yorks5stringer Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 Went to Bristol 02 last night and my how things have changed since attending my last large gig. 1. I was deluged by emails from Ticketmaster over the last week reminding me my 'phone was my ticket', there was me thinking I could just print off the QR code and be fine, in the end I had to dig out my password and align phone with my desktop and then nervously check it still worked whilst waiting in line. 2. The deluge of emails also mentioned no rucksacks or large bags would be allowed, I was to see why later, in fact the guy in front went off never to be seen again when he was told by a line steward that he would not get in with his bag. 3. Queue moved very slowly, when I got to the entrance, I thought I was in Bristol Airport... overhead scanners and plastic trays to put your shrapnel and other metal in. Then the phone was scanned and in! 4. Got into the venue virtually unscathed and wandered around to find the bar, seemed quiet so went upstairs to see if the view was better from the balcony. No one at the bar there so bought a pint then saw I could upsize it to a 2 pint container, thought that would save me losing my place in the mosh pit if I left, so did that: £13.60 please! 5. Went back downstairs and stood 4 persons from the front, right in front of the bass gear, P Bass and Markbass Casa head and cab 6. During the gig staff walked inbetween the stage front and the metal barriers handing out 'shorts', turned out it was just water but as those in front kept them I thought they had special access and it was their treat! 7. At either end of the stage were remote birdseye cameras and they were trained on the various instrumentalists at different times and then once combined with graphics were projected onto the backdrop which looked good. 8. It was too loud, luckily had packed little ear defenders which saved me from ringing ears. 9. Got another email from Ticketmaster today asking me to rate their perfromance and suggesting other gigs I may wish to attend..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 28 minutes ago, yorks5stringer said: then saw I could upsize it to a 2 pint container, thought that would save me losing my place in the mosh pit if I left, so did that: £13.60 please! Nowadays 2 pints and keeping my place anywhere are totally incompatible! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 6, 2022 Author Share Posted October 6, 2022 37 minutes ago, Nail Soup said: Nowadays 2 pints and keeping my place anywhere are totally incompatible! I've been blessed with a strong bladder...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E sharp Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 I have a work smartphone (telecom technician), but I just roll with an old Blackberry. In this situation, without a smartphone, would this type of a gig been closed off to someone like me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 6, 2022 Author Share Posted October 6, 2022 "Hi there, Quick reminder about your tickets... The O2 Academy app is your ticket You can download the O2 Academy app from your phone’s app store on iOS or Android. All you need to do is open the app, then tap the ticket icon and sign in with your Ticketmaster account log-in. If you haven’t already, be sure to download the app as it allows you to transfer your tickets to others in your party and download them straight to your phone’s digital wallet. Please note, as you will be using the O2 Academy app, your tickets will not be emailed to you, available to print, or available at the box office. If you’ve already sold your tickets on the Ticketmaster Ticket Exchange and are no longer attending the event, please disregard this email. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 I don't take my phone to gigs. It's too big and clumsy and gets in the way of me enjoying myself because I'll always be worried that it will get broken or stolen. Probably just as well I don't go to any big gigs where this is a requirement. Besides from what I've read here, the bands who play those venues are boring and the sound is rubbish. I notice that tickets I have for a gig next March at Rock City are still suitable to be printed, which is what I will do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 11 hours ago, E sharp said: I just roll with an old Blackberry. The stains must be a nightmare to get out. 😉 Seriously though, most gigs I've been to lately that have used your phone as a ticket have just been a QR code that gets scanned. I've screenshot the app incase of no network (and it's easier to open the last photo than apps or emails) and used that, at London Stadium we just had the QR printed out on paper. Always been fine. I can't speak of the 02 Bristol personally though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Bristol O2 is a turd of a venue in a city full of brilliant live music venues. Tickets and beer are far too expensive, the sound sucks, for the first four of five songs if you're at the barrier you can't see anything except the photographers right in front of the stage. While I appreciate good security is important, they are rather over enthusiastic at the O2. Fortunately most bands I want to see seem to be at Motion, SWX, Thekla or The Fleece which are all excellent venues. I'm off the The Fleece next week for Agnostic Front, can't wait for that one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 1 minute ago, SteveXFR said: Bristol O2 is a turd of a venue in a city full of brilliant live music venues. Tickets and beer are far too expensive, the sound sucks, for the first four of five songs if you're at the barrier you can't see anything except the photographers right in front of the stage. While I appreciate good security is important, they are rather over enthusiastic at the O2. Fortunately most bands I want to see seem to be at Motion, SWX, Thekla or The Fleece which are all excellent venues. I'm off the The Fleece next week for Agnostic Front, can't wait for that one. Saw Peter Hook at The Marble Factory, I'd never been there and thought it was a cool place, although in a dodgy looking area round some of the back steets. Agnostic Front