The Washingtonian is reporting that a few disgruntled Radiohead fans who were forced to circle the parking lot rather than actually watch the Radiohead show they paid to see (and to park at... parking was included in the ticket price), were offered replacement tickets. In New Jersey. Now, we failed geography and can barely read so we don't actually know where this so-called "New Jersey" is, but it sounds like it's not in Washington D.C. Let's take a look at the map. Nope. Google maps says that the closest NJ Radiohead show (Susquehanna Bank Center Camden, NJ) is a 3 hour drive from the Nissan Pavilion where the first disastrous show took place.
From the Washingtonian:
We heard from a few readers today that, in attempt to placate people who were turned away from Nissan due to the flooding, that Nissan's offering fans free lawn tickets to an August Radiohead concert—in New Jersey. (Calls to Nissan to confirm this were not returned.) Needless to say, those folks weren't thrilled with the offer.
Did they offer this to you? Are you happy?
Radiohead Fans Offered Make-Up Tickets—in New Jersey [Washingtonian]












Comments
it won't matter to a true fan !!
Really - there is such a thing as "reality." Do they expect Nissan Pavillion to turn back time and re-do the show without rain? At some point you have to accept that there are only so many things they can offer.
If they have not offered money back, then shame on them, of course.
In other news, StubHub has plenty of lawn seats available for the Radiohead concert in NJ...
When you live in DC, getting from where you live to anywhere is a 3 hour drive. It was probably a 4 hour drive for these DC residents to get to the Nissan Pavilion in the rain.
i am one of those persons affected. first of all, i have not been offered ANY compensation. i called their number 2 days ago, and emailed, and i was told they would get back to me in a couple days. they have not called me or emailed me again, to offer me the tickets or otherwise.
either way, i dont want them. i dont live in NJ, i live in DC.
"The show was billed as rain or shine" - They are lucky they are getting anything in return. The Nissan center has no obligations to compensate them.
If they were big enough fans to circle the parking lot for 3 hours, they are big enough fans to drive 3 hours to NJ.
Wow you guys really are on the east coast, aren't you?
You see, I live in Texas. I'd drive to Dallas for Radiohead (if I were a fan, which I'm not). Or to Austin, or to Houston, or to San Antonio. It's just a little 3 hour drive.
@ajc308:
Wow ajc308, you're wrong on so many counts.
The show took place rain or shine, and the fans would have been willing to attend the show, rain or shine - IF they'd been allowed into the stadium!
They were not.
And they didn't circle the parking lot by choice for 3 hours, they were stuck in traffic and turned around and around in a giant cluster-fuck.
Before you belittle people, get your facts straight.
Since Radiohead are so OMG in tune with the fans, I wonder if they even want to make a comment about all this.
Well, it's *something*. But, it's a three-hour trip to the concert on a Tuesday. You're not getting home until like 3 or 4.
Yeah, if the stadium is only offering lawn tickets (which in itself is crappy) and not refunds, then they're jerks. What if someone can't afford the time / money to spend at minimum (assuming people are coming from DC) 6 hours on the road? Are they just "out" the money? That's unfair and a really bad solution to a really bad problem.
@wring: Not exactly the greenest thing to have fans make a six-hour drive round trip.
@muddymaesuggins: That is really shameful of them to not at least offer you a refund. It's actually a slap in the face to give you the NJ tickets. I hope you eventually get your money back - that sucks.
This is useless. It's just going to decrease the number of available tickets for people who *want* to see the NJ show, and it won't placate the DC fans who got screwed. They need to issue refunds.
Beggars can't be choosers.
Were you guys expecting them to re-schedule the Radiohead show and have them play again??
@rnkoneil: They could get *something* at www.somethingstore.com for $10. Hopefully their tickets cost more than that!
I can see in my cloudy crystal ball a large amount of chargebacks are going to happen here verry soon...
I have to side with the Nissan Pavillion management here; the show went on, rain or shine, period. Those coming to the show should have been prepared. To top it off, they're giving those that were stuck the honor of coming to NJ (even if its just Camden), which really is a reward anyway you cut it. And as far as not being green, if the hipsters had friends, they could carpool or charter some type of bus.
