The Rock Orchestra brings Arena of Fire to the BIC

If you fancy a night that leans more towards a spectacle than a standard gig, The Rock Orchestra is bringing its 'Arena of Fire' show to the Bournemouth International Centre on Saturday 10 October, with the first note due at 7:30 pm. It is a 90 to 120-minute set that sits somewhere between a classical concert and a rock show, and it is not shy about the production side of things.

The whole idea is a symphonic take on rock and metal, and the setlist runs the gamut from Metallica, The Rolling Stones and AC/DC to System Of A Down, Linkin Park, Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, Evanescence and My Chemical Romance. It is not a cover band in the usual sense; the project was set up in 2020 by Nathan Reed, who still directs and produces it, and it pulls together a rotating collective of classically trained musicians and vocalists rather than a fixed line-up. Since then it has played to more than half a million people worldwide and topped the UK Official Rock and Metal Albums Chart.

The 'fire' part of the title is not for show. The production is built around a full orchestra and a full choir, backed by more than 50 pyrotechnic elements, 20 flame units and around 60 litres of flame fluid per show, so it is as much about what you see as what you hear. If you have never seen a full orchestra and choir tackling Motörhead or Iron Maiden, this is about as close as you will get.

The venue is the BIC's Windsor Hall, on Exeter Road, opposite Bournemouth Pier. The BIC itself is an award-winning conference and events centre run by the charity BH Live in partnership with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, and it has been a fixture on the seafront since it opened in September 1984, with a standing capacity of 6,500 and a seated one of 4,054. It is a big room, which suits a show this size.

Tickets start at £38 and are sold through the official website, so it is worth sorting yours before the weekend if you are planning to go. If you have a question about the night, the venue's box office is on 0300 500 0595. Bournemouth is one stop on a wider UK tour that has already taken in Leeds and Liverpool and goes on to Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham, London and Brighton later in the month, so this is the local date to catch it on.

Whether you are there for the orchestra, the choir or the pyrotechnics, it is a big-production night out that does not really have a direct equivalent on the usual gig circuit. If you have been looking for something a bit more theatrical than your average concert, this is a solid shout for a Saturday evening by the seafront.