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Really - there is such a thing as \"reality.\" Do they expect Nissan Pavillion to turn back time and re-do the show without rain? At some point you have to accept that there are only so many things they can offer.
If they have not offered money back, then shame on them, of course.
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In other news, StubHub has plenty of lawn seats available for the Radiohead concert in NJ...
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-147908-100x100.png\")
When you live in DC, getting from where you live to anywhere is a 3 hour drive. It was probably a 4 hour drive for these DC residents to get to the Nissan Pavilion in the rain.
i am one of those persons affected. first of all, i have not been offered ANY compensation. i called their number 2 days ago, and emailed, and i was told they would get back to me in a couple days. they have not called me or emailed me again, to offer me the tickets or otherwise.
either way, i dont want them. i dont live in NJ, i live in DC.
\"The show was billed as rain or shine\" - They are lucky they are getting anything in return. The Nissan center has no obligations to compensate them.
If they were big enough fans to circle the parking lot for 3 hours, they are big enough fans to drive 3 hours to NJ.
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Wow you guys really are on the east coast, aren't you?
You see, I live in Texas. I'd drive to Dallas for Radiohead (if I were a fan, which I'm not). Or to Austin, or to Houston, or to San Antonio. It's just a little 3 hour drive.
@ajc308:
Wow ajc308, you're wrong on so many counts.
The show took place rain or shine, and the fans would have been willing to attend the show, rain or shine - IF they'd been allowed into the stadium!
They were not.
And they didn't circle the parking lot by choice for 3 hours, they were stuck in traffic and turned around and around in a giant cluster-fuck.
Before you belittle people, get your facts straight.
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Since Radiohead are so OMG in tune with the fans, I wonder if they even want to make a comment about all this.
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Well, it's *something*. But, it's a three-hour trip to the concert on a Tuesday. You're not getting home until like 3 or 4.
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Yeah, if the stadium is only offering lawn tickets (which in itself is crappy) and not refunds, then they're jerks. What if someone can't afford the time / money to spend at minimum (assuming people are coming from DC) 6 hours on the road? Are they just \"out\" the money? That's unfair and a really bad solution to a really bad problem.
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@muddymaesuggins: That is really shameful of them to not at least offer you a refund. It's actually a slap in the face to give you the NJ tickets. I hope you eventually get your money back - that sucks.
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This is useless. It's just going to decrease the number of available tickets for people who *want* to see the NJ show, and it won't placate the DC fans who got screwed. They need to issue refunds.
Beggars can't be choosers.
Were you guys expecting them to re-schedule the Radiohead show and have them play again??
@rnkoneil: They could get *something* at www.somethingstore.com for $10. Hopefully their tickets cost more than that!
I can see in my cloudy crystal ball a large amount of chargebacks are going to happen here verry soon...
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I have to side with the Nissan Pavillion management here; the show went on, rain or shine, period. Those coming to the show should have been prepared. To top it off, they're giving those that were stuck the honor of coming to NJ (even if its just Camden), which really is a reward anyway you cut it. And as far as not being green, if the hipsters had friends, they could carpool or charter some type of bus.
This should be an above and beyond for the venue management, and this needs to be the last post about radiohead for a long, long, long time, as them and their fans making me not want to go to All Points West this summer.
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Anyone who thinks driving 3 hours to a concert is horrific is incredibly spoiled. Most of the country has to do just that, especially out West and in the South.
This concession sounds really fair to me, all things considered. Most shows aren't ever within 3 hours of a previous show.
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LOL on the three hours...that *IF* there is no traffic...
For those of you who don't live in the Northeast, there is ALWAYS traffic!!
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Yep, gotta side with Nissan on this one. I think they're giving fans the best of a bunch of really bad options, even given the fact that they'd screwed up royal.
I only came to that conclusion after wondering how ticketmaster would have handled this.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-376925-100x100.png\")
@bigdirty: If you understood the issue here, it's not that the fans decided to not go due to the rain, they were turned away from the venue and not allowed in to the show.
If you've ever been to Nissan Pavilion, you'd know that it's a giant mudhole that someone built a stage in front of.
