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The "We Need A New Outdoor Venue" Thread

grilled_cheese

By grilled_cheese
in Nashville

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RonCamp Whistle-Stop

RonCamp

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Are we still referring to the EC buses from last week?  When entering the venue last night there were semis and tour buses clearly parked behind the stage in what appeared to be their own little parking area.  I did not see any semis parked on KVB.

On Tuesday night they had at least three semis parked in the righthand westbound lane (closest to the amphitheater) on KVB - some on the bridge, some on land.  

$14 for Sweetwater 420 16oz.

I can't remember how much the domestic macro beers were for a 24oz.

$11.50 for a 24 oz. Bud, Bud Light, etc.

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nashvillwill Burg

nashvillwill

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Going to MMJ tonight. Excited to see the venue. 

 

Does anyone one know if there are water bottle filling fountains? Certainly the planners had the foresight to install some. 

 

Aside; At what point are people going to get fed up with concessions prices? Seriously, $12-14 for a beer?! I get it, a beer is a luxury, but I'm sure a hot dog is $6-7, a burger $9-10 and bottled water is probably $4-5.

 

I'm a big time sports and concert goer, but I swore off concessions long ago. For the price of one beer, a burger and a bottle of water, I can take the lady out to a decent healthy meal and grab a 6-pack on the way home. The lack of water access in most venues is astounding and should be considered criminal in my opinion. When I go to hockey games, I bring an empty bottle with me and have to walk halfway around the arena to refill it out of a water fountain (not designed for bottles). It should be that complicated to stay hydrated. And I get it, we don't want drunk people in massive crowds, but let me enjoy one beer without having to feel like I'm stealing my families grocery budget  

Furthermore, the fact that this is a city owned property, but apparently the most expensive concessions in town is pathetic. "For the people", eh?

I often go to games/concerts and see people consuming $100 or more worth of concessions. It must be nice to have that much expendable cash, but I just wonder when more people will get fed up. And what would it take to change? A nationwide boycott on all venues? A Supreme Court trial?

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RonCamp Whistle-Stop

RonCamp

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Going to MMJ tonight. Excited to see the venue. 

 

Does anyone one know if there are water bottle filling fountains? Certainly the planners had the foresight to install some. 

 

Aside; At what point are people going to get fed up with concessions prices? Seriously, $12-14 for a beer?! I get it, a beer is a luxury, but I'm sure a hot dog is $6-7, a burger $9-10 and bottled water is probably $4-5.

 

I'm a big time sports and concert goer, but I swore off concessions long ago. For the price of one beer, a burger and a bottle of water, I can take the lady out to a decent healthy meal and grab a 6-pack on the way home. The lack of water access in most venues is astounding and should be considered criminal in my opinion. When I go to hockey games, I bring an empty bottle with me and have to walk halfway around the arena to refill it out of a water fountain (not designed for bottles). It should be that complicated to stay hydrated. And I get it, we don't want drunk people in massive crowds, but let me enjoy one beer without having to feel like I'm stealing my families grocery budget  

Furthermore, the fact that this is a city owned property, but apparently the most expensive concessions in town is pathetic. "For the people", eh?

I often go to games/concerts and see people consuming $100 or more worth of concessions. It must be nice to have that much expendable cash, but I just wonder when more people will get fed up. And what would it take to change? A nationwide boycott on all venues? A Supreme Court trial?

Per the venue website, you can bring in one sealed water bottle up to one gallon in size and/or "small snack food items in clear Ziploc bags (nothing that requires utensils or has bones)."

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CenterHill Town

CenterHill

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I got to make my first visit to Ascend last night for Moon Taxi/MMJ.    Let me say the accolades are well-deserved.   It's an amazing venue for outdoor shows.    Our group had lawn tickets and I did a bit of sampling different viewing angles during the show.    I really didn't find any bad spots (except directly behind the lighting towers or the soundboard).   The acoustics are best dead center, as you would expect, but the sound quality really doesn't taper off materially when you move out to the sides of "the bowl".    The sloped lawn means even folks in the very back have a view.    In fact, the back of the venue, being the highest ground, has the killer view of the skyline.  

