To warn you about the way outdoor concerts are going?

[MontanaMountains]

I love an outdoor concert, or at least I did. I've been going to outdoor concerts for decades and have seen many different bands and artists. It's a lovely tradition of taking a picnic, camping chairs, a blanket incase it gets chilly, maybe a candle in a jar for a bit of atmosphere.

The first I noticed things were changing was a concert at Ragley Hall in 2019. No picnics allowed, no drinks allowed except a small bottle of water per guest. This is all so they can squeeze more money out of you through drink/food sales. At least we could take chairs!

I've just received a concert information email about the Michael Buble concert I'm going to next month. No chairs allowed, no food, no drinks (not even a bottle of water), tiny A4 size bag allowed per person. You may take a rug to sit on but may be asked to remove it when the concert starts. You can buy food and drink from vendors at the venue.

This has taken all the enjoyment out of this event for me. I'd really rather not go. I'm late 50s with a history of back problems and DH is mid 60s, and the thought of standing for hours holds zero appeal. I'd happily return/sell my tickets but it's no refunds and no transfer of tickets. We're stuffed.

I've got another outdoor concert booked in August and I'm guessing the same 'rules' will apply. Sad as it is but I think our outdoor event days are over.

Just warning anyone with a similar history that things have changed, so think carefully before you book.

Looks like all the Buble events had accessible tickets available.

I've been able to take food/water in with me to no food/drinks allowed events for medical reasons on the past without any problems, so reasonable adjustments seem to be fine.

No mention of picnic blankets though!

No it's Warwick Castle. I'm going to try to contact customer support tomorrow as I agree it's an accessibility issue.

I went to an outdoors concert last year, we were allowed a chair, but no food and only a small water bottle. They had advertised we would be able to refill this, but the tap was miles away from the seating area, so it was a right pain to do this and it was really hot. The food and drinks were really expensive and it all felt really money grabbing. I would have been seriously annoyed if I couldn’t even take a chair.

My husband was going to book tickets for Buble at Harewood House, but once we realised the restrictions, we changed our minds. I am 52 with back problems, so cannot stand for more than 10 minutes and so we would have taken chairs, water and various items to make it a comfortable and enjoyable experience. To my mind the organisers are money-grabbing sods!

www.axs.com/uk/events/388238/an-evening-with-michael-buble-rescheduled-tickets/promos/282669?skin=aegpresentsuk
Accessible tickets are sold out - hope they can offer a refund if you can't attend

www.attitudeiseverything.org.uk/ are a great organisation re accessible gigs, well worth checking out.

Sounds very depressing! YANBU.

A family member went to Noel Gallagher at kenwood house and paid £5 per chair for deck chairs it’s all about squeezing money out of you!

We always used to go to the Rochester Castle concerts which are in next week but they banned chairs a few years ago and my various ailments , whilst not entitling me to a wheelchair do stop me from sitting on the floor or standing up for hours on end . Such a shame as it used to be a lovely evening with a picnic . I go to lots of concerts and some I do stand up a lot of the time but I always book a seat just in case and for a break mid gig .

I'm torn. I'm an avid festival goer and a couple of my favourite festivals have become hampered by people who turn up with chairs and blankets and full hampers, sit front and centre for 12hrs, sometimes with a sleeping child sprawled out and moan if you dance near them.

Maybe they need different areas for different attendees.

The best festivals I go to have a no chair policy and provide seating in sensible areas with exceptions for those who have accessibility needs.

The money grabbing thing is really going to back fire if people don’t turn up at all.

I went to Pub in the Park at the weekend. It's very much a food/drink event as much as music so I was not surprised not to allowed to bring in my own refreshments. We were allowed water bottles though and there were filling stations provided.

what did disappoint me was not being able to bring in chairs - as a group of pensioners sitting on the ground is tough and standing up is even tougher. However we followed the rules only to get there and discover that loads of people took in chairs and used them. I was so jealous of them.

Thanks for the information. I hadn't ever considered I am now classed as disabled for the purposes of concert going and now need to book accessible tickets. I'd feel a bit of a fraud booking an accessible ticket.

YABU for going to see Buble in July. Surely he is kept in a cupboard until November 30th.

😆typical isn't it? My DH did comment "let's just take chairs", but knowing our luck we'd be escorted from the grounds!

We used to love the English heritage picnic concerts at places like Audley End. We’d take a gazebo and chairs (gazebos had to be round the edge) and full picnic. You’d see people going the whole hog with tables and candelabras!

Chairs and tables and gazebos never got in the way of dancing. There was always plenty of space.

and brands like green&blacks and gu and innocent would be there handing out freebies (when they weren’t such big names as now). One year I managed to get about 8 mini cheese cakes from gu.

Another year, rather randomly, they we’re giving out free shots of Cointreau in orange plastic shot glasses. I had quite a few of those too!

circumstances mean we haven’t done it for a decade. I’m not sure if they are even still running.

That’s disappointing and poor form if they weren’t upfront about it when you booked. However, on the bright side, it does give you a reason to get out of going to see Michael Buble, so every cloud and all that.

I've been to a handful of concerts outside, admittedly only in the last 5 years but in non of them were we allowed to take anything in, food drink and certainly it chairs. That sounds more like a festival to me - I've never been to them but if you are camping I imagine you would take those things in.

Outdoor concerts are just concerts and so in my experience the rules are the same.

I agree completely with the "no picnic" rules. You're there to listen to music being performed, not the sounds of other people chomping and slurping! Surely people can go without a meal for two hours?
On the chairs point, YANBU.

Is it a blanket ban (pardon the pun)?

Does seem daft as there's concerts where picnics and candles suit. I'm currently sat at homes listening to Guns n Roses playing in the park next to me. Can't imagine there's too many people there wanting an atmospheric picnic so wouldn't have it. (Though a lot of them are my age, so probably would say no to a sit down 😀.)

What a shame OP, sorry to hear your enjoyment had been ruined.

I believe he's allowed 12 days outside of December to perform 😂

I totally agree . I would love to go to a local concert but I can’t stand for long and it’s no chairs . So I did not buy tickets . And most of the fans would be about our age . It’s a shame .

I guarantee you they'll be renting deck chairs/ seating cube things there for some ridiculous price too.

But they sell food - as much food as you can stuff down your gullet, so the chomping and slurping will ensue regardless. Love the user name btw, big Wodehouse fan.

If you google ‘retractable stool’ you’ll find lots of examples of stools that basically become a small bag you can hold.