EXPRESS LIVE!

Reviews 3

NI

nick d

Physically the venue is awesome. Not a bad seat in the house, outside or inside. The two stars is for the staffs behavior. Went to see 21 Pilots, awesome performance and two great guys, 5 stars to them. Arrived at around 10AM, doors open at 6PM, and 100s already lined up. Not sure how long he had been at it but a member of the security staff incessantly and belligerently said everyone needed to take their chairs, umbrellas and coolers back to their cars using a megaphone. Everyone in the line understood we were not allowed to take those items inside, but it was in the 90s and summer and it was hours till the doors opened. But he kept going on and on. Harassing individual groups, complaining about space, etc. Finally at around three he informs everyone that they are getting ready to let people in early so we have to get rid of our stuff. Almost everyone does. Two and a half hours pass before they let people in. Concert let out after 11. Let me explain the bad. If you go in at 5:30 and get in the pit thats 6 hours on your feet with extremely limited access to water, Ill circle back to that, on your feet in the heat, packed in next to other hot sweaty people, and really no way for people in the front to take bathroom breaks without losing your spot. That extra 3 hours at the beginning makes a difference. Water. Security crew dribbled out plastic cups of water, and bottles of water to the pit. Hundreds packed in the pit with maybe three employees passing out a cup or two at a time. People were having to abandon the pit in droves as the night went on. About halfway through 21 Pilots they started throwing bottles in quantity. This was probably around 10. No outside bottles of water allowed in. No camelbacks. Bad. We abandoned the pit within an hour. No clue how a lot of those young girls lasted. Josh actually stopped the concert at one point to bring attention to a fan on distress. Few other jerk moves. Daughter bought a CD from random guy selling his music while waiting. No big deal. While I was being checked in member felt it and asked what it was. I told him. Passing security guard snaps out it wasnt allowed, guy apologizes saying the guy who said it wasnt allowed was the head of security and it would be up front afterwards it wasnt.... Plus why? It was in a paper sleeve. What was the danger. I feel it was just a knee jerk "no". He could be a jerk so he was. Also went to use a bathroom they had open for the line using the inside venues bathroom. Standing there waiting for my wife I devilishly started reading the placards for upcoming concerts. Next thing I know Im being angrily yelled at to not pass the column. No signs stating this, none of the four employees standing around informed anyone this. While this was happening to me another employee went into the womens bathroom and angrily informed everyone they werent allowed to stay in the bathroom... My wife said no one was trying to. It was hot, dirty, smelly, and there was a line. My experience at the inside this winter was the opposite so no clue if its a summer staff issue. Also, this wouldnt have been as bad if I hadnt just attended Bonnaroo a couple of weeks before, where the mantra for attendees and workers is stay hydrated, shade if you can, dont be that guy or girl, and good vibes. Almost 70,000 attendees compared to less than 3,000 and I never had the first bad interaction with the many staff members I interacted with.

JO

Joseph Moore

Well, just had my worst experience of my life at this venue. I have been a faithful metal since my first metal show at the age of 13 that was at this venue. It was skid row, jackyl and tesla. But I went to the great summer smoke out to see volbeat and was appalled by the outcome. The first band started and a mosh put broke out and I made my way to it and had a great time. after they finished I decided to go get a beer, after waiting in line I decided to make my way to the front again. Once I made my way to the floor I decided to make my way to the front again. About half way through the crowd I only felt a hand on my shoulder and realized it was a security guards hand on my shoulder. He asked me to come with him. I followed him and asked what the issue was. He responded with " you were moving through the crowd to roughly. I chuckled and asked if he was serious. He replied yes and asked me to leave. So I went past the fence and asked if I could go sit on the lawn. He replied with a blunt and firm "NO". I told him I have been coming here for 15 years and this has never been issue and assured him that 500 other people were doing the same thing but it did not change his opinion. So I offered to buy another ticket and to sit on the lawn and finish the show and they refused to let me reenter and said they had contacted the police. So I waited 45 minutes for the police and then polite asked how long the police would be and they said they never contacted them but if I asked again they most definitely would.i asked if I hurt or harmed anyone and they kept saying "No, but you were moving to roughly through the crowd". This was complete and utter blasphemy and they knew it. I for one will not be attending another show here and hope other will join me. I also will be contacting the corporate office requesting a refund for my 40 dollar ticket and my wifes who let mlwith me. I understand if rules have changed but signs should be posted of a "zero tolerance area" or anything along those terms before enforcing it so abruptly. If I would have got Atleast a warning or anything other then kicked out this review would had got the exact opposite way. Also kept asking to speak with a higher up and kept getting denied, saying "they are to busy dealing with real issues"

AN

Angie S

Complete chaos and unorganized for Twenty One Pilots show! ((Had nothing to do with the band, which was a FANTASTIC show 5 stars.)) Express Live, or whatever your name is this week, was a complete joke, and clearly have never housed a large artist. We show up to pick up our tickets at will call at by 4pm. Told by staff at will call we have to wait in a line to even get our wrist band and that will call wasnt handing them out. This line wrapped three long rows beside concert venue AND then around Huntington baseball stadium. After waiting in line for the wrist band and admittance for 2.5 hours, then told to move to ANOTHER line for will call to get the said wrist band, which was two lines down and up Neil Ave! Random staff come to new wrist band line asking for random letters of last names, and moving those people ahead of those already waiting hours. Then several staff decide to do the same, no organized fashion, just picking random people with no thought to those whod been waiting hours already. Many expressed disgust and security became nasty saying "theres only 7 of us". Well, how is that our problem? Plan ahead if you plan to squeeze in that many people into a venue like sardines and ask them to pick up tickets at will call!! Common sense! Get inside and there are a total of 2 food stands for thousands of patrons, again more waiting and ended up not eating because of people cutting lines and being unorganized. Go to another stand for water, theyre out!! Booze of plenty, but NO WATER with it over 90 degrees and humid as the pits of hell itself. When the band had to stop in the middle of a show to help overheated patrons, its an issue. Put out some huge water tanks and plastic cups FOR FREE like OSU Stadium does for football games for hot weather! We didnt dare the pit for this very reason, as no water to even drink!! Weve gone to an inside show, much of the same. Rude staff. Unorganized chaos, even for smaller shows. Piling people in a pit with 2 inches of stale booze all over the floor. Patrons starting fist fights if you try to squeeze near them to get a closer glimpse of performers and security doing nothing. Ive attended several shows at this venue, inside and out and service is worse each and every time.

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