This should be an above and beyond for the venue management, and this needs to be the last post about radiohead for a long, long, long time, as them and their fans making me not want to go to All Points West this summer.
Anyone who thinks driving 3 hours to a concert is horrific is incredibly spoiled. Most of the country has to do just that, especially out West and in the South.
This concession sounds really fair to me, all things considered. Most shows aren't ever within 3 hours of a previous show.
LOL on the three hours...that *IF* there is no traffic...
For those of you who don't live in the Northeast, there is ALWAYS traffic!!
Yep, gotta side with Nissan on this one. I think they're giving fans the best of a bunch of really bad options, even given the fact that they'd screwed up royal.
I only came to that conclusion after wondering how ticketmaster would have handled this.
@bigdirty: If you understood the issue here, it's not that the fans decided to not go due to the rain, they were turned away from the venue and not allowed in to the show.
If you've ever been to Nissan Pavilion, you'd know that it's a giant mudhole that someone built a stage in front of.
@Michael Belisle: I live in San Antonio and I -always- have to drive at least an hour and a half to see a decent show, sometimes having to drive 5 hours. I agree; 3 hours isn't all that far to me!
(Although I do think they should have just been able to get reimbursed for their tickets if they wanted.)
Sounds like someone needs some good public transportation
@bigdirty: How can you side with them? People WERE prepared. They went and they went early. The venue wouldn't let them in! That's the problem. A refund option is the only acceptable solution. Nissan sold people something and did not hold up their end entirely. Sure the show went on, but they didn't let people in to see it. Plus people paid for parking and the parking was not available.
@bigdirty: I was laughing through your post, because I expected there to be some note about sarcasm and blaming the victim at the end of it. Then I reached the end and realized that you just have no idea what you're talking about.
People, read the previous post on this story! These people drove to the concert, on time, and were turned away and sent through endless detours because of flooded parking lots. What about this indicates that they were "unprepared?" What does that even mean? Should they have brought their own parking space?? They deserve their money back. Period.
3 hours is nothing... So many shows that I want to see are either in Miami (4.5hrs) or Atlanta (6+hours). People in the north east really are spoiled when it comes to tours.
Personally I'd just take my money back though.
@lightaugust: This option is fine as an alternative; I'm sure some people would want to take them up on it. It's not fine as the only option, in lieu of any refund. They should give people the option of taking the NJ tickets or getting a full refund (including all the Ticketmaster and parking fees).
@rainmkr: Hey, living in the Megalopolis has its advantages and disadvantages.
@bigdirty:
Dear Big Dirty,
We look forward to you not attending All Points West this summer!
Sincerely,
Radiohead Fans
@Michael Belisle: @DwightIsMyCopilot:
I live in Texas as well, and I have to drive 3 hours from where I live to get to Austin, 1 hour to get to Houston, 4.5 to Dallas, 3.5 to San Antonio. 3 hours to drive to a show is about par for the course.
And for those saying driving 3 hours in Texas is not the same as driving 3 hours in the northeast because of traffic, you have obviously never driven in Houston (can take 2 hours just to cross the city in slow, not bumper-to-bumper, traffic because the city is so darn huge), or Austin (stop-go traffic at random times because of all the college students), or Dallas (unpredictable traffic because of all the construction that's been going on for the last 5-6 years).
I get that they went and were turned away - but if I knew that the weather forecast called for torrential downpours, and the area around the venue was prone to flooding, I would have been looking at other options of getting to the venue. If it means arriving 8 hours before doors open, chartering a limo, or appealing to the greed of the guy directing traffic to let you in a spot, only to have the car flooded and ruined after show, so be it.
I'm just sick of the Radiohead hipster fans crying as hard as it rained that day that they can't get their way. "Boo hoo, it rained and I wasn't there early enough so I couldn't get in" or "Boo hoo, Ticketmaster started a service to compete with StubHub, and I wasn't ready to get tickets when they went on sale, and now I can't buy them at face value"
The ticket they purchased was a contract, the show went on, read the fine print on the back. Just like if a baseball game has 4 1/2 innings played, the contract part of the ticket is fulfilled. Yeah, it sucks, but deal with it, everyone that's offered tickets to NJ is lucky that they got something, as the Pavilion management fulfilled their end of the contract. The only thing unfortunate is that there's going to be an influx of these hipsters into my state.
