I have VIP tickets to a concert. Do I need to bring lawn chairs or is there seating??/ I have called and called with no answer!

Nope, there isn't seating. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, etc.

Another question...are cameras allowed? What about a backpack (for above-mentioned blanket, etc.)?

I haven't been to a show there in a while, but will be soon.

I did find out - since we were in the VIP area (totally worth the extra cost), we were all standing. It was a rock show, after all!

Nobody checked for cameras, etc. Looks like you can bring whatver you want except for your own ice chest.

How do you get VIP tickets to the Zoo Ampitheater?

it was the Poison/Cinderella concert. I purchased the VIP tickets. Look on the Zoo ampitheatre website. It's worth it. VIP has its own bar area too. And we got cool laminated things to clip on our shirt to show we were "VIP". :)

Yah, it says to go to Tickets.com to get the VIP seats but they don't have the concert listed there. I'm looking for VIP tickets to the Flaming Lips (local band) show on Sept 15th.

We bought tickets for the Lips show on the first day they went on sale. I don't think they are offering the VIP section for this show. Looks to be all $20 general admission seats.

My experience with the so-called "VIP" section is that it isn't worth it at all. All it was is basically an area with a bar, but that wasn't worth paying a whole bunch more for it. Even with the VIP tickets, we weren't allowed to stand in the pit in front of the stage, which I feel should be for the VIP.

At the Poison concert, we were totally in the pit infront of the stage. They must do it differently for different bands.

Press release:

********

THE HISTORIC ZOO AMPHITHEATER SET TO OPEN SUMMER 2024 FOLLOWING RENOVATIONS

Oklahoma City, OK – March 20, 2024 – Oklahoma City’s treasured outdoor venue, The Zoo Amphitheater, is set to open a new concert season in 2024 following renovations and updates. Located at the Oklahoma City Zoo, the beloved historic amphitheater has recently brought on a seasoned local management team as well as the backing of national partners, SaveLive, to produce the 2024 season and beyond.

“The team on the ground are not only experts in booking great concerts and creating memorable experiences for the entire community, but they are also Oklahoma City locals, from landmarks such as the Criterion and Tower Theater, who understand the importance of this venue. The Zoo Amphitheater is a touchstone in so many people’s history. If you ask almost anyone in town, they have a story about seeing an amazing show at the amp,” said Trevor Leonard, OKC Zoo’s Chief Operations Officer. “The Oklahoma City Zoo and SaveLive share a vision and commitment to connecting Oklahomans with superb entertainment in a premier, and iconic venue. As host to previous legendary performances by Marvin Gaye, the Foo Fighters, Joni Mitchell, and Willie Nelson, we look forward to host many, many more.”

“For nearly 90 years, Oklahomans have been immersed in wildlife and world class music at the historic Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheater,” said Candice Rennels, OKC Zoo’s Director of Public Relations. “We’re thrilled to see the Zoo Amphitheater continue to evolve and improve to delight concert-goers just like the Zoo has over the years.”

The Zoo Amphitheater is undergoing infrastructure and facilities updates while being committed to retaining its history and integrity and the 2024 season is set to announce shortly. Built in the mid-1930s, the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheater was a project of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the economic recovery program established to provide jobs during the depression.

For the latest information, follow the Zoo Amphitheater's website and social media channels:

Website - okczooamp.com
Facebook - facebook.com/okczooamp
Instagram - instagram.com/okczooamp
X (formerly Twitter) - x.com/okczooamp

Plans filed to replace five restroom facilities with much bigger modern structures.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/zoo032124a.jpg


HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/zoo032124b.jpg

Much, much needed!

No more peeing into a trough. Lol

No more peeing into a trough. LolYou beat me to it!

I had heard that Cake was coming on 5/17, but can't find anything official, so maybe just a rumor.

Looks like there must have been an announcement of some sort as a number of third party ticket resellers reference the concert, but nothing on Cake or (obviously) the Zoo's website. Wondering if there was something (in addition to or from the new management) that forced the updates even if it meant cancelling already booked concerts.

I had heard that Cake was coming on 5/17, but can't find anything official, so maybe just a rumor.

