Seattle on the Fringe by Stacey Merrick : Offbeat and Unusual Entertainment, Activities, Events, Attractions in Seattle, WA.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

I hate it when the bands I like get popular.  I don't hate their success itself, but I do not enjoy seeing a band in a large venue, which is inevitably the only way to see a band once they have reached mainstream popularity.  A review of the recent Interpol show re-established my opinion of the annoyance of going to a large arena show.  In his review of  the show, the author uses a phrase which can describe how I feel about the overall experience of seeing a band in a large venue:

This is The Suck.

I almost attended the Interpol show.  They are a great band and I have seen them live before.  I came to my senses a week before the show because I knew I would not have a good time at the show.  I would ultimately have a lame to mediocre time, despite Interpol's performance, because the show was at the super-sized WaMu Theater. 

These are the things I hate about large venues:

• Unless you pay lots of money for front row seats, "general seating" means "generally crap seating"
• There is seating (it's hard to dance when there are a bunch of chairs in your way)
  
• Overpriced food and drinks
• Overpriced water
• Limited places where you can drink/eat (generally not in the vicinity of the stage)
• Always a long line for the ladies room
• No ins/outs so you cannot pee in the alley next to the venue when there is a line to the bathroom
• Too many* annoying drunk and sweaty people
• Event employees in headsets blocking off areas for "fire hazards"
• Expensive tickets

Usually, one of the few redeeming qualities of large concert arenas is they have a good sound system and the stage show will include some sort of cool flashing stage lights or big screen videos.  I would prefer to spend my money on a good sound system for my home, and maybe get a disco ball.  Then I'll purchase the band's album and listen to it in a comfy chair in my underwear while drinking from a glass bottle.  Try doing that at an arena show!  As far as going to shows, I'll stick to small venues.  There are plenty of bands that are fantastic that haven't reached arena sized popularity... yet.




* I can handle annoying drunk people in smaller groups, especially if I am one of the drunk people.  However, massive amounts of drunk people get on my nerves and no amount of whiskey can cure that.