Hammersmith Apollo

The Hammersmith Apollo, called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, previously and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue opened in 1932 as a cinema named the Gaumont Palace. Located in Hammersmith, London, it is an art deco Grade II* listed building.

History

Designed by Robert Cromie, who also renovated the Prince of Wales Theatre, in the Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace, with a seating capacity of nearly 3,500 people, being renamed the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962. It has had a string of names and owners, most recently AEG Live and Eventim UK. It became a Grade II listed building in 1990. The venue was later refurbished and renamed Labatt's Apollo following a sponsorship deal with Labatt Brewing Company.
In 2002, the venue was again renamed, this time to Carling Apollo after Carling brewery struck a deal with the owners, US-based Clear Channel Entertainment, now IHeartMedia. The event was marked by rock band AC/DC playing a one-off concert. All 5,000 tickets sold out in 4 minutes. In 2003, the stalls seats were made removable and now some concerts have full seating whilst others have standing-only in the stalls. In the latter format, the venue can accommodate around 5,000 people. The venue's listing was upgraded to Grade II* status in 2005. In 2006, the venue reverted to its former name, the Hammersmith Apollo. In 2007, the original 1932 Compton pipe organ, still present from the building's days as a cinema, was restored. The building was then bought by the MAMA Group.
On 14 January 2009, a placing announcement by HMV revealed that by selling additional shares, the company would raise money to fund a joint venture with the MAMA Group, to run eleven live music venues across the United Kingdom, including the Hammersmith Apollo. As a result, the venue was named HMV Apollo from 2009 until 2012. Other venues purchased include The Forum in London's Kentish Town, the Birmingham Institute and Aberdeen's Moshulu. The venue was sold by HMV Group in May 2012 to AEG Live and CTS Eventim. In 2013, the venue was closed for an extensive refurbishment which was carried out by architect Foster Wilson. The venue reopened as the Eventim Apollo on 7 September 2013, with a concert performance by Selena Gomez.

The Compton pipe organ

The original 1932 Compton pipe organ remains installed at the Apollo and was fully restored to playing condition in 2007. It has a four-manual console which rises through the stage on a new lift and about 1,200 organ pipes housed in large chambers above the front stalls ceiling. Having fallen into disrepair, the organ was disconnected in the 1990s and the console removed from the building. At the insistence of English Heritage and the local council, however, it was reinstated and the entire organ restored. At a launch party, on 25 July 2007, an invited audience and media representatives witnessed a recital by Richard Hills.

In popular culture

Many bands have released live albums, videos or DVDs of concerts held at the Apollo, such as Queen, Black Sabbath, Rush, DIO,
Hawkwind, Iron Maiden, Celtic Frost, Kings of Leon, Tears for Fears, Bananarama, Dire Straits, Frank Zappa, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Japan, Erasure, Spear of Destiny, Motörhead, and Robbie Williams. In September 1979 Gary Numan recorded his Touring Principle show at the venue.
Kate Bush released a video and record EP of her concerts at the Odeon from her first tour in 1979. Duran Duran recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on 16 November 1982 and released Live at Hammersmith '82!. Depeche Mode made one of its first concert videos for a Danish television at the Hammersmith on 25 October 1982. Dire Straits played the final two concerts of Love Over Gold Tour at the Odeon on 22–23 July 1983, and the resulting album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live was released the following year.
Kylie Minogue performed a one-off concert in the venue in 2003 and released a DVD of the performance in 2004. Minogue also performed the last show of her Anti Tour in the venue on 3 April 2012. Girls Aloud released a DVD of their concert at the Apollo in 2005. Bruce Springsteen's 1975 concert, released as part of the Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition package and later as Hammersmith Odeon London '75. Melodic death metal band In Flames also released a DVD that featured footage of a December 2004 performance there. Comedian and actor Eddie Izzard's show Glorious was also released as a DVD. Rush recorded their 1978 performance and later included it in their three-disc set, Different Stages. American musician Tori Amos released a series of six live albums in 2005 known as The Original Bootlegs, one of which was recorded at the Apollo. Photographs of The Who outside the Hammersmith Odeon appear on their 1973 album Quadrophenia. Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour performed three nights at the venue in April 1984, documented on the David Gilmour Live 1984 concert film; these shows featured Roy Harper guesting on "Short and Sweet" and Pink Floyd bandmate Nick Mason on drums for "Comfortably Numb". In 1984 the London-based band Iron Maiden recorded side 4 of their double live album 'Live After Death' at the venue. Iron Maiden's affection for the Hammersmith Odeon previously resulted in the filming of a 1982 performance which was subsequently released as Beast over Hammersmith.
Other acts have made music videos featuring clips from performances at the Apollo; Kelly Clarkson made a special version of her "Breakaway" video using clips from her concert at the Apollo in 2006.
The Hammersmith Apollo is seen in the American romantic comedy film Just My Luck where McFly perform. In the movie, the venue stands-in for the Hard Rock Café. It is also the location in The Football Factory where the Chelsea fans board the bus for Liverpool. It is mentioned in the poem "Glam Rock: The Poem" by the poet Robert Archambeau. The exterior of the Gaumont Palace was used as the "Grand" cinema in the 1957 British film The Smallest Show on Earth.