I read on one of Cake’s social media posts announcing that spring tour that they were rescheduling the Zoo show to September. It was a reply to someone asking about it not being listed on their website anymore.

Personally I find this to be excellent news and wish them the best to operate another 90 years.

Personally I find this to be excellent news and wish them the best to operate another 90 years.

Same here

Oh great. Now basically ONE COMPANY runs all of the concert venues in OKC. Joy. Nothing like having VC bros dictating our music scene.

Oh great. Now basically ONE COMPANY runs all of the concert venues in OKC. Joy. Nothing like having VC bros dictating our music scene.

Maybe the Sunset Amphitheater will happen, This just makes their financial projections harder to believe. Most of us were expecting no more investment or interest going into the zoo amp. Seems it will be around for a few more years at least to provide competition.

Most of us were expecting no more investment or interest going into the zoo amp.

why was anyone expecting this??

why was anyone expecting this??

Yeah I dont understand why a bunch of people all of the sudden thought the zoo amp was going to permanently close and be given back to the zoo. There haven’t been a ton of improvements to it over the years (until now) but there has been absolutely nothing at all to indicate that it has even been struggling. All the shows I’ve been to there have been very well attended and it certainly isn’t the perfect, it’s fine for an outdoor amphitheater and the sound quality has always been good.

The zoo amp is a cool, unique and historic venue…something we don’t have many of here anymore…hopefully it’s around for a long time.

Yeah I dont understand why a bunch of people all of the sudden thought the zoo amp was going to permanently close and be given back to the zoo. There haven’t been a ton of improvements to it over the years (until now) but there has been absolutely nothing at all to indicate that it has even been struggling. All the shows I’ve been to there have been very well attended and it certainly isn’t the perfect, it’s fine for an outdoor amphitheater and the sound quality has always been good.

The zoo amp is a cool, unique and historic venue…something we don’t have many of here anymore…hopefully it’s around for a long time.

There has been zoo master plans in the past that have redeveloped it. We don't really know how zoo leadership thought about it in the longer term. It's the zoo's property at the end of the day that Boulder has pointed out in other threads.

Besides having my own great memories at Zoo Ampitheater going back to the early ‘80s, I recently discovered via newspaper archives and ancestry research that my own paternal grandfather (who I never knew…he passed when I was six months old) was very likely involved in the construction of it, along with other zoo features. I found an article in his hometown (Luther) newspaper that he and another young man from there reported to the CCC camp at Lincoln Park in fall of 1934. Not sure (yet) how long he stayed with the CCC, but that time frame would roughly coincide with the building of the amphitheater. He would have been 23.

Suffice to say that I’m in the “retain and restore” crowd when it comes to Zoo Amp.

What! No firepits? /s/. Not that the summer concert season has use for them.
Sunset just needs to go away. I don't believe this market needs 2 or can support 2.

What! No firepits? /s/. Not that the summer concert season has use for them.
Sunset just needs to go away. I don't believe this market needs 2 or can support 2.

Well, Zoo Amp has a shelf life. It was never meant to be permanent. OKC has just never had a private developer try to build one better. The Zoo wants to develop that area badly

Well, Zoo Amp has a shelf life. It was never meant to be permanent. OKC has just never had a private developer try to build one better. The Zoo wants to develop that area badly
Who or what says the Zoo facility was never meant to be permanent? I take issue with the claim that what is proposed by Sunset is better. Apparently the Zoo in fact is going ahead with renovations, not developing it into something else. The Zoo apparently does not want to develop this land "badly" for other purposes.
Read post #11 if you think otherwise.

Who or what says the Zoo facility was never meant to be permanent? I take issue with the claim that what is proposed by Sunset is better. Apparently the Zoo in fact is going ahead with renovations, not developing it into something else. The Zoo apparently does not want to develop this land "badly" for other purposes.

It's too small. It holds 7k. Most festivals and summer tours need 10k to make money. That's from a music buddy of mine.

And there is a hard limit on events allowed at the Zoo Amp. That's how you know it was never meant to be permanent.

Well, Zoo Amp has a shelf life. It was never meant to be permanent. OKC has just never had a private developer try to build one better. The Zoo wants to develop that area badly

What in the world are you basing this on? It’s been there for like 100 years. It was built to be an amphitheater and no one has ever said it wasn’t a permanent venue. What is the hard limit of events allowed there?

