Crowd unrest at the o2 !

[Andy Stace]

Attended the 3 o2 gigs and as already reported they were awesome. However we were seated in the flat floor area on all 3 nights and the standing up by the fans mainly in the front centre block caused some problems. There were regular shouts of sit down and cheers when they did, but it happens during most of the up tempo numbers throughout the show. Last night I witnessed a heated exchange and a lady hit the guy standing in front of him, this led to further harsh words and it was close to turning nasty. We found that you have to go with the flow and stand which is fine personally but I think there are going to be a lot of people disappointed and angry during this tour. So if anyone is seated in these areas for the shows, be prepared!
The Shads are on top form though!

[Arpeggio]

I couldn't agree more re: standing. After all - it's not a 'standing' venue (viz: there are seats for one thing!!!). It's not a R'n'R venue for dancing either (none of these venues will be). OK - fine to give Cliff / Shads a standing ovation at the start - they've earned it for their 50 year career & into the first number. And a standing ovation at the end - then the last couple of numbers when virtually everyone did stand up anyway. Fair enough - but then to have people in front of you continually standing up and blocking your view throughout the entire concert simply isn't on - not when people have paid a lot of money to SEE Cliff / Shads onstage. Some fans are just incredibly selfish. I don't think that it's on to be expected to 'go with the flow' and stand up for two and a half hours - not when you've paid a lot of money (in some cases anyway) for good seats. it wasn't an issue for me personally on nights two and three as I was virtually up in the roof. But.....on night one I had chosen (because I was taking my wife) to pay a premium in order to get a reasonably close view. Not wishing to be sexist or 'Cliffist' - but female Cliff fans were the worst offenders. Irrespective of gender & whether you want to have a good time or not it's just selfish and totally inconsiderate to block the view of those behind you. There were quite a few elderly and frail fans sitting near me who genuinely couldn't stand up for long even if they'd wanted to. Also - even if people stood up - what's the point if several people in front of you are much taller etc., etc. I do feel quite strongly about this and I certainly remonstrated with people blocking the view of both my wife and myself. So yes, wherever you are going to see the show - be wary of about the first 15 or so rows in particular. You won't be surprised to hear that no - one stood up and blocked anyone's view during the Shadows sets - not even when they were really cutting loose. But....it is a GREAT show from both Cliff and the Shadows. Everyone is on top form. Superb!!

Rob

[bassgod]

I'll just watch the DVD (sitting!!!)

[Pat Seaman]

This hits the nail on the head for me.
It's the very reason for choosing not to go to see the tour and wait for the DVD.
Pat.

[Player]

I'm afraid my wife and I were affected by the same block of selfish people standing up almost every up tempo number. We were in row 12 and so very close. At 6' 4" if I stood up I'd wreck the view of many people behind, so was in a no-win situation. What did it in for me was seeing some very elderly people directly behind the offenders getting more and more distraught and upset. I spoke with the manager in the interval who said they couldn't 'make' people sit down and was unwilling to 'advise' them to do so in consideration of others, citing the Terms & Conditions on the rear of the ticket. I've seen bacteria bigger than this print, but Item 17 says seat users may stand. He added (and I've no idea of the truth in it) that that particular 'block' were Cliff & Shad Fan Club Members who attended every performance as if that automatically granted the right. Blood was rising rapidly, so time to go. We never went back in, and walked back to the Jubilee line with others who had left for exactly the same reason. Cliff and Shads were right on the money though. Player

[dogbender]

If you are seated in the area where the seats are the level area, you are always going to get your view blocked by people standing up or dancing.
For this reason, we always go for tiered seats even if you are a long way back from the stage, it's the atmophere as well as the concert that we go for. We have seen Meatloaf, The Osmonds, Donny Osmond on his own, and Lional Ritchie and nobody sits down especially with the last two. I can remember seeing The Shads at Fairfild Halls in Croydon when they reformed for the Eurovision and did several concerts. They received a FIVE minute standing ovation before they had played a note and people remained standing during the faster numbers. Standing is nothing new, even for the Shads.
Pete.

[John Brown]

I am suprised anybody could remain seated during 95% of the numbers. The atmosphere was electric. We had fabulous seats right against the right hand corner of the stage just 3 rows up the first tier . I would have thought nowadays you wouldn't go to such a concert if you wanted to sit down all the while especially if your in the flat area of the concert venue

[chronikman-ch]

[quote = "Pat Seaman"] Das trifft den Nagel auf den Kopf für mich.
Es ist der Grund für die Wahl nicht zu gehen, um die Tour zu sehen und warten auf die DVD.
Pat. [/ Quote]
It turns out that my decision is right not to attend the concert. I did not want to spend the cost of a show and traveling from Switzerland to see the backs of selfish fans. I'm waiting for the output of the DVD.

[BrianD]

Whilst I would love to have attended one of the concerts I was not prepared to go to O2 after previous experiences there back in January. I wil llook forward to the DVD when it comes out.

On the topic of selfish people standing I had a similar experience at the Jools Holland Show at the Brighton Centre several years ago. I have a wheelchair bound son and we booked tickest to see Jools in concert at Brighton. The disabled seats were in the front row of a side block facing inwards, not at the stage so we were located a third of the way back at floor level to the left side of the stage. I should also point out that the centre block were all removable seats so the organisers could equally well have placed wheelchairs in the very front row of the centre block. However, the real problem started after the warm-up act and when Jools and his band came on. A considerable number of people who had bought the cheap tickets at the very back got up and walked, in many cases, ran, to the front and side of the centre block of seats and all stood in front of the playing area. This meant that those in the centre block who had paid good money for the better seats then had to stand so those in the disabled seating couldn't see a thing. I was furious and telephoned the management when I got home after the show and complained. The management just told me that Jools liked to see the audience dancing and therefore they weren't going to stop those at the back coming down to the front. Needless to say I have never been back and never been to another Jules Holland concert.

Having said that, I have enjoyed the clips of the O2 concerts I have seen already on YouTube and look forward to the professional DVD. It looks a great show.

Brian

[John Brown]

I can't understand anybody who goes to see a concert of one of the greatest rock and roll groups in of this and the last century and complain that people are stood up dancing . The audiance are not being sellfish its called enjoying yourself . Its a good job thousands of us are attending the concerts or there wouldn't be a DVD