Inside the Dome: Backstage Secrets and Bowie’s Ban

The Brighton Dome has been a fixture of our skyline for ages, but most of us only ever see it from the seats or the bar. Right now, and only until next Saturday, February 21st, they are running exclusive backstage tours that let you into the spaces usually off-limits to the public. It is part of their Walk in their shoes series, and it is a chance to see the dressing rooms where people like Beyoncé and Elton John have prepared for shows, plus the Royal Box and the entrance to that famous secret tunnel. Since today is Saturday the 14th, we are officially in the final week of this run, so it is a good time to look at what is actually behind the curtain.

If you are into music history, the dressing rooms are the highlight. David Bowie performed here five times between 1969 and 1973, but his relationship with the venue ended on a bit of a sour note. After his Ziggy Stardust show in May '73, the management banned him from ever appearing at the Dome again. The fans got a bit too enthusiastic and ended up uprooting about 18 seats, which was the final straw for the proprietors back then. You can stand in the same rooms where he would have been getting into that iconic makeup before the chaos started. Then there is the Pink Floyd connection. They premiered Dark Side of the Moon here in January 1972, but the debut was a bit of a mess. During the song Money, a technical failure with the backing tapes meant they had to stop the set and switch to older material. It is interesting to think of such a polished album having such a glitchy start right here in Brighton.

The tour also digs into the building's older, stranger history. There is the story of the suffragettes, Eva Bourne and Mary Leigh, who managed to sneak inside the pipe organ in 1910. They were planning to jump out and protest during a speech by the Prime Minister, but a well-timed sneeze gave them away to the police. You also get a look at the entrance to the underground tunnel that leads over to the Royal Pavilion. It was built in 1821 for George IV, mostly so he could get from his house to the stables—which is what the Dome used to be—without the public seeing him. During the First World War, the whole place was transformed into a military hospital for Indian soldiers, so the walls have seen a lot more than just pop concerts. Even ABBA left their mark here, famously winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with Waterloo, a night that effectively launched their global career.

One of the more relatable stories involves Sir Thomas Beecham. When the venue reopened in 1935 after its Art Deco makeover, he was conducting the London Philharmonic. He was not a fan of the new dressing rooms, specifically the lack of ventilation. He took his cane and smashed three or four of the windows because they were sealed shut and he could not get any air. It is those kinds of details that make the tour feel less like a history lecture and more like a collection of backstage gossip. The tours have been running since November and are priced at £12 for non-members, or £9.60 for members. They usually go at 11 am and 1 pm on selected dates. With the current run ending on February 21st, there are only a few opportunities left to see these hidden parts of the venue before the tours finish for the season.