@Michael Belisle: I live in San Antonio and I -always- have to drive at least an hour and a half to see a decent show, sometimes having to drive 5 hours. I agree; 3 hours isn't all that far to me!
(Although I do think they should have just been able to get reimbursed for their tickets if they wanted.)
Sounds like someone needs some good public transportation
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-133024-100x100.png\")
@bigdirty: How can you side with them? People WERE prepared. They went and they went early. The venue wouldn't let them in! That's the problem. A refund option is the only acceptable solution. Nissan sold people something and did not hold up their end entirely. Sure the show went on, but they didn't let people in to see it. Plus people paid for parking and the parking was not available.
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@bigdirty: I was laughing through your post, because I expected there to be some note about sarcasm and blaming the victim at the end of it. Then I reached the end and realized that you just have no idea what you're talking about.
People, read the previous post on this story! These people drove to the concert, on time, and were turned away and sent through endless detours because of flooded parking lots. What about this indicates that they were \"unprepared?\" What does that even mean? Should they have brought their own parking space?? They deserve their money back. Period.
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3 hours is nothing... So many shows that I want to see are either in Miami (4.5hrs) or Atlanta (6+hours). People in the north east really are spoiled when it comes to tours.
Personally I'd just take my money back though.
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@lightaugust: This option is fine as an alternative; I'm sure some people would want to take them up on it. It's not fine as the only option, in lieu of any refund. They should give people the option of taking the NJ tickets or getting a full refund (including all the Ticketmaster and parking fees).
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@bigdirty:
Dear Big Dirty,
We look forward to you not attending All Points West this summer!
Sincerely,
Radiohead Fans
@Michael Belisle: @DwightIsMyCopilot:
I live in Texas as well, and I have to drive 3 hours from where I live to get to Austin, 1 hour to get to Houston, 4.5 to Dallas, 3.5 to San Antonio. 3 hours to drive to a show is about par for the course.
And for those saying driving 3 hours in Texas is not the same as driving 3 hours in the northeast because of traffic, you have obviously never driven in Houston (can take 2 hours just to cross the city in slow, not bumper-to-bumper, traffic because the city is so darn huge), or Austin (stop-go traffic at random times because of all the college students), or Dallas (unpredictable traffic because of all the construction that's been going on for the last 5-6 years).
I get that they went and were turned away - but if I knew that the weather forecast called for torrential downpours, and the area around the venue was prone to flooding, I would have been looking at other options of getting to the venue. If it means arriving 8 hours before doors open, chartering a limo, or appealing to the greed of the guy directing traffic to let you in a spot, only to have the car flooded and ruined after show, so be it.
I'm just sick of the Radiohead hipster fans crying as hard as it rained that day that they can't get their way. \"Boo hoo, it rained and I wasn't there early enough so I couldn't get in\" or \"Boo hoo, Ticketmaster started a service to compete with StubHub, and I wasn't ready to get tickets when they went on sale, and now I can't buy them at face value\"
The ticket they purchased was a contract, the show went on, read the fine print on the back. Just like if a baseball game has 4 1/2 innings played, the contract part of the ticket is fulfilled. Yeah, it sucks, but deal with it, everyone that's offered tickets to NJ is lucky that they got something, as the Pavilion management fulfilled their end of the contract. The only thing unfortunate is that there's going to be an influx of these hipsters into my state.
@EyeHeartPie: Try the Midwest... at least 2 and a half hours for a decent show and you can't buy tickets for concerts in the winter because there's a 50% chance you won't be able to get on the interstate due to snow.
@qwickone: What about an airline analogy?
They're not responsible for weather delays. We'll rebook you if you like; you may have to go to another venue, but we're not refunding your ticket. We're getting screwed by this too, and it's only fair that you share the pain. And no, you can't drive the through the flood to see the show. We already let in everyone the conditions will allow.
I think a refund would be nice and sweet of them and they should offer one, but tickets to the show in Camden is fair.
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Were ticket holders denied admission to the show, or just to a parking space? (Or was this some sort of retro drive in style Radiohead concert?) i mean, parking lot's full, so park your car someplace else, and take public transit next time.
