My wife went to a concert last night with her friends. When I dropped her off at the arena gate, I noticed a sign saying “Flash Lighting Used At This Concert”. My wife does not have photosensitive epilepsy (and I know the sign is posted as a CYA notice for sufferers of that issue) but she does have migraines that can be triggered by light. She attended the concert, but did call me to pick her up before it ended because once the flashing lights started, she had to leave the area to avoid a migraine. She didn’t want or expect a refund (she saw more than half the concert), but I have 2 questions:
Isn’t it a bit late to warn people about this at literally the last moment before entering the gates? Shouldn’t they mention it on the ticket purchasing site, or at least on the ticket itself?
If we had decided on a refund at the gate, would they have complied? What about Ticketmaster fees?
Personally, I would expect most concerts (aside from the folk singer with a guitar type) to have flashing lights, and I have had light-triggered migraines in the past. I’m assuming the sign is there for legal purposes, and myself would not try to get a refund in such a case.
I highly doubt you would have gotten a refund. The warning is there for people that aren’t that familiar with going to rock concerts. Which one’s don’t have flashing lights?
I just attended a concert on Thursday at the same facility (this is Riverbend in Cincinnati) and they didn’t have the type of flashing lights this sign was referring to, which are the lights that are like camera flashbulbs that are aimed at the audience. Normal stage lighting wouldn’t warrant a warning sign, but these do.
Any concert I’ve attended that was anywhere except a bar has flashing lights - I’d have to agree that you would have to be pretty unaware of what goes on at concerts to be surprised by flashing lights at this point.
Completely different types of artists - she went to see blink-182, while I went to see Return To Forever/Zappa Plays Zappa (only marginally a rock show). I know it was to be expected at her show, but this migraine thing is new to her, so she did not consider it might be a problem until it happened.
My question is just what the facility might have done if she balked at the concert after seeing the sign. I agree that the real answer is “sucks to be you”.
I think that’s probably the answer, too. It would be like wanting a refund because it was loud* - yeah, that’s part of the essential nature of a rock concert.
*That said, I wish they’d turn the volume down a little at concerts - I’ve been at concerts that had distortion because the speakers were turned up louder than they could handle. It would have been better if it was quieter.
Why would they include the warning unless they were legally required to do so? I would hope the law would be constructed to where the warning had some type of meaning. What good is a warning after you’ve already purchased the tickets if you can’t get your money refunded? Wouldn’t that be a rather exploitative practice? I mean, you got someone’s money without giving them the required product.