I doubt Bill Shakespeare had visions of Red Rocks, Slane Castle or San Quentin (whatchyoutalkingboutwillis?) in mind when he wrote his famous monologue; his travel was a bit limited back then.  Today we can travel around the world to experience live events in breathtaking locations.

We asked Flight Centre‘s global consultants to help us put together a list of live venues that rock – some quite literally!

Red Rocks

Close your eyes and let me put two words in your head ‘U2′ and ‘live’. So what are you picturing? Having seen U2 many times at various venues what comes to mind for me is a concert I did not attend but experienced hundreds of times over; Live at Red Rocks, Under a Blood Red Sky.  Set in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Red Rocks‘ spectacular open air venue surrounded by massive natural sandstone structures make for an experience that is said to be beyond words.

Slane Castle, Ireland

Situated alongside the River Boyne, Slane Castle has become as famous for its rock concerts as the 17^th century battles that took place on its surrounding lands.  Each year fans travel from around the world to gather at Slane Castle and see their favourite bands. Queen, The Stones, David Bowie, U2, and Red Hot Chili Peppers are among the list of bands who have rocked this historic landmark.

Metallica, San Quentin, Calilfornia

Lastly (and with my tongue firmly implanted in cheek), there are a number ways to get into this venue but I’m not convinced it’s worth the effort. Opened in 1852, San Quentin is the oldest operating prison in the US and has been home to many notorious characters as well as being the setting for numerous TV and movies shoots. Seems to me like the perfect setting for a free concert and the filming of the Metallica’s ‘Saint Anger’.

One of my coolest outdoor concert experiences was Chris Cornell live on the Freemont Experience in Las Vegas. I travelled there for Champ Car’s first race of the 2007 season and mixing auto racing, Sin City and one of the best front men in rock  – what more could I ask for?

What live venue left you speechless and perhaps, a little hard of hearing?

Today we have highlighted Slane Castle on the travel map.

Categories: Destinations

This entry was posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.