Baseball Stadium Shows. Good or bad?

"Its better than nothing"...  but it doesn't really feel like a concert to me though.  At least one that I particularly enjoy.  I went to the 2018 Wrigley shows, and I am glad I did it 1 time for the experience, but I have no desire to do it again.  First night, my seats (which were very expensive) seemed to be a half mile away at a poor angle and I couldn't really see anything other than the screens and the sound was OK at best.  The venue itself wasnt built for that many people, so everything was hot and crowded, not to mention the merch mania fiascos these ballpark weekends have become. 

Second night we had GA.  It kind of sucked obsessing about the dire weather reports all week and that day, as well as f5ing things for any announcement.  I guess you can get this at an amphitheater, but they are semi enclosed and I am sure the baseball organization is more restrictive.  Then, we got a decent spot where we could see (right behind the disability seating zone).  Then had to get flushed out into a hallway for a long time, while people were climbing over each other to get toward the front of the pack.  The running of the bulls out of the tunnel was a blast, but we did manage to get close to where we were previously.  There were a few really sketchy scenes in the GA section during the show as it seemed to have more of a wild west vibe.  Saw a fight, saw someone passed out from dehydration or something, saw someone pin a random girl uncomfortably against the nearby disability section railing...  there was a distracting selfie fest for 3 hours right in front of us IN the disability section by people who did not have a disability, followed by them asking us to take photos of them.  
it was a bit uncomfortable.... and even in GA, we still werent as close or in the 'orb' as we are in an arena or even amphitheater show.  Everything is vast and not built for a concert designed to be more than a novelty.

Indifference71 said:

show previous quotes

pearljammr78 said:

But will you go to a baseball stadium show?

I've been to all 5 Wrigley shows.  Any time I can see PJ and sleep in my own bed I will most likely be there.  I hope they're done with Wrigley for a bit but who knows.  But I definitely won't be traveling to see a baseball stadium show...not worth is to stand there and stare at a screen for 3 hours.

Yeah, give me a good ole fashioned east coast tour.  I love those.  I can drive anywhere but Florida.  There's always plenty of great seats to be had too.  It's fantastic.  

Huge venues are the worst.  Clubs and small to medium sized theaters are the best by far. 

Every baseball stadium show I've been to (three by PJ at Fenway, one Metallica in Philly, one Roger Waters in Philly) was great. I like being outdoors for concerts so baseball stadiums, pavilions like Camden, NJ, and (some) festivals are okay with me. 

I understand the need for PJ to play stadiums but their stadium shows make a bad situation worse. 

- they do not invest in a stage show so for the majority of fans there is nothing to watch, except

- their tiny screens, which were almost as small as they were at Fenway. 

- their ticket policy of not disclosing seat location or obstructed view information at time of purchase are made worse by playing enormous stadiums built a hundred years ago leading to more obstructed views.


IMO the answer is to mix in a couple of stadium shows with an arena tour like they did in 2016. But price the arena shows as premium events so fans that want to spend more $ to sit closer have a chance to do so. Pricing arena shows as premium events will bring the gross revenue closer to a baseball stadium show.

And if it must be stadiums only invest in larger screens and some sort of visual show. Blasting lights at the fans is not the right way to light up a show.

(And for the love of ... let fans know at time of purchase whether they have a stage view or not)

mrussel1 said:

show previous quotes

Lerxst1992 said:

I understand the need for PJ to play stadiums but their stadium shows make a bad situation worse. 

- they do not invest in a stage show so for the majority of fans there is nothing to watch, except

- their tiny screens, which were almost as small as they were at Fenway. 

- their ticket policy of not disclosing seat location or obstructed view information at time of purchase are made worse by playing enormous stadiums built a hundred years ago leading to more obstructed views.


IMO the answer is to mix in a couple of stadium shows with an arena tour like they did in 2016. But price the arena shows as premium events so fans that want to spend more $ to sit closer have a chance to do so. Pricing arena shows as premium events will bring the gross revenue closer to a baseball stadium show.

And if it must be stadiums only invest in larger screens and some sort of visual show. Blasting lights at the fans is not the right way to light up a show.

This is a really good point (highlighted).  Most bands that do stadiums have a pretty good setup, usually with huge light shows, large screens behind and on the side, etc.  I remember GnR had a pretty wicked setup including fireworks at the end of the show down in Miami.  While there are the larger screens for PJ on the side, they have also inexplicably decided to show the first half of shows in B&W.  So now you're if you're not upfront, you are naturally watching the screen and it's not even in damn color!  I do not get why they decided to do B&W now.  It's stupid and makes for a poorer fan experience.  

I was about 35 rows behind the Fenway dugout and could not see much detail on the screens if any at all

Part of that was due to the black white video and partly also due to the lights they shine outward most of the show. I think big color screens near 2nd base would help. If that can be done without blocking any views.

Please please please consult with Howard Ungerleider. Not much stadium experience but he is one of the best at arena concert lighting.

mrussel1 said:

show previous quotes

Lerxst1992 said:

mrussel1 said:

Lerxst1992 said:

I understand the need for PJ to play stadiums but their stadium shows make a bad situation worse. 

- they do not invest in a stage show so for the majority of fans there is nothing to watch, except

- their tiny screens, which were almost as small as they were at Fenway. 

- their ticket policy of not disclosing seat location or obstructed view information at time of purchase are made worse by playing enormous stadiums built a hundred years ago leading to more obstructed views.


IMO the answer is to mix in a couple of stadium shows with an arena tour like they did in 2016. But price the arena shows as premium events so fans that want to spend more $ to sit closer have a chance to do so. Pricing arena shows as premium events will bring the gross revenue closer to a baseball stadium show.

And if it must be stadiums only invest in larger screens and some sort of visual show. Blasting lights at the fans is not the right way to light up a show.

This is a really good point (highlighted).  Most bands that do stadiums have a pretty good setup, usually with huge light shows, large screens behind and on the side, etc.  I remember GnR had a pretty wicked setup including fireworks at the end of the show down in Miami.  While there are the larger screens for PJ on the side, they have also inexplicably decided to show the first half of shows in B&W.  So now you're if you're not upfront, you are naturally watching the screen and it's not even in damn color!  I do not get why they decided to do B&W now.  It's stupid and makes for a poorer fan experience.  

I was about 35 rows behind the Fenway dugout and could not see much detail on the screens if any at all

Part of that was due to the black white video and partly also due to the lights they shine outward most of the show. I think big color screens near 2nd base would help. If that can be done without blocking any views.

Please please please consult with Howard Ungerleider. Not much stadium experience but he is one of the best at arena concert lighting.

At Fenway, I was in the second row of the second section on the floor, and still spent much of the time looking at the screen.  Even those "good seats" were worse than anything I've ever had in an arena.  I was fortunate enough to be in the pit Sea 1, 2 and Missoula, but I can still complain about those massive pits.  They're really hard if you're in deep.  Way different than the little pits in the arenas.  

I usually don't like to sit past row 20 on the floor and I'm 6'2.   The plane (angle of your view with the stage) declines as you get further back.  It means everything blocks your view.  People waiving their arms, people close to height as you etc.....  That creates a problem at stadium shows.    There's so many rows on the floor, that statistically speaking, the majority of them aren't very good.  At least at an arena if there's 45 rows on the floor, it's 50/50 whether the floor seats are any good

Usually after row 20, I'd rather being in the wings closer to the stage.   That makes it interesting in a baseball configuration, because they play in the outfield, and the wings are also really far away.

Basically the key to baseball stadium shows is to get GA tickets, show up at 4pm, and park yourself around 15th row on the floor