00:00Right across Birmingham, the big names are rolling in and the city is buzzing.
00:06The Utilita Arena sets the pace with a two-night clash of pop giants.
00:11On Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th September, Busted and McFly share the same stage,
00:17belting out the songs that defied an era.
00:20For many, it's more than a concert, it's a trip back to the school disco years,
00:24but now in a venue that dwarves any jib hall.
00:27Packed crowds means packed tills too, feeding bars, restaurants and hotels
00:32that rely on visitors pouring in when the arena lights go up.
00:36A single arena night doesn't just pay the band and the stage crew,
00:40it fills taxis, shifts pints in pubs and keeps dozens of people in casual work on the night itself.
00:47Multiply that across two sell-out shows and it's a noticeable injection into the city's economy.
00:53Away from the nostalgia, Birmingham flexes its cultural muscle,
00:57a symphony hall on Wednesday 17th September.
01:01The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra takes on Elgar's dream of Durantius.
01:06It's not just any piece of music, it's a work stitched into the city's history.
01:11Elgar's sound filled these streets long before skyscrapers did,
01:15and his work still draws audiences to die.
01:17Behind the scenes, it supports an orchestra of professional musicians, technicians and ushers.
01:23The CBSO isn't done there.
01:25On Thursday 18th September, the symphonic sessions return with an October twist.
01:31Think beer hall atmosphere meets full orchestra.
01:34The aim is clear, drag the classics out of the polite concert hall
01:37and drop them into something closer to a night out.
01:40More bodies through the doors and a broader mix of people experiencing like music
01:45means more money flowing back into Birmingham.
01:48For the orchestra, it's survival through reinvention,
01:51making symphonies feel less like homework and more like a part of a Friday night.
01:57And while the orchestra experiments, the Birmingham Royal Ballet takes its own risks.
02:02At the Hippodrome from Thursday 18th September,
02:05Black Sabbath gets the ballet treatment.
02:08Leather meets leotards.
02:09It sounds absurd, but it's already pulling attention far beyond the city.
02:14For Birmingham, this isn't just another production.
02:16It's a story of how heavy industry birthed heavy metal
02:19and how that legacy is still shaping the arts economy today.
02:24Jobs, tickets and international attention,
02:26all generated by turning riffs into pirouettes.
02:30At the rep, things get darker.
02:32Murder at Midnight runs from Tuesday 16th to Saturday 20th September,
02:36bringing mystery and suspense to the stage.
02:39It's a reminder that theatre is still a vital part of Birmingham's cultural life.
02:44Every sold-out night means not only just actors in work,
02:47but bar staff, the stage crew, the cleaners, the taxi drivers,
02:51ferrying people home.
02:53The arts don't run on air, they run on audiences,
02:55and the show is keeping them coming back.
Comments