See the Proms in London

“First time going to a Proms concert in person (and first time going to a concert by myself). Also first time in the standing area. It was a lot more packed than I expected, and I can’t imagine how packed it must get for more popular concerts. Also closer to the stage than I expected, I was pretty much level with the front desks of the first violins. [...] She was so passionate I was afraid she'd fall off the podium, especially since there was no bar behind it. It was impossible not to notice that she was conducting with the whole of her body, and she was putting just as much emotion into the quieter parts as into the louder ones.”

“Indeed, this was one of those rare occasions when you can say, in awe, "I was THERE!". The Royal Albert Hall is a huge barn of a hall. Six thousand seats placed round a hollow space that rises upwards, culminating in a dome that used to suck up sound until they added those space-age acoustic baffles. But there's nothing like a Royal Albert Hall Prom. The atmosphere is so intense that the excitement must communicate to performers. If they've not overwhelmed (understandably) they can be challenged to give the performances of their lives.”