30th September 2013

Rod Stewart opens the SSE Hydro

Rod Stewart opened the SSE Hydro in style, with the first of four concerts at the Glasgow venue. With a capacity of over 14,000, it had taken two years and cost £125m to build but had been commissioned as far back as 2005. It was designed by Fosters + Partners and constructed using latticed steelwork supporting a 40-metre-high southern elevation and a span of 120 metres.

Reviewing its opening night, The Guardian of 1 October 2013 described the Hydro variously as “a gigantic sci-fi saucer that can house over 12,000 souls” with a “hubcap roof”, and “a deep pie dish with a rakishly tilted roof”.

World-leading venue

Less than 18 months after its opening, the BBC reported that it had been “ranked as the world’s second busiest live entertainment arena”. “With more than 1,000,000 visitors last year, The Hydro ranked higher than Madison Square Garden in New York,” the broadcaster revealed on 13 January 2015, saying it was “beaten to the top spot by London’s O2 in the list compiled by Pollstar, the trade publication for venues and tours”.