I confess I've been one of the skeptics on this board about the size of the venue and location of the stage in relation to the site, although at one point I think I did say I would have to reserve judgment until it opened and I could experience it for myself.   Well, now that I have, I take it all back!    It all just works.   And it's a beautiful setting.     

Any critiques?    They underestimated the demand for restrooms - there were long lines for both men's and women's.     And the concession prices as noted above are just silly, even the vendors agree.    

But overall, in my view the city got this one right.   Can't wait to go back!          

 

 

     

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rookzie Burg

rookzie

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I got to make my first visit to Ascend last night for Moon Taxi/MMJ.    Let me say the accolades are well-deserved.   It's an amazing venue for outdoor shows.    Our group had lawn tickets and I did a bit of sampling different viewing angles during the show.    I really didn't find any bad spots (except directly behind the lighting towers or the soundboard).   The acoustics are best dead center, as you would expect, but the sound quality really doesn't taper off materially when you move out to the sides of "the bowl".    The sloped lawn means even folks in the very back have a view.    In fact, the back of the venue, being the highest ground, has the killer view of the skyline.  

I confess I've been one of the skeptics on this board about the size of the venue and location of the stage in relation to the site, although at one point I think I did say I would have to reserve judgment until it opened and I could experience it for myself.   Well, now that I have, I take it all back!    It all just works.   And it's a beautiful setting.     

Any critiques?    They underestimated the demand for restrooms - there were long lines for both men's and women's.     And the concession prices as noted above are just silly, even the vendors agree.    

But overall, in my view the city got this one right.   Can't wait to go back!          

     

I don't foresee checking it out myself any time soon, so I use you as a proxy.  I'm very disappointed to hear that about the number of restrooms, and it's not as if its Jackosn Hall or Polk Auditorium in TPAC, where long lines are the rule even in the men's room.  Instead of the venue booking capacity, I much rather would have preferred that they got it right on better balancing the demand for those facilities, but unfortunately beyond the planning stage, it either cannot or will never get done.  Of course also, when you got "tank" trucks bulked out with beer and more, then there's no such thing as a reasonable number of restroom stools and urinals.  You might as well be pouring beer into a sieve.
-==-

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fieldmarshaldj Burg

fieldmarshaldj

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I don't foresee checking it out myself any time soon, so I use you as a proxy.  I'm very disappointed to hear that about the number of restrooms, and it's not as if its Jackosn Hall or Polk Auditorium in TPAC, where long lines are the rule even in the men's room.  Instead of the venue booking capacity, I much rather would have preferred that they got it right on better balancing the demand for those facilities, but unfortunately beyond the planning stage, it either cannot or will never get done.  Of course also, when you got "tank" trucks bulked out with beer and more, then there's no such thing as a reasonable number of restroom stools and urinals.  You might as well be pouring beer into a sieve.-==-

That gives me an idea. Perhaps there could be a lucrative market for selling "Depends" at those events. :lol:

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grilled_cheese Burg

grilled_cheese

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We Uber'd from the Eastside to the MMJ/MT show on thursday night and to KVBB, there were no trucks as of 7pm when we were dropped off.

 

My buddy was going to the show and walked across KVBB and was hassled by the MAN while taking a quick snapshot of the venue.  And once he got to the intersection of KVB and 1st they were hassling him about whether or not he had tickets.  If they're going to put a venue in the middle of downtown, in a public park, next to public sidewalks they should leave everyone alone unless they are legitimately causing an issue.

 

In regard to the restroom line issue, you just have to know when to go and you encounter long RR lines.  Or drink less.....I prefer the former.

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Nathan_in_DC Burg

Nathan_in_DC

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My buddy was going to the show and walked across KVBB and was hassled by the MAN while taking a quick snapshot of the venue.  And once he got to the intersection of KVB and 1st they were hassling him about whether or not he had tickets.  If they're going to put a venue in the middle of downtown, in a public park, next to public sidewalks they should leave everyone alone unless they are legitimately causing an issue.