Noteworthy performances

1950s

On 25 March 1958, Buddy Holly performed two shows at the venue. An altercation after the first with Joe B. Mauldin saw Holly lose the caps to two of his front teeth; he effected a temporary repair with chewing gum and performed the second show with the gum in place. These were his last shows in the United Kingdom.
1960s
In the early 1960s, many American acts performed at the Odeon, including Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Woody Herman and the Herd. In 1966, Johnny Cash performed at the venue.
In late 1964 and early 1965, the Beatles played 38 shows over 21 nights. Special guests on the bill included Elkie Brooks and the original Yardbirds, featuring Eric Clapton.
1970s
The photo booklet that forms part of The Who's Quadrophenia album features pictures of the venue the photos of the main character waiting, kneeling beside his GS Scooter outside the venue as the members of the band take their groupies to a limo were taken during a photo shoot.
On 28 October 1972, the "Giants of Jazz", a group consisting of jazz musicians Dizzy Gillespie, Kai Winding, Sonny Stitt, Thelonious Monk, Al McKibbon and Art Blakey – played two concerts at the Hammersmith at 6:30 and 9:30 P.M.
In July 1973, David Bowie performed his final concert as Ziggy Stardust at the venue. The concert was filmed by American documentary filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker, who intercut scenes of fans outside the venue, Bowie in the dressing room, with the concert footage. The film was not released until 1979, and is now available on DVD as Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars.
In December 1974, Elton John played a televised Christmas concert for the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test.
In November and December 1975, Queen performed several shows at the Hammersmith Odeon during the A Night at the Opera Tour. The show of 24 December was broadcast by the BBC and released in 2015 on CD, Vinyl and DVD/Blu-ray as A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975.
On 14 April 1976 Steve Harley and the Cockney Rebels recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon. Some performances are available on their "The Best Years Of Our Lives" triple album.
On 15–16 May 1976, Kiss made their first UK appearances, supported by UK rockers Stray; tickets sold out in 2 hours for their two-night stay.
Genesis featured in a 6-night run, 09-14 June 1976, making the UK debut of their "A Trick of the Tail" tour. This was the band's first post-Peter Gabriel album and tour, with Phil Collins stepping out from behind his drum kit to front the vocals. Bill Bruford, formerly of YES, stepped in on drums for this tour before giving way to Chester Thompson on subsequent tours.
In 1976, much of Thin Lizzy's live album Live and Dangerous was recorded at the Hammersmith on the Johnny The Fox Tour. Again in 1981, Lynott and his gang appeared in the venue for the recording of the BBC's In Concert. The disc are released as a part of the Box Set At The BBC, in 2011. Some of this tracks also appeared in the deluxe editions of Chinatown and Thunder and Lightning. Finally, the double live album Life/Live was recorded in the venue in 1981 and 1983, with the participation of guitarists Eric Bell, Brian Robertson and Gary Moore. The guitarist Snowy White participated on three tracks recorded in 1981 in the same venue.
The progressive rock band Camel recorded some tracks in 1976 for the release of a future live album. The album was released in 1978, and is called A Live Record. The entire concert was released and made part of the deluxe edition of Moonmadness. The same concert was broadcast by the BBC and released in DVD format. The DVD was called Moondances.
In November 1977, The Tubes played 10 shows and recorded the live double album What Do You Want from Live at the Hammersmith. The album was released in February 1978.
In 1978, Black Sabbath, with Ozzy Osbourne still a member, held concerts celebrating 10 years of career in the venue. The opening band was Van Halen. The concert was recorded and released on video and later on DVD, with the name Never Say Die: A Decade of Black Sabbath. In 30–31 December 1981, the band now with Dio recorded their concerts at this venue. The gig was released on disc and vinyl in 2007, and later as part of the Deluxe edition of Mob Rules. In 1994 the show in Apollo was recorded and released one year later titled Cross Purposes Live.
On 24 February 1978, Sweet played their first concert at Hammersmith Odeon. It was to be their last British show featuring singer Brian Connolly.
On 20 February 1978, Rush recorded 11 tracks from their "A Farewell to Kings" tour, including tracks from all of their first five albums. These tracks were not released at the time. They were included as a bonus disc on their 10 November 1998 release of Different Stages Live which included recordings from both their 1994 Counterparts and 1997 Test for Echo tours.
Whitesnake recorded tracks for their live album Live...in the Heart of the City on 23 November 1978. The album also included tracks that were later recorded on 23 and 24 June 1980. Years later, David Coverdale and this gang appears in Hammersmith for the recorded of Live... In the Still of the Night album and DVD set.
The albums 461 Ocean Boulevard and Slowhand of the guitarist Eric Clapton were reissued in double CD deluxe format accompanied with a live album recorded at the venue, depicting tours of 1974 and 1976.
Frank Zappa recorded parts of his 1979 album Sheik Yerbouti and parts of his 1981 album Tinsel Town Rebellion at the venue. Zappa's triple album Hammersmith Odeon, recorded in 1978, was released posthumously in 2010 by the Zappa Family Trust.
Kate Bush also performed the same year, and released a live video and record EP of her 1979 concerts.
On 13–15 December 1979, Cliff Richard played at the Hammersmith Odeon during the Rock'n'Roll Juvenile Tour.
In December 1979, Queen, the Clash, Elvis Costello, the Who, the Pretenders and Paul McCartney and Wings and many more artists played several nights. The Hammersmith Odeon hosted the four-night Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, a benefit concert to raise money for Cambodian victims of the dictator Pol Pot, of which Queen played the first night. Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim organised the event.
The Police played three shows at Hammersmith Odeon in late 1979 promoting their Reggatta de Blanc album.