The Background: The first and last major concert I have ever attended was four years ago in Atlantic City. It was a Tears For Fears concert, which was something I had never expected to be able to see, so I was very excited about the opportunity. That being the case, I wanted to see it as soon and as conveniently as possible, venue be damned, I snapped up tickets for the AC show at the Taj.
Big mistake. First of all, the Taj arena looks less like a concert hall and more like the side wing of your local civic center. You know, the one where they stick the county orchestra and the dance competitions. The place was about 3/4 full, but the audience was…lackluster, to say the least; it seemed to consist mainly of bored locals and depressed drunks. Roland and company played well, but it was mostly for naught, and it really brought down the whole experience. I vowed never to make that mistake again.
The Situation: So, now, due to copious planning and wheedling, I have my choice of prime real estate for the upcoming Radiohead tour. I did my homework this time, and I’ve narrowed it down to two choices; I can either attend the Charlotte show at the Verizon Wireless arena, or the Bristow (near Manassas, feeds mostly from D.C. and NoVA residents) show at the Nissan Pavilion. While I’m looking into it, I figured I might as well ask the Dope for its ever-elucidating input. Which brings us to…
The Point: Does anyone have any experiences at either the Verizon Wireless arena in Charlotte, or the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow? I’m looking for size/layout of arena; what size and what demeanor of audience to expect; ease of finding/parking at/getting into the place; that sort of thing. Any advice is appreciated!