Taiya Barss walked out of Dr. John concert at TD Halifax Jazz Festival when Festival security failed to control crowd
Dr. John, could not be seen by fans (photo Chronicle Herald)
By Taiya Barss, Halifax, NS July 8, 2013 – The Halifax Jazz Festival is an event that I look forward to all year.
But after Friday night’s experience, I will never again buy a ticket for one of your performances.
My husband and I paid sixty dollars for tickets to Dr John and The Night Trippers
We enjoyed Erin Costello’s music, but as soon as she finished a throng of people moved in, standing between our chairs and the stage, a solid wall blocking everything.
When Dr. John came on, I couldn’t see the tops of the musicians heads.
We left early, frustrated and angry, as did a number of people on either side of us – people who had driven from Bridgewater, Pictou and Cape Breton to not only hear but to see Dr. John.
You should not allow this to happen. You can announce that music will not start until people clear the view of the stage.
You have security personnel: use them.
Editor – we talked to a director of Jazz East on Sunday about this letter and her reply was “We welcome all comment; however, we want people to enjoy themselves and dance. We don’t intend to restrict the crowd.”
When we pointed out that the crowd was not dancing but creating a mosh pit or crowd rush, she had no other comments.
Taiya Barss letter was also printed (abbreviated version) in the Chronicle Herald – Good seats, lousy view on July 10, 2013.
Good seats, lousy view
On Friday night, my husband and I stood in line for an hour and a half in the humid heat to get good seats for Dr. John at the Halifax Jazz Festival. We enjoyed the opening act, Erin Costelo and her band, from the second row.
But when Dr. John, who is as visual as he is musical, came on stage, a throng of people filled the area between the seated audience and the stage. I couldn’t even see the tops of the musicians’ heads; the view was totally blocked. We were not the only ones to leave early, angry and frustrated.
The management of our wonderful festival has security and power, and they should prevent this from happening.
Taiya Barss, Halifax
Dave
I’ve been going to the Halifax Jazz festival for about 5 years.. and there were several hitches at this one that I haven’t seen before. By far the worse, is what happened this year at Dr. John. I think there were more people there than I remember in past years, and maybe they are not prepared for their own success. Security refused to let people bring even one extra chair under the boundaries of the tent, and then as soon as Dr. John appears, those in seats rose and the outside crowd took that as a cue and rushed into the isles and front. I hadn’t seen a frenzy like that before. Those in seats were forced to stay standing in order to see anything. Now the Jazz/Blues fanbase does not have an average age of 20. There were many, many older couples who simply could not stand for 2 hours to enjoy the music. I saw many leave. I saw no Dr. John, but stayed to listen. The side video screens were a great idea coupled with terrible execution. They were too low for the standing crowd and the ‘creative’ production was not pleasant. When everyone stood, the chairs became a serious obstacle. For major events, they need no chairs and everyone standing (in which case the stage should be 3-5 feet higher), or they need to seat everyone. I get the idea of people enjoying the music and dancing, but they need to plan for that.. perhaps have a standing area on both sides.. or even directly in front that they test so as not to block sight lines..
But that wasn’t the only glitch. The system they used to distribute drinks was unthinkable. To get one mixed drink and one beer took over 30 minutes. Incredible. One had to stand in line to purchase one of 5 or 6 different tickets, which the seller took too much time explaining to each patron, then get in one line for spirits, hold that one drink and then get into another different line for beer. The bartenders were very friendly but inexperienced. And the ‘no refund’ policy for tickets after 10:45.. well.. maybe .. but come on.. you want your patrons to have a positive experience.
The management of this year’s headline event will certainly limit their growth. I travelled 3 hours to attend, which I will reconsider for other venues in the future.
It *IS* rocket science, sometimes.