Seating at the Olympia.

parkman6551

Hi, I would like to find out whether front row seats, in the stalls, are any good at an all-seated show, at the Olympia.

I have been offered tickets in row A, the very front row of the stalls, but the seats are the two end seats, 21 and 22. I am wondering if they are decent seats to see a live concert ?

From looking at photo's of the Olympia the seats look to be a bit too far to the side to be comfortable, but maybe some-one who has been there may have some idea.

It looks as if you are always having to look up, to see the stage, and maybe seats in the circle would be a better bet.

Any opinions appreciated.

parkman

jack presley

parkman6551 wrote: »

Hi, I would like to find out whether front row seats, in the stalls, are any good at an all-seated show, at the Olympia.

I have been offered tickets in row A, the very front row of the stalls, but the seats are the two end seats, 21 and 22. I am wondering if they are decent seats to see a live concert ?

From looking at photo's of the Olympia the seats look to be a bit too far to the side to be comfortable, but maybe some-one who has been there may have some idea.

It looks as if you are always having to look up, to see the stage, and maybe seats in the circle would be a better bet.

Any opinions appreciated.

parkman

I can't comment on front row views but from my experience, seats in the stalls at the Olympia are designed for people around 4ft tall. So the fact that you have one ailse seat is good and can stick your legs out the side.

roll

jack presley wrote: »

I can't comment on front row views but from my experience, seats in the stalls at the Olympia are designed for people around 4ft tall. So the fact that you have one ailse seat is good and can stick your legs out the side.

Did they reconfigure the seating in the stalls in the last couple of years? I don't remember the seating there being as cramped as it is now? Disgracefully tight! Remioinds me of the stand in Pairci Chaoimh!!

PTH2009

I think the mods should set up a sticky thread on information,seating layouts, seat orders etc On all popular Irish venues ??

TedR

Hi All

Actually the Olympia has just finished a complete refurb of the ground floor seats. All the old seats have been replaced with new, comfortable ones, with decent leg room. There used to be a central aisle, but that has been removed so the rows are a little longer, but there is more space for people to get comfortable. Side aisles still there of course. So now good for those taller than 4 feet :-)
Only thing to note, about left and right aisle seats at the very front, is that you will be close to the PA speakers, so depending on the sort of show, you might prefer to be a little further back. But most people have no problem.

If you look up the Ticketmaster site for the show you are considering, there will usually be a seating map specific to that event, so you can have a look at the actual locations?

parkman6551

According to the Olympia website the seats and layout in the stalls have all been renewed, or something. It seems that the management may have responded to all the criticism that they got, although it seems to have taken years to happen.

I went to see George Thorogood there, but that was in 2009, so I am not a regular gig goer to the Olympia, obviously.

A couple of recent pictures show that the stalls area does look OK, but I can't say what the gaps between the rows of seats is. When I last went I had seats in row A in the circle, so there was no-one in front of us.

My main concern is whether the two seats that I have been offered [by a friend at work, not a dodgy ticket resale site] are a bit too far to the end of the stage, and that the view might not be particularly good. If there is a large number of players in the band then could there be stage equipment in the way ?

parkman

parkman6551

Thanks TedR, for the detail. I suppose that you have explained my main concern, about speakers and so on, right in front of me.

I may politely decline my colleagues offer, as the last time I went to a concert where I was that close to stage equipment was to see The Who live, in around 1968, and myself and a couple of friends went. It was a small town all standing, civic hall, event, before they became famous, and we were stood about 15 feet from the stage !!

One of my mates got hit on the head with a microphone when Roger Daltree swung the mike out on the cable. We were half deaf for the rest of the next week, but they were a really good band back then.

I'm not sure that I would go to a concert now and stand 15 foot from the stage, especially if it was Motorhead, for example.

So, take the seats or not ? I will have to think about it some more.

parkman

TedR

Regarding the front aisle seats being possibly unsighted due to gear onstage.. its unlikely to be a factor, as the visiting production always tries to work with the house to avoid this. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but even in these cases it is only the section furthest 'upstage' (at the very back) which might be affected. (Or if the bass player decides to stand very very far over to one side ;-)
So in short, you should be fine.

TedR

Wow hit by Daltreys mic?? ...great story! That would be a major lawsuit these days :-)

I guess your decision depends on the act. If they are a full on rock and roll outfit, you might be in the firing line of the PA, so I guess you would have to consider that. Productions do temper their levels to suit each venue, but sound levels are a very subjective thing.. one man's loud is another man's unbearable is another man's not loud enough

mrk75

I always go for circle seats at the Olympia. Row A or as close to it as possible. Pretty much just hanging over the stage with a great view.

parkman6551

Thanks, guys, for the replies. The concert is Caro Emerald, so not a full-on rock and roll, or heavy metal band.

I thought that the seats that I had when I went to see George Thorogood were great, as mrk75 says, because you are looking right down on the stage.

On the other hand, being in the front row of the stalls does mean that one is right in front of the gig, but as I say, I am also thinking that you are always looking up, and you end up with a crick in your neck - or worse !!

TedR, the days when bands did lunatic things on stage, like swinging the mike, or smashing up the equipment, are long gone. The insurance companies, and 'elf and safety' have seen to that. As you say, getting a clomp on the head with a mike, or clattered by a piece of broken guitar, just doesn't bear thinking about these days. It would be straight down to the solicitor and whacking in a claim, no matter how much you liked the band. Pretty awful really.

We thought that it was really funny when my mate got clattered, and we slagged him off, telling him Daltrey probably didn't like the way he was dancing. Bearing in mind we were only 18 at the time.

parkman

TedR

Yep.. rock and roll is run by health and safety, and the accountants, these days ;-)
How and ever, there are still a few acts that push things, thankfully, I see a lot of shows in the course of my work, and there are always great bands coming through, if you keep the eye out

Enjoy the CE show if you do go along

parkman6551

TedR, I am definitely going to see "The Shocking Miss Emerald" [as one of her first albums is called].

I looked for tickets about four weeks ago in the UK, where this 2017 tour is mainly based, and the only tickets that I could find at the time were in Liverpool or Prestatyn, North Wales. Both reasonably accessible from Liverpool airport.

But the ticket prices - £135 each. I still can't understand where that is coming from.

Having said that I looked again this morning and Liverpool tickets are now £52, so perhaps they have released more tickets, or it's an extra date.

parkman

TedR

Gosh, thats pricey alright, not sure why it's so much. I will say that very large ticket prices are usually driven by either very large artist fees or by particularly heavy production costs, or a combination of both. Maybe the £135 ticket includes a meet and greet or something. I wouldnt know to be honest.

TedR

Just a quick one on this... I see tickets on sale, but they are in the 30-40 euro range I think? That plus 100 ticket must have been a VIP package or something

parkman6551

Hi, I am not too sure, because I didn't look very far into it when I saw the price.

Tickets on sale on Ticketmaster website for next year's concert are €30 - €40 each. Two tickets, with costs, were €90. Not too bad.

parkman