@muddymaesuggins:
Reports say they were denied entrance to the _PARKING LOT_, not the venue, two completely different things. If the show was being held in the parking lot, ala Warped Tour, Bamboozle Fest, type events, they could complain, but it was just a place to leave the car, and at least they were sensible enough to stay with the car, rather than leave it and enter the venue.
I love how people are like \"three hours is nothing!@#$!\" - and you know, maybe it isn't, when taking a longer trip to see a favorite band is your only option, and you come to the decision on your own. However, when you buy tickets for a show in your back yard, and are basically screwed out of what you paid for by the piss poor management at the facility, 3 hours is definitely something. Mmm gas prices. Mmm questionable mass transit. Mmm Tuesday night show, requiring those who work to take that day off, or leave early and maybe take Wednesday off as well.
This is a really crappy offer, IF they aren't offering full refunds too.
@vladthepaler: you people done understand - there is no public transit to this venue. at all. none. zero. zip. no bus, no train, nothing.
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@Michael Belisle: The airline analogy would work if they had more shows scheduled in the same location. Even the airlines don't ask me to board a plane three hours away unless they transport me there.
To the people claiming the contract is upheld if the show goes on and ticket holders are allowed access to the show.
Nissan Pavilion charges a parking fee on EACH ticket. Regardless of whether you drive or not, you pay for parking. So to be denied access to the parking lot there is wrong. Plus, it's not like there are alternate parking options.
It's amazing the number of uniformed replies this topic has generated.
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@mdkiff: It's simple: pick a day when rain isn't in the forecast and set up a show in the same area on that day.
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@muddymaesuggins: Argh, I'm with you. I love all the people who are commenting and clearly have zero idea where the Nissan Pavilion is. If you can't get into the parking lot, you're not getting into the Nissan Pavilion. I don't even know why they consider it a DC venue -- it's in the middle of nowhere surrounded by interstate and farms. There is no place else to park your car.
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@muddymaesuggins: Seriously, people have no clue what they're talking about.
Nissan Pavilion is out in the boondocks of a region that doesn't even serve it's core well with public transportation. It's simply not an option. There is also no public parking anywhere nearby. If you can't get in to the on site parking, you pretty much can't get in.
You non-northeasters don't understand. 3 hours on google maps can easily mean 7 hours around here. There is no \"public transit\" from suburban DC to Camden.
God forbid you have to drive at rush hour at all; you'll never make it anywhere.
Driving from DC to Camden is not exactly the same as driving from city to city in Texas or something.
@swags: Exactly. You've got I-66 and Rt 29, and a little town called Gainesville which is a suburban town with a few strip malls.
There's no bus, no train, and you're not going to get a cab out there - nevermind one back to wherever you'd be coming from. It's 42 miles from the city - so its not like you could park on the outskirts and hoof it.
Nissan Pavilion is about 42 miles from DC. No bus, no train, no walking. If you can't park, you can NOT get in. Period.
Being denied parking at Nissan Pavilion is being denied entry.
there's a huge shopping center close to nissan. not sure why people didn't park there when circling for 3 hours...
@arsenal4: because they blocked off the road to get there. also, it would have been treacherous to walk the 2 miles there as a result of all the traffic backed up for miles. also, your car would get towed. awesome. oh yeah, also, not everyone is from manassas, virginia, and so they dont know how to get to the shopping center, which is not at ALL within sightlines on your way to the pavillion.
@tcp100:
DC to Camden is about a 5 hour drive if you hit rush-hour traffic head-on, which is foolish to do in the first place. I'm from Central Jersey and went to school in Charlottesville, VA, necessitating a drive up/down I-95 whenever I headed home. Although the traffic can be horrible, my worst time out of the many, many drives down/up was about 8 hours from central VA to central NJ (average was usually about 5 hours). However, that can be cut down considerably by just a little planning and foresight.
I would agree with a <3 hour estimate, as long as your schedule is somewhat flexible (i.e., you don't have to stay at your job until 5 PM). If you're from the east coast and are going to a concert then you have to plan your route. Otherwise it'll be a mess.
Admittedly, I've never been to the Nissan Pavilion, but from the comments on this thread I think I'll avoid it in the future, if possible.
