Clay Aiken – What Was LiveNation Thinking?

This post is coming from a Ramada Inn somewhere in New York State…….I think it is Newburgh.  It is almost 2 in the morning so this will be very short!!

The Timeless Concert this evening was amazing.  Clay and Ruben and all the musicians did a wonderful job.  There was lots of fun ad libs and everyone seemed to have a great time on stage.  Clay’s speaking voice is almost gone.  (Do you think it would be possible for him to not talk tomorrow before the concert??)  His singing voice is still awesome.

As much fun as the concert was, the venue was a horrible experience.  The concert was moved to the Grand Ballroom on the seventh floor.  AND, because it was a smaller venue,the seating was a complete mess.  We had 1st row, first boxseats.  We were passed from one person to the next as they didn’t know where we should sit.  Finally, someone said we could just go sit in the balcony!!  NO!!  Finally, after a few choice words to the box office, the best they could come up with was putting us in the section reserved for guests of the band.  Not good,but so much better than many people.  People who had 1st row, didn’t have seats,  the charity meet and greet people have very poor seats…….too many problems than you could believe.  Because of the problems, the show started almost a half hour late.

After the program, I was able to talk with Kathy, the manager of the Grand Ballroom.  She was kind in allowing me to ask some questions.

1.  When was the decision made to change the venue?

Kathy:  about 36 hours before the concert.

2.  Who made the decision?

Kathy:  LiveNation…..the facility had no say in the move.

3.  Why did they move it?

Kathy:  LiveNation wanted a full house, so they moved it to the smaller venue.  It saved LiveNation money.

4.  Why were the seats on TicketMaster listed as standing room??

Kathy:  Many of the rock concerts are like that and the promoter, (LN) did not realize what kind of a crowd would come to the concert…….so they really didn’t do their homework.

5.  I suggested that they would have probably sold more tickets had it did not say standing room.  She agreed.

Kathy:  I really want you to know that none of this was the idea of the facility.  We had nothing to do with the decision to move the concert.  They had no time to get the seating done and they are aware that there were a lot of very unhappy people.

I do want to thank Kathy for talking to me after the concert.  She was very tired and frustrated, however she was friendly and took the time to answer my questions.

I need to get some sleep so I will say goodnight for now.  Tomorrow……on to Verona!!  (I have a meet & greet).

LIVENATION!!!!  What were you thinking??

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15 thoughts on “Clay Aiken – What Was LiveNation Thinking?

  1. wow, I feel bad for the people at the Venue. It sounds like it was a terrific concert and Clay, Ruben and the rest kicked it up a notch (or 20). Thanks for getting the word out there, it's really appreciated and… have a great time in Verona!

  2. I was originally going to the NYC concert, now I'm so glad I didn't. From what I'd read earlier,I knew there was confusion about the Hammerstein having different areas for concerts. It sounds like everyone had a blast at the show even if they had crappy seats.

  3. Thanks for the follow-up info, Musicfan. When these trying things happen, it's good to know why. You're doing a fantastic job keeping us informed. Much appreciated.

  4. I'm so glad you took the time to talk to Kathy after the concert and get the straight answers before people started speculating as to what happened. I feel bad for those that had to experience this and hope that the good time they had overshadowed the rest.

  5. Musicfan, thank you for taking the time to get the information out to us, and thank you for all you do for CANN. Very interesting.

  6. The Hammerstein and Live Nation really screwed up. People paid for particular seats and didn't get them. Fortunately Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard gave a great performance.

  7. Too bad about the seating changes for the NYC concert. LiveNation: get your act together for the fans and the artists who still gave a terrific show.

  8. I also had considered going to the NYC concert, but did Foxwoods and Hampton Beach instead. Sounds as if I made the right choice. One of the deciding factors for me was the confusion when the tickets for NYC went on sale-something about standing only. It just didn't make sense to stand for a concert.
    Some good friends had front row seats–have not heard yet where they ended up last night, but it was probably not front row after all. Another friend had front row balcony–wonder where she sat. What a mess!!
    Before becoming a fan of Clay Aiken, I never really thought about all of the "stuff" a star has to put up with. For example, the Hampton Beach stage was tiny and they had to perform the same show that they'd been doing on a larger stage. Then last night–to have a sudden venue change and know that there were many upset people in the audience…..but through it all they just shine. Heard they
    outdid themselves. Not surprised to learn that–they truly are pros!!

  9. Thanks for posting this. My husband and I wanted to go to this concert but could only find SRO tickets and we opted out. Going to Verona instead. I have heard so many great things about the Clay/Ruben concert and the videos posted are fantastic.

  10. Unfortunately, LiveNation did the wrong thing, but The Timeless Tour with Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard was timeless and wonderful. Excellent entertainers, fantastic voices.

  11. What happens with the people that PAID more for the seats that they did not get? I read that there were some fans that are short and paid to have a seat where their view would not be blocked. The seats that they got were where they could not see anything. That is very sad.

  12. I do feel bad for the people who did not get the good seats they originally paid for. But, it sure did sound like the Concert was awesome and everyone was up and dancing and the performances were top notch…which, of course, they always are. I hope though that the next time they go to N.Y. they go to a different venue.

  13. I had the EXACT same experience last night–what a mess!!! Bless Clay and Ruben for being such consummate professionals and delivering such a killer performance despite the circumstances. I'm still thrilled I went (it was a fairly last minute decision, as I was just planning to do the Foxwoods show), but I'll think twice before counting on LiveNation again.

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