Saw Coldplay there in 2001, that was the last time I saw seats in the venue. That was a great show. Sure, the renovations may have made the place a little more shiney, and maybe even improved the sound quality, but what good is that, if 50% of the people in the crowd can hardly see the stage. The problem is, when all the seats were taken out, all that remained were four or five tiers, that rise a foot or so with each tier, BUT they are all FLAT. This means the further back you are, the more level you are with the stage, meaning, if you aren't in the front two rows of each tier, or you're not at least 6'6"" - YOU AIN'T SEEING ANYTHING! I was just there to see Keane last Friday and someone at the venue had the brilliant idea of putting chairs back in there. They were lined up nicely and the height of the charis increased as they reached the rear of each section. Sounds good, in theory. However, what happens when the music starts? Duuuh, everyone stands up, of course. Now we're back where we started, but with chairs in the way too. As the show went on all the seats in the back rows were empty, as the people snuck up to the front of the venue. Replacing the fixed seats on an incline, like it was in the good old days, would be nice, but obviously that won't happen (too expensive). Now I'm no engineer, but to me, a simple fix would be to just get some wood and make each tier incline a bit. Obviously, nothing unsafe, just enough of an angle to make the people in the back of the section taller than the people in the front. BRILLIANT! C'mon Wiltern, you're a great venue, with so much history. You consistently get the best bands to play. Now, all your customers ask of you, is a little common sense!?!?! The people have to be able to see the stage.
Pros: Consistently, some of the best acts in town
Cons: ... if only you could see the stage
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