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@Ash78: \"Anyone who thinks driving 3 hours to a concert is horrific is incredibly spoiled. Most of the country has to do just that, especially out West and in the South.\"
Word. My wife and I are driving eight hours one-way on Friday to the Elvis Costello and the Police this weekend. The show's at an outdoor amphitheatre and it has been billed as 'rain or shine.'
I won't be too terribly disappointed if there's a downpour, as I've already seen the Police twice on this tour. But I would like to see Elvis Costello, especially if he joins the Police onstage for one of the encores.
This kind of happened to us...I paid for 20$ VIP parking @ Verizon Amp. in Charlotte. They had barely any signs telling you where to go so we just pulled in the closest parking lot since there really wasn't a choice, the traffic was directed that way. Upon going in, the guy said it was on the other side of the amphitheater, but the gates to leave the lot were LOCKED CLOSED. Meaning you couldn't go out. Isn't that some sort of a fire hazard? We didn't care, went in anyway. The downside is, when we left, it took 1.5 hours to leave the lot even though the exit was like 15 cars away. ONE exit for hundreds of cars. Nice. We almost went to the DC show, I'm glad we didn't. It sprinkled for about 5 minutes.
@muddymaesuggins: neither am i.
i'd assume when people were circling the venue that they would be doing this by car, rather by foot. in order to complete that circle, the shopping centers IS within sightlines.
and i'd imagine the entire fleet of tow trucks in the \"boondocks\" couldn't clear out a parking lot of concert goers.
Wow, my comment around noon really was eaten.
@bigdirty: So what you're saying is these people should have left their cars sitting on the road and gone into the concert, but it's good that noone was stupid enough to do this, but since they didn't they have no right to complain??
@arsenal4: and i'd imagine the entire fleet of tow trucks in the \"boondocks\" couldn't clear out a parking lot of concert goers.
Not that they wouldn't try. ;-)
I can confirm that this is the case - I received an email from them about this not but an hour ago. Can't decide whether to sell the tickets or attempt to attend, since I will be up in NYC on the preceding weekend for APW, aka Radiohead et al, and might extend my visit and go home by way of Philly. Hmmm....
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Free tickets to Radiohead! How can you go wrong?
It's only going to cost you an additional, um... carry the 1... $120 in gas and parking fees that you weren't counting on. Not to mention you'll be missing work the next day since you won't be getting home until 4 am.
Didn't Radiohead book places on this tour that were supposed to be easily accessible by public transit? So much for that.
@wiretapstudios: and that is Charlotte for you. That amphitheater is a clusterfuck always and forever.
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If you want your money back, sell the tickets to the NJ show. I'm sure plenty of NJ people would like to see Radiohead too. Then you'll have your cash back (plus a little more, if you're lucky) and while it sucks ass you didn't get to see them, at least you're not out a lot of cash.
If you want to see them and can take the time off from work, come to the Camden venue. I used to be able to get from Philly to Baltimore in under two hours and from Baltimore to DC in 30 minutes on a good day. Also, there's plenty of mass transit to get you here. Come up to Philly, get a hotel room, take Patco/NJ Transit/Ferry to the concert. Have a blast. Go back to your hotel, enjoy a leisurely drive home the next day.
Hell, if I had a bigger place, I'd host you all in an after party!
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I just got the offer for the Jersey show. I responded saying I was interested...if they'd pay for my transportation and accommodations. Otherwise, I'd prefer a refund.
With some many DC fans being offered NJ tickets, you'd be hard pressed to sell your ticket for face.
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Man, I live in NJ and there's no band on earth that I'd go into Camden to see.
The bigger story here is that there's a town called Cockey'sVille. I wonder how many cockey people live there.
@Eldritch: Oh, come on, haven't you heard? \"Camden! Now with fewer rapes! (TM)\"
@special4k4: I grew up in NJ, live in Northern VA now. Nissan Pavilion isn't DC, and I'm imagining a lot of these people live south / west of DC. Sure, you can get to Camden in 5 hours in traffic - but if ou have to get THROUGH DC as well, I'd add a bit to that.
As far as locations go for safety, Nissan Pavilion totally beats Camden. Oh, and you want to add about $12-15 in tolls to the transportation costs, too.
