Nissan Pavilion - thoughts?

[Seth Hurwitz]

thoughts on Nissan?
 
 I would get sued

[ChampionshipVinyl]

Originally posted by Mike Rohsopht:
  i have NEVER EVER sat in traffic for more than 30 minutes either coming to or leaving Merriweather.  
 
 ever.

Ditto.
 Park at the mall. Walk 5 or 10 minutes to get back to your car after the concert and then I'm on 29 back to Baltimore in another 5 mintes.
 
 It would take the act of some imaginary godlike figure, with me living in Baltimore, to get me to go to Nissan. It's just not worth the hassle

[kurosawa-b/w]

I agree with everyone. Avoid Nissan completely. All it takes is one horrible experience and then you'll hate it as much as the rest of us.

[you be betty]

Originally posted by Lamb007:
  If you really love the band, the quality of venue shouldn't deter you. But if you are on the fence, this is a really lousy place to see a show. If you go, take the afternoon off and leave an hour earlier than you were planning.

The only problem with that is when you go to see your favorite band, leave about four hours before the show starts (from Bethesda...i.e. 10 minutes from DC), and it takes you nearly SIX to get to the venue and you miss all but two songs by your favorite band.
 It's only been that bad once, but it's always still pretty bad.  It should take less than an hour to get there and instead, it always takes 2-3-6.  and then there's getting out of the shows.  it's just...it's a real pain, and it's getting really old for us to have to drive down there and it keeps getting worse each time.
 
 again, if it's one of your favorite bands...do it.  but take the day off.

[you be betty]

PS Next time we decided we're going to segway.  It will actually be way faster.  And I'm not kidding...

[Mobius]

Let's see.  7 years ago I saw Dylan and Paul Simon at Nissan.  Great show and stayed until the bitter end.  Afterwards, it took 3 hours to leave the parking lot as EVERY parked car (7,000?) funneled there way to what appeared to be ONE exit.  It was the most enfuriating, painful, sh*tty way to end the night.  
 
 I had tickets to see DMB there two weeks later.  The place was packed, bursting at the seams.  From the moment the concert started, we tried to guess when it would end so we could get the f*ck out of there.  After about 2 hours we literally started running for the car.  we booked out of there and were on the highway within 20 minutes.  FREEDOM!  Of course, we missed the last 7 songs of the show.  
 
 Add the fact that the place is a soulless corporate void that has no redeeming qualities and its hard to like Nissan.
 
 If the show isn't crowded, that's helpful.  But, if you go to packed show there I'd research online what setlists the band is playing and be prepared to leave pre-encore.  It takes the fun out of the show but you've got to be in self-preservation mode and plan every move.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Segway, huh?  You really do live in Bethesda...

[BLACKSTORM]

Nice venue, but the traveling time is absurd.
 
   

[anarchist]

ever seen nisson's parking lot when it rains?  how about when it rains during a show and then you go out into the parking lot?  clear channel is dropping alot of their prices as show dates near and they have lots of seats left.

[thatguy]

Originally posted by Bombay Chutney:
  Alpine Valley is nice.  Deer Creek too, from what I recall.  Jones Beach is interesting, if nothing else.  But yeah - most of them are pretty much the same.  We're lucky to have MPP and Wolf Trap in our area.

i forgot about alpine valley.  for the audience, that place did seem nice.  backstage was weird.  it's built on a big ass hill.  the stage and all of the decks and such are level, but everything else is on a ridiculous slope.  makes it a pain to get around. hell, it was a pain to just stand still that day.  ever try to stand on a steep incline for any extended time?  my calves were killing me.  that, and you have to park your bus way down at the bottom of the hill and take a shuttle van back and forth.
 
 jones beach has a great view behind the stage, but otherwise i wasn't impressed.  they do host the least appealing way to get backstage, though.  once the crowd is in, there's only one way back there that doesn't involve going through the crowd.  you have to go down a couple flights of stairs to pass through a dank, wet, smelly, rat infested hallway that leads under the crowd and the water, and back up the stairs at the other end.  not pleasant at all.
 
 didn't hit deer creek.

[Jesse]

Originally posted by Mike Rohsopht:
   

Originally posted by jesse:
  I think overall, the hassles of nissan, suchas Traffic, only 2 exits, and crazy prices for food, really out-weigh the good you get out of the show.
 

anyone who goes to concerts for the food really creeps me out!    [/b]

haha. well i've been to warped tour a few times, and that's an all day thing, and you gotta eat something.

[you be betty]

Originally posted by jesse:
   

Originally posted by Mike Rohsopht:
   

Originally posted by jesse:
  I think overall, the hassles of nissan, suchas Traffic, only 2 exits, and crazy prices for food, really out-weigh the good you get out of the show.
 

anyone who goes to concerts for the food really creeps me out!       [/b]

haha. well i've been to warped tour a few times, and that's an all day thing, and you gotta eat something. [/b]

and that was the worst...i passed out at warped tour one year because some asshole in the pit fell on my head, and so we spent disgusting amounts of money on lunch and water (which they wouldn't let us bring in)...i distinctly remember $5 bottles of water being the only shit available.  on a day where it's 95 degrees out, that is just sick.

[PigIron]

Its going to be expensive, period.  I'm not shocked at all when I see 5.00 water at a place like that, or any large venue, like the sports arenas.  Its just something you have to accept.  I've been to alot of the bigger pavillion places (on the East Coast, anyway) and they are generally the same.  Merriweather is a bit smaller and they have the mini 9:00 Club there, which makes me prefer that place to others.  But I don't recall the prices being alot different - I think I paid at least eight bucks for an imported beer last year - maybe more.  You just have to buck up and get over it and realize that its a pain in the ass.  Some of your favorite acts (and mine) aren't going to play the club circuit forever.

[DemonD82]

as a resident of Bristow, I can offer some insight...
 
 shows days makes the traffic INSANE...I've often thought about taking off from work the day Buffet plays because that is the absolute worst traffic of the entire year.
 
 However, I can fill you in on a few things.  First off, the roads there are slightly different now.  Wellington Road (where Nissan is located on) now has 2 extra options to get out. There are 2 directions to get to route 29/66, and 2 options to get to route 234/66.  I don't know EXACTLY how this will help yet though cause there hasn't been a show at Nissan since they redid the roads.  Wellington also has 2 lanes for a longer stretch of the road.
 
 Obviously living in Bristow, when I actually go to the shows, its real easy to get there (getting out, as stated, can be a nightmare).  I can get to Nissan in under 10 minutes from my house...coming home has taken me as little as 15 minutes, and as much as 90.

[rich_WDC]

Nissan has been horrible many many times, no doubt.
 Maybe when traffic improvements happen over next few years the travel portion can be rectified.
 
 But, concertgoers should note that the management of Nissan, Live Nation did a bunch of surveys and there's lots "fan satisfaction" stuff they are trying to improve.
 So.... if you do brave the traffic this year, M-A-Y-B-E there will be a better experience a-waitin'.