound to their specifications, but being the grand old lady that she is, the Usher Hall relies on her basic geometry to provide a good sound wherever you sit. The disadvantage is that it is hard to adjust the acoustic to suit different requirements, whereas the modern halls can adapt their sonic characteristics at the touch of a button to spoken word, choral, acoustic or amplified music.
Architecturally the Usher Hall used to dominate this part of Lothian Road, nestling comfortably against its equally grand neighbour the Lyceum Theatre; but then somebody decided it would be a good idea to obliterate half of the frontage with a glass bus shelter, which does absolutely nothing to enhance the building and completely blocks the view of the Lyceum down Grindlay Street. You’ll have gathered that I’m not a fan of this this style of architecture — too many of our grand old edifices are having these glass boxes bolted on to them these days and I find them completely unsympathetic and unimaginative additions to these Classical buildings.
There’s no denying that it provides much-​needed extra space for the foyer, box office and allows better café and audience mingling areas inside; but it just kills the appeal of the building for me, and I can’t help thinking about the age of the old building and wondering if the glass carbuncle is going to last half that length of time.

Quite a landmark on Lothian Road (although it sits just off the main road, which is nice), this is a beautiful building both inside and out. There are often great gigs here, of musicians and bands that are more suited to sitting and listening, as opposed to jumping /​dancing madly about. I went here to see First Aid Kit last night, and previously had tickets to see Ben Howard (to give you an idea). We were in the Upper Circle and, wow, it was high. It’s an old building with an old stage and seat set-​up, and I don’t know the last time they renovated it, but being at the top of the Upper Circle is not for those with vertigo! It’s high, and steep. The steep incline of seats is perfect in that you’re guaranteed a great view, with no heads in the way, but it also means it’s quite a precarious journey back down again.
The acoustics are great, of course. Stage view was great even way back up. The staff on the door, seats and bar were lovely. Although drinks were quite steep — £3 for gin and £2 for the tonic to go with it. But hey, it’s what you expect unfortunately. They also have Mackies ice cream, and there is nothing wrong with eating honeycomb ice cream whilst watching and listening to some lovely musicians.