@EyeHeartPie: Try the Midwest... at least 2 and a half hours for a decent show and you can't buy tickets for concerts in the winter because there's a 50% chance you won't be able to get on the interstate due to snow.
@bigdirty: the show went on but we were DENIED ENTRANCE TO THE SHOW. BY THEM!
@qwickone: What about an airline analogy?
They're not responsible for weather delays. We'll rebook you if you like; you may have to go to another venue, but we're not refunding your ticket. We're getting screwed by this too, and it's only fair that you share the pain. And no, you can't drive the through the flood to see the show. We already let in everyone the conditions will allow.
I think a refund would be nice and sweet of them and they should offer one, but tickets to the show in Camden is fair.
Were ticket holders denied admission to the show, or just to a parking space? (Or was this some sort of retro drive in style Radiohead concert?) i mean, parking lot's full, so park your car someplace else, and take public transit next time.
@muddymaesuggins:
Reports say they were denied entrance to the _PARKING LOT_, not the venue, two completely different things. If the show was being held in the parking lot, ala Warped Tour, Bamboozle Fest, type events, they could complain, but it was just a place to leave the car, and at least they were sensible enough to stay with the car, rather than leave it and enter the venue.
I love how people are like "three hours is nothing!@#$!" - and you know, maybe it isn't, when taking a longer trip to see a favorite band is your only option, and you come to the decision on your own. However, when you buy tickets for a show in your back yard, and are basically screwed out of what you paid for by the piss poor management at the facility, 3 hours is definitely something. Mmm gas prices. Mmm questionable mass transit. Mmm Tuesday night show, requiring those who work to take that day off, or leave early and maybe take Wednesday off as well.
This is a really crappy offer, IF they aren't offering full refunds too.
@vladthepaler: you people done understand - there is no public transit to this venue. at all. none. zero. zip. no bus, no train, nothing.
@Michael Belisle: The airline analogy would work if they had more shows scheduled in the same location. Even the airlines don't ask me to board a plane three hours away unless they transport me there.
To the people claiming the contract is upheld if the show goes on and ticket holders are allowed access to the show.
Nissan Pavilion charges a parking fee on EACH ticket. Regardless of whether you drive or not, you pay for parking. So to be denied access to the parking lot there is wrong. Plus, it's not like there are alternate parking options.
It's amazing the number of uniformed replies this topic has generated.
@mdkiff: It's simple: pick a day when rain isn't in the forecast and set up a show in the same area on that day.
@muddymaesuggins: Argh, I'm with you. I love all the people who are commenting and clearly have zero idea where the Nissan Pavilion is. If you can't get into the parking lot, you're not getting into the Nissan Pavilion. I don't even know why they consider it a DC venue -- it's in the middle of nowhere surrounded by interstate and farms. There is no place else to park your car.
@muddymaesuggins: Seriously, people have no clue what they're talking about.
Nissan Pavilion is out in the boondocks of a region that doesn't even serve it's core well with public transportation. It's simply not an option. There is also no public parking anywhere nearby. If you can't get in to the on site parking, you pretty much can't get in.
You non-northeasters don't understand. 3 hours on google maps can easily mean 7 hours around here. There is no "public transit" from suburban DC to Camden.
God forbid you have to drive at rush hour at all; you'll never make it anywhere.
Driving from DC to Camden is not exactly the same as driving from city to city in Texas or something.
@swags: Exactly. You've got I-66 and Rt 29, and a little town called Gainesville which is a suburban town with a few strip malls.
There's no bus, no train, and you're not going to get a cab out there - nevermind one back to wherever you'd be coming from. It's 42 miles from the city - so its not like you could park on the outskirts and hoof it.
@celticgina: Like there won't be a 3 hour back-up at the Del. Memorial Bridge