So much history here. Imagine this is where all the German greats have played. You are transported…read moreback to when classical music was king. Sophisticated and structured. Pure and clean. When you book a ticket through the Elbphilharmonie website make sure to pay attention to the location. They don't make it clear if the location is at the Elbphilharmonie opera house or the Laeiszhalle. Luckily it's only a 5 minute taxi ride if you make the same mistake that I did. Free concerts on the second Tuesday of the month. At noon but get there early as people scramble for the limited seats.

Here I am "watching" a concert by one of my favourite bands in a seat that cost EUR42 and I'm…read morewriting a review. Why is that? Well, I can't see 50% of the band for one. I can see the bassist, drummer and third guitarist. I can't see the singer, lead guitarist or keyboard player. I'm on the 3rd row in the first balcony. I'd say that perhaps 20% of the audience get a good view. A further 30% can see the entire stage, but from a far distance. 50% will get a very impaired-to-non-existent view (some seats are behind columns/walls). I just don't think that's acceptable for the prices. The sound is admittedly good and the place looks quite nice, but those are the only good points. Other negatives include a lack of atmosphere (due to it being all seated). It's uncomfortably hot as there is seemingly no ventilation if the doors are closed (which they always are during the performance). There's also just one choice of beer, so if you don't like König Pils you're out of luck. I'd say it's the worst concert venue in Hamburg - especially for watching rock concerts. Unfortunately, if the band you want to see is booked here there's not much you can do. I can give them a bad review though.