Move on from selling all seats behind stage and just put the damn stage in the center of the arena!

BostonGaarden

A few bands do this now at Arena shows - Mumford and Sons comes to mind.  This just in...technology has progressed the last 30 yrs!  You do not need to place the stage at one end!  General admission ("pit") can be around the stage and it can rotate slowly and/or the band is free to move around 360 degrees.  Great site-lines for all.  Please consider and thank you!

ecdanc

Needs more exclamation points for them to take you seriously. 

Darth Lizard King

Solid idea. I don't know why more bands don't do this.

Jed

they could easily pull this off.

BennyLaRue

I get dizzy

Ledbetterman10

I have to say, Metallica's center stage set-up when I saw them in October 2019 was the best set-up for a concert I was ever at. I was on the floor. The way they have microphones set up all around the stage, the band members never stayed in once place. And you can always get a good view. No need to rotate the stage though when the band members can move all around. Check out how close I was. Closest I've ever been to a "big" act.

guitar101

Does the 360 stage work for bands that dont have a fairly choreographed show ? Ive never seen a show with this stage setup, but it does seem to be bands that play the same set each night that tend to do this sort of thing.

BostonGaarden

Ledbetterman10 said:

I have to say, Metallica's center stage set-up when I saw them in October 2019 was the best set-up for a concert I was ever at. I was on the floor. The way they have microphones set up all around the stage, the band members never stayed in once place. And you can always get a good view. No need to rotate the stage though when the band members can move all around. Check out how close I was. Closest I've ever been to a "big" act.

YES, this! - it also helps alleviate the issue of 'awarding' 10C reserved seats that are pretty far behind the Pit on the floor - those are not very good seats at all - stage in the center allows for a bigger allocation of good reserved seats.  1 more thing..... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

mrk2

PJ stage is set so that the band gets the best possible sound from their monitor speakers, amps and sidefills. They will not move away from this setup

edit: best sound to them so that they hear themselves perfectly. Eddie is surrounded by several monitor speakers. Not gonna start moving around too much.

Ledbetterman10

BostonGaarden said:

Ledbetterman10 said:

I have to say, Metallica's center stage set-up when I saw them in October 2019 was the best set-up for a concert I was ever at. I was on the floor. The way they have microphones set up all around the stage, the band members never stayed in once place. And you can always get a good view. No need to rotate the stage though when the band members can move all around. Check out how close I was. Closest I've ever been to a "big" act.

YES, this! - it also helps alleviate the issue of 'awarding' 10C reserved seats that are pretty far behind the Pit on the floor - those are not very good seats at all - stage in the center allows for a bigger allocation of good reserved seats.  1 more thing..... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Yeah floor seats behind GA suck. The best part about this Metallica set-up was you can get as close as I was in that picture, or you can hang back and find a perfect view where nobody is obstructing your view. And you can go back and forth too. You don't have to get there hours before the show and refuse to take a piss. You could've walked in 20 minutes into the show and found a spot 15 feet from the stage. 

JimmyV

But then we would have to say goodbye to terms like "Mike side" and "Stone side". 

Sidnum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSKn8RlD7Is

mace1229

JimmyV said:

But then we would have to say goodbye to terms like "Mike side" and "Stone side". 

You'd just have to be more descriptive. Mike's junk/Stone's ass would be the same side, depending on how it is rotated. 

AlaG

Mike's pretty open about the fact that he has to occasionally leave the stage due to Crohn's Disease, yeah? Idk how this setup would work for him.

know1

Couldn't disagree with the OP more. 

erocshifty

Ledbetterman10 said:

I have to say, Metallica's center stage set-up when I saw them in October 2019 was the best set-up for a concert I was ever at. I was on the floor. The way they have microphones set up all around the stage, the band members never stayed in once place. And you can always get a good view. No need to rotate the stage though when the band members can move all around. Check out how close I was. Closest I've ever been to a "big" act.

I was about this close in Raleigh. The biggest benefit to the center stage set up is that it allows for more tickets to be sold. 

tempo_n_groove

know1 said:

Couldn't disagree with the OP more. 

try it.  It's actually really good.

BostonGaarden

I'm sure there is some give and take...acoustics may change.  But I think the overwhelming value-add is the overall Site lines are improved for all in the building - it also ups the intimacy factor which this band tends to react very favorably to.   

RoleModelsinBlood31

know1 said:

Couldn't disagree with the OP more. 

Yeah you could.  Imagine you two just sitting on a park bench watching your kids play at their school playground.  You guys are smoking hash and have been passing a 40.  He comes out with “ya know, my favorite kind of ice cream has to be neopolitan. I like having options”. And you’re all like “what?! Gtfo.  That’s trash. Gotta be rocky road, or mint chocolate chip, bitch.” And there you have it, you’ve disagreed more than ever you thought you could.

Lerxst1992

AlaG said:

Mike's pretty open about the fact that he has to occasionally leave the stage due to Crohn's Disease, yeah? Idk how this setup would work for him.

Have a roped off access path so it's more of a horseshoe pit around the stage. Like a crowded beach if lifeguards need to quickly evacuate an injured swimmer?

tdawe

I think the traditional stage setup is fine, but I do have to admit that Arcade Fire's setup for the Everything Now tour, where the stage was set up to looks like a boxing ring in the middle of the arena, was pretty cool. But what made it work is that the band members were constantly switching instruments/places.

mpedone

AlaG said:

Mike's pretty open about the fact that he has to occasionally leave the stage due to Crohn's Disease, yeah? Idk how this setup would work for him.

At Metallica's shows for the Load tour back in '96(?) they came out from under the stage, so there was probably some sort of access tunnel to the backstage area.

Spiritual_Chaos

no. 

do not do that

JP218404

the rail mafia would have a shitfit

drakeheuer14

It was fun for Metallica. Even for Carrie Underwood. 

I'd like to leave that with them though. if Pearl Jam starts using fire or outfit changes, then we can talk. 

Ledbetterman10

mpedone said:

AlaG said:

Mike's pretty open about the fact that he has to occasionally leave the stage due to Crohn's Disease, yeah? Idk how this setup would work for him.

At Metallica's shows for the Load tour back in '96(?) they came out from under the stage, so there was probably some sort of access tunnel to the backstage area.

I think that's how they came out for the Hardwired tour too. I was pretty close and looking to see where they were coming from, and before I knew it, they were already on stage kicking into the opening song. 

Sarava

Hmm, I've seen Metallica and Def Leppard 'in the round'. I thought it was great both times. Seems odd more bands don't do it. I wonder if the setup is a lot more expensive?

mattsavard

For Pearl Jam? Hell no. Glad the band agrees and has never done it. 

EdsonNascimento

Spiritual_Chaos said:

no. 

do not do that

PSUS2H

Ledbetterman10 said:

mpedone said:

AlaG said:

Mike's pretty open about the fact that he has to occasionally leave the stage due to Crohn's Disease, yeah? Idk how this setup would work for him.

At Metallica's shows for the Load tour back in '96(?) they came out from under the stage, so there was probably some sort of access tunnel to the backstage area.

I think that's how they came out for the Hardwired tour too. I was pretty close and looking to see where they were coming from, and before I knew it, they were already on stage kicking into the opening song. 

They come from back stage, down a walkway through the crowd, but there is a space build under the stage where the guitar techs and band can go between songs. The center stage works great for metallica, I dont think its PJ's vibe. 

on2legs

I've seen U2 the last few tours with this setup - twice at MSG and once at Metlife Stadium and its really good from a fan's point of view.  Pretty much anywhere in the lower bowl of the arena is a good seat and the whole floor being GA means that everyone can get close to the stage.