@vladthepaler: To clarify a few myths about this concert that people saying folks are whining seem to believe: There is NO pubic transportation to Nissan Pavillion. There is NO parking nearby--it is adjacent to a Civil War battlefield park. People were denied admission to the venue, in part we think because the parking lots that Nissan never has bothered to even PAVE were flooded. The police, who were being paid overtime by Nissan, misdirected the 50% of attendees who approached the venue from the south, where the access road was flooded.
Nissan needs to offer people refunds or equivalent seats at another concert.
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I both called and e-mailed. They have not responded. I would take tickets to the NJ show only because I traveled from Philadelphia in the first place. I believe a refund is a better solution.
I just got a phone call from a very pleasant woman from the Nissan Pavilion. She asked if I had e-mailed, I said yes. She asked if I had made it into the show, I said yes, although the show was wrapping up and I had traveled from Philadelphia. She said I would be receiving a reply e-mail about some form of compensation. I thanked her and that was it. Hope to see an e-mail soon.
@ajc308: No obligation? They screwed up royally. What the hell is wrong with you. How can you say that they can do nothing. It's that type of attitude which is causing the notion of customer service and responsibility to fall apart. The hell with you. It was Nissan Pavillion's bad and they have to own up to it.
If you say rain or shine, it means you take responsibility if there is no show, whether it is TOO SUNNY or TOO RAINY.
Can Nissan Pavillion go after the local municipality for poor upkeep of the road? I don't know the area that well. But if Nissan's property was flooded, then they are definitely liable. They can whine, but then don't say an event will go RAIN or shine.
But, they did PROMISE a show rain or shine. If it was then TOO RAINY and that forced paying customers to wait outside and not see a show that they PAYED for....then Nissan Pavilion must give a %00% refund plus at least 25-30% for the headache. If they give tickets in NJ, they must re-imburse travel costs or provide FREE travel.
And where is Radiohead on this issue?
Something a lot of these posts seem to be overlooking is the venue's complete disregard for the safety of the fans. We have no problem driving 3 hours to see a concert, if the concert is three hours away. When it took us five hours to reach Nissan from Richmond, usually a two hour drive, we were upset, to say the least. Eight of us carpooled in two cars (that's a $24 parking fee for each car, according to our tickets) and were parked in one of the last two remaining rows of the parking lot. This leads me to believe that people were turned away because the parking lots were full. On our way we encountered roads that were closed because of flooding, roads still open with water inches deep running across from ditch to ditch and a persistent torrential downpour. We were lucky enough to make it inside the venue, at 9:45, after the band had been on for an hour, but stayed only 30 minutes out of frustration with the horrible conditions (anybody else step over orange extension cords running through puddles several inches deep?) and just plain fear that weather and road conditions would worsen and we may find ourselves sleeping in the parking lot. Rain or shine has limitations. People should not be expected to put themselves in danger while both traveling to the venue and inside the venue itself in order to attend an event. It should have been cancelled and people should receive refunds. Period.
I was offered a refund after I asked for tickets to a Buffett show. Here's the e-mail:
Thank you for your response.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate your request for tickets to the Jimmy Buffett as an exchange for your Radiohead tickets from the show at Nissan Pavilion on May 11. Instead we would like to offer you a refund of the face value of your Radiohead tickets. In order to obtain your refund, we will need to have your unused, unscanned tickets back in our possession. Please mail them to the address below. All refunds will be issued as checks and may take up to six weeks to process, so we ask for your patience in advance. Please remember that we must get your old tickets back ? a confirmation of your order will not suffice. Please be sure to also include your return address so we know exactly where to send your refund.
If your tickets were held at will call and you did not pick them up, let us know and we can find them for you and make the exchange on your behalf.
If you could take a second to reply and let us know how many tickets you?ll be sending back, we'd appreciate it.
The address to send your tickets to is:
7800 Cellar Door Drive
Bristow, VA 20136
ATTN: Radiohead Refund
Thank you again for your patronage of Live Nation and we sincerely hope this helps to make up for the experience you had on May 11.
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it won't matter to a true fan !!