should be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Just now, Maude said: Saw Peter Hook at The Marble Factory, I'd never been there and thought it was a cool place, although in a dodgy looking area round some of the back steets. Agnostic Front should be great! It looks like a dodgy area but it's fine. Marble Factory/Motion is a great venue. I really like it there. Security are friendly, sound is great, there's always a good spot to watch even if I take the kids. Watching Idles there was one of the best gigs I've been to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Last time I went to the Bristol O2 to see Gary Numan, the gig was very oversold and the place was far too crowded, I am sure it was way over capacity, lleft before the end. There wasn't that sort of security then. I agree that it isn't a good venue for sound or anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakester Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Hah, I was there too, and I concluded I was now too old to stand in the crowd for 4 hours! I thought the search was perfunctory at best - I guess I came in later than you as the main standing area was full when I got there. The metal detector bleeped as I went through but they just waved me through. I (unwisely) joked I could have had a machete down my trousers and some bloke turned round nervously and said "but you don't though, do you?" 😂 I regretted not responding "wrong sort of chopper"... 🙄 It was all fine until about the 2nd SP tune when a group of about six forced their way through the crowd and stopped directly in front of us, and a chap was literally butt to groin with me, meaning all I could see was literally the back of his head and his very large ears. Again, I could have put up with that (indeed, some might say I could have got lucky!) but then he started jiggling uncontrollably (I think it was dancing) and stamping on my feet. As I was at the back of the crowd there was a slight lip so I had nowhere backwards to go so ended up joining some of my mates who had already concluded they were too past it and stood off to the side. I always take earplugs to gigs since seeing Therapy? at the Wulfrun and having ringing ears for days afterwards. Great gig though - the sound balance was just incredible, how they got just a clean live sound with such varied instruments was beyond me. Not only was the musicianship outstanding, so were the sound guys. And I loved the close-up cams too - really good if you spent a lot of time looking at the back of someone's head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 'Snot just gigs! I went skiing in France last year and you had to show a qr code on your phone to get on the lifts in the morning... That was covid stuff, mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 13 hours ago, yorks5stringer said: I've been blessed with a strong bladder...... I can vouch for that! What was the gig Keith? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 15 hours ago, yorks5stringer said: Went back downstairs and stood 4 persons from the front 15 hours ago, yorks5stringer said: It was too loud, 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyP Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Don't forget the rip off that is the "booking fee ". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) At De Melkweg in Amsterdam, they have a "monthly subscription fee" of €4 (or €25 for a full year) that you have to pay, even when you don't plan on coming back any time soon. Not a huge fee, but very annoying. Edited October 7, 2022 by LeftyJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 The worst imho, booking service is Dice, which appears to be gathering traction for small to medium sized venues. Booked to see John Cooper Clarke at the newly reopened CIS in Manchester. You can't get your tickets/QR code until 2hrs before the doors open. You have to "activate" the tickets at the 2hr point and then the QR code appears. I tried to find a way of printing them beforehand, but no joy. Had to activate on a Metro tram on the way into town. There is a slight upside to this process in that you can email the tickets to someone for them to use before they are activated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Think I will stick to the Dog and Duck…😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 4 hours ago, LeftyP said: Don't forget the rip off that is the "booking fee ". I don't get that. You can't buy the tickets without paying it so why not just include it in the ticket price? Why does it need to be a separate fee? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 11 minutes ago, SteveXFR said: I don't get that. You can't buy the tickets without paying it so why not just include it in the ticket price? Why does it need to be a separate fee? I suspect it's down to who gets a percentage of what in the ticket price, and having a booking fee allows the ticket agency to take a larger (relative) slice of the pie. It used to be possible to avoid having to pay the booking fee for gigs at Rock City by going to the venue in person and paying cash for your tickets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crawford13 Posted October 7, 2022 Share Posted October 7, 2022 Snarky Puppy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 7, 2022 Author Share Posted October 7, 2022 6 hours ago, Mickeyboro said: I can vouch for that! What was the gig Keith? As mentioned earlier by others, Snarky Puppy. The worst thing was when the puppy escaped and peed on my jeans..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 7, 2022 Author Share Posted October 7, 2022 3 hours ago, Mickeyboro said: Think I will stick to the Dog and Duck…😂 was a small dog... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 7, 2022 Author Share Posted October 7, 2022 5 hours ago, Sibob said: 😅 It was fine when I first stood there as there was just background sounds. Then the first act were just a keys, bass and drum trio ( great bassist called Zoe Gillighall) and not too loud, then it was the full band and I was trapped in by then, m'lud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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