OV9

Has anyone been to a concert at Wembley where the stage is in the middle of the pitch and you're sitting in the 500-tier seats? I'm trying to decide if they're ok or going to ruin the experience. Normally I'd be straight into the standing tickets, but my OH has a dodgy knee, so standing tickets are a no-go for the time being. All of the 'good' seats seem to be about £250+ each which crazy for a single performance!

Not a concert but I’ve watched football from the third tier and the players look tiny.

You’ll be watching the concert on the big screens only

Yeah, I guess so, but going to find out. I managed to get some reduced-price tickets in front row of tier 500 for tonight. I love hunting down bargain tickets on the day of a concert

I’m not sure if you can do this for concert bookings but I think the FA site has an app which lets you see your exact view from your seat. The Emirates has this and I’m pretty sure Wembley does to

Coldplay? Enjoy.

We saw Fleetwood mac there a couple of years ago, it was OK but not wonderful, we were on the left hand side of the stage about halfway up. Ideally we'd have been standing but it was sold out and they'd already added dates plus we had the mother and father in law with us who couldn't stand for that length of time. They were hardly likely to tour again with most of the original members so I felt it was worth it.
Ideally I only do smaller venues (I refuse to go to the O2 for gigs now) like G Live or the Hexagon locally (saw Mike and the Mechanics there as it was bloody brilliant) where everyone is quite close, but I appreciate that some mega artists can't or won't do those smaller venues due to $, so they don't get mine.

JonMad wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 10:58 am Coldplay? Enjoy.

Yes! Wanted to see them for a long time because it looks like they put on an amazing show

I know you got a last minute deal which mitigates it a bit, but if I was paying £250+ for a ticket it would need to be substantially beyond amazing.

Sundayjumper wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 12:25 pm I know you got a last minute deal which mitigates it a bit, but if I was paying £250+ for a ticket it would need to be substantially beyond amazing.

Gig ticket prices are fucked up. I wouldn't pay £250 to see anyone! Or if I did I'd expect to be so close that I could touch them.

Bands/promoters/venues are taking the piss.

Not really related, but mrs mik is a huge Stevie Wonder fan. Years ago I took her to Paris to see him play at Berkeley Stadium. There were only a few seats remaining, and I reluctantly selected a couple half way up (in terms of height) and just behind the front of the stage. Headed there thinking “we’ll at least we’ll be able to soak up the atmosphere.

Turned out Stevie’s band was huge and the whole stage was populated, with his grand piano pointed right at us - side-on to the majority of the stadium so he could turn and face the audience/cameras. I’d unwittingly booked some of the best seats in the stadium I reckon.

(I like SW but I’m not a massive fan. He did a load of audience participation though - the “whoop big up black Americans” which elicited the audible elements of a Gallic shrug only from the Frenchies, but the audience participation singing bits were feckin epic )

I can just imagine the French participation now...

I just cahlled to say I lahve you
I just cahlled to say how much I cahre
I just cahlled to say I lahve you ahnd I mean eet frahm ze bahttom of my heart

Sundayjumper wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 12:25 pm I know you got a last minute deal which mitigates it a bit, but if I was paying £250+ for a ticket it would need to be substantially beyond amazing.

Totally, £250 is 2-3 day weekend festival ticket price to my mind.

The concert prices are weird, you can get a standing ticket today on ebay or Facebook marketplace for £80, which gets you pretty close to the stage and probably the best experience. The first bank of seating though is crazy money, if you go onto Ticketmaster you'll pay £330 per ticket. The highest tier of seats is still £250 per ticket on TM. I managed to get tickets for £62.50 each which seems remarkable value in comparison.

I was moaning about ticket prices the other day. I get that bands rely on ticket and merch sales now more than ever but it seems to be the bands least in need of money that charge the highest prices. I was looking at Springsteen tickets and they start at £200ish.

I started to go off going to festivals when tickets started getting to that price, never mind one night. By the time I've bought 2 tickets and whatever other money we'd spend I'm looking at £500+ for a night out.

Meanwhile I went to an absolutely belting show at a small club venue last weekend for the princely sum of £20 a ticket and £25 for a t-shirt

I still don't get the point of being seated at a concert.

ZedLeg wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 1:19 pm I was moaning about ticket prices the other day. I get that bands rely on ticket and merch sales now more than ever but it seems to be the bands least in need of money that charge the highest prices. I was looking at Springsteen tickets and they start at £200ish.

I started to go off going to festivals when tickets started getting to that price, never mind one night. By the time I've bought 2 tickets and whatever other money we'd spend I'm looking at £500+ for a night out.

Meanwhile I went to an absolutely belting show at a small club venue last weekend for the princely sum of £20 a ticket and £25 for a t-shirt

It’s probably the loss of revenue in music sales over the last 10-15 years that has pushed the live experience prices up, and it seems there’s enough people willing to pay, especially for big hitters

I went to Rock Am Ring at the Nurburgring in 2005 and it was €105 for the weekend ticket including camping IIRC. Most agreeable!

Awesome line up for their 20th anniversary too.

Never heard of In Extremo, but Maiden-Manson-Crüe-Slayer-Helmet sounds like a bloody good day out to me*


* to the twenty-something year old version of me. The current version would need a sit down and a cup of tea.

Rich B wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 1:59 pm I still don't get the point of being seated at a concert.

Getting old?

I didn't have that excuse when I saw Muse doing Black Holes and Revelations at Wembley, up in the seated area. I did when I saw QOTSA at the MEN arena.

I think if the PA system and live screens are set up reasonably well, and you're not at a direct 90deg angle to the stage, it'll be fine.

Sundayjumper wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 5:12 pm Never heard of In Extremo, but Maiden-Manson-Crüe-Slayer-Helmet sounds like a bloody good day out to me*


* to the twenty-something year old version of me. The current version would need a sit down and a cup of tea.

I was pissed and asleep for Motley crew and some earlier acts. Drinking wine through a funnel and garden hose does that by all accounts

Maiden were awesome as was Manson, Billy Idol, Prodigy, Papa Roach, Wednesday 13, Prodigy & The Hives

Rich B wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 1:59 pm I still don't get the point of being seated at a concert.

In general - yes.

Although there was no mosh pit for Burt Bacharach.