 

Who was it doing the hassling? Private security or MPD? If it's the former, politely telling them to go stick it where the sun don't shine would probably be my reaction ("I'm sorry, but I'm on a public sidewalk, not creating a disturbance and not interfering with your show, so I'll kindly ask you to leave me alone. Thank you."). If it's the latter, getting information on the officer and routing a complaint for harassment would be in order, as would escalating it to my city councilperson. I'm fairly certain there is a legal precedent for protection of the right to take a picture of a non-enclosed public event.

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markhollin Galactalopolis

markhollin

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Attended the Steely Dan/Elvis Costello show last night (stellar concert).  I couldn't help but think that this Riverfront Amphitheater is going to quickly gain the reputation as a "go to" performance venue on many tours. It has a tremendous vibe with the skyline behind it (which is only going to get better in the next five years).  I can see many TV events, concert films, etc. being shot here because of the iconic combination of cityscape, park, river, and bridges around it.  It could become like the Pittsburgh Pirates' PNC Park of the music/performance realm.  It made me very proud as a Nashvillian.  Everybody I met at the show was raving about the facility, the sound, the sight lines, etc.  

Oh, and despite last night being ANOTHER in a long line of 50,000+ people being downtown on a weekend evening for entertainment this summer (UFC fight at Bridgestone, Ink & Iron Festival at Municipal Aud/Centennial Park, Sounds game, Titans Season Ticket event, and concerts at Ascend, Schermerhorn, CMHOF, TPAC, and Ryman…not to mention thousands more tourists wandering about), there was PLENTY of parking available on the east side of the river right at the base of both bridges.  I actually parked for free.  

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Vrtigo Burg

Vrtigo

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You guys have seen Red Rocks Amphitheater, right? Granted, an amphitheater has a dramatically different shape than a rock quarry, but still. If large vertical rock surfaces automatically made for terrible acoustics, then that venue would not have the reputation it has today.

Heck, Cumberland Caverns hosts bluegrass shows on a nationally syndicated PBS music show 300' underground in a cave:

bluegrassunderground.jpg

Slap echo comes from parallel surfaces reflecting sound. You'd have to try really hard to make the walls of a rock quarry parallel enough to cause a problem, anyway. ;)

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markhollin Galactalopolis

markhollin

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You guys have seen Red Rocks Amphitheater, right? Granted, an amphitheater has a dramatically different shape than a rock quarry, but still. If large vertical rock surfaces automatically made for terrible acoustics, then that venue would not have the reputation it has today.

Heck, Cumberland Caverns hosts bluegrass shows on a nationally syndicated PBS music show 300' underground in a cave:

bluegrassunderground.jpg

Slap echo comes from parallel surfaces reflecting sound. You'd have to try really hard to make the walls of a rock quarry parallel enough to cause a problem, anyway. ;)

I've been to Red Rocks many times.  The sound works there for several reasons: 1) the two primary slabs of rock are on the sides; 2) the grade on the seats is probably 30% from the edge of the stage back up the hill side--thus, when full of people, they soak up the sound being directed from the PA system.  Looking at the sketch they have for this quarry, it appears the seats are on a flat surface at the floor of the quarry, and those 40-60 foot walls are cut straight up and down surrounding it.  It will most likely sound baaaad.  I can also guarantee that the sound inside that cave for anything played with even mild amplification is not very good, either.  

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grilled_cheese Burg

grilled_cheese

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What's with all these tiny outdoor amphitheaters? 

Lots of reasons....the entire industry is having to scale back because of the internet (mp3 format, napster, bitorrent, streaming, etc).  Bands and labels are realizing that touring is more lucrative than spinning videos on MTV and trying to sell $17 CDs at Tower Records.  But now, more bands are competing for that entertainment dollar because you have more bands that people have access to because of the internet and the bands that used to tour once per album cycle are hitting the road once a year.  There has also been a shift towards VIP and all inclusive ticket packages (think CID) so it's harder to fill an 80k stadium 30 times a year and make enough money so you don't have to work for the next three.  Instead, tour every year, fill 5-15k venues, charge more money, and create different ticket packages, some being incredibly expensive.

 

Just go back and look at how many albums the industry sold in 2000, the peak of that business model and compare them to the top selling album of today.  It's a totally different world now.

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