Who has ever even alluded to wanting “badly” to develop the zoo amp? If the zoo wanted to develop it that badly…they would’ve done it.

You seem to make a lot of statements with no basis in reality. I’m sorry the zoo amp didn’t request FAA clearance from the airport director.

It's too small. It holds 7k. Most festivals and summer tours need 10k to make money. That's from a music buddy of mine.

And there is a hard limit on events allowed at the Zoo Amp. That's how you know it was never meant to be permanent.

We’re building a 10,000 plus seat outdoor stadium in the middle of downtown, the zoo amp doesn’t need to be a 10,000 person capacity venue to be successful…it’s worked fine for nearly a century.

We’re building a 10,000 plus seat outdoor stadium in the middle of downtown, the zoo amp doesn’t need to be a 10,000 person capacity venue to be successful…it’s worked fine for nearly a century.

Everything is more expensive now. Everything. Including summer music tours. Doubt that stadium will be used for concerts much. Just like Scissortail Park. Maybe 10 larger scale concerts in 5 years. Outdoor concerts downtown haven't worked much. Hence why you need a true 10k+ fan amphitheater. Every major metro in the country basically has one. Why should OKC be the exception?

We’re building a 10,000 plus seat outdoor stadium in the middle of downtown, the zoo amp doesn’t need to be a 10,000 person capacity venue to be successful…it’s worked fine for nearly a century.

Double post

Everything is more expensive now. Everything. Including summer music tours. Doubt that stadium will be used for concerts much. Just like Scissortail Park. Maybe 10 larger scale concerts in 5 years. Outdoor concerts downtown haven't worked much. Hence why you need a true 10k+ fan amphitheater. Every major metro in the country basically has one. Why should OKC be the exception?

1. Scissortail park is a park with a stage…not a concert venue…that hosts events all the time, just not large concerts. It was not built to be a ticketed concert venue and is not set up to host ticketed concerts frequently…how many of the concerts it has hosted weren’t free?

2. We’re building a large downtown stadium with no major league tenant (and as of now, no tenant at all)…Why do you doubt how often the stadium will be used for concerts? Prior to the arrival of the Thunder, the Ford Center (also publicly funded and built in the middle of downtown with no major league tenant) was always on the same “top concert venues” lists that the BOK in Tulsa is on every year.

You’re making that opinion up for the sake of argument. It makes zero sense and is unprecedented.

3. How have outdoor concerts “not worked much” where is any evidence of that? Other cities host concerts in their soccer stadiums all the time as they work better, size wise, than football stadiums do. Denver, for example, has concerts at Dick’a Sporting Goods Stadium all the time despite having probably the best outdoor amphitheater in the world down the road.

1. Scissortail park is a park with a stage…not a concert venue…that hosts events all the time, just not large concerts. It was not built to be a ticketed concert venue and is not set up to host ticketed concerts frequently…how many of the concerts it has hosted weren’t free?

2. We’re building a stadium with no major league tenant (and as of now, no tenant at all)…Why do you doubt how often the stadium will be used for concerts? Prior to the arrival of the Thunder, the Ford Center (also publicly funded and built in the middle of downtown with no major league tenant) was always on the same “top concert venues” lists that the BOK in Tulsa is on every year.

You’re making that opinion up for the sake of argument. It makes zero sense and is unprecedented.

3. How have outdoor concerts “not worked much” where is any evidence of that? Other cities host concerts in their soccer stadiums all the time as they work better, size wise than football stadiums do. Denver, for example, has concerts at Dick’a Sporting Goods Stadium all the time despite having probably the best outdoor amphitheater in the world down the road.

1) Fair enough, but neither is the proposed stadium. It isn't a music venue with a primary goal of getting concerts. It will also only be 10k. Booking stadiums costs more than amphitheaters (from same music buddy). So having a 10k limit is almost worse than a 7k amphitheater limit, for money purposes. DSG Park (which you mention later) holds almost 3x as many people for concerts. May not always draw that much, but the potential is there for that many.

2) Because of how few outdoor shows OKC's downtown has had. The ballpark? Maybe 1 or 2 a year for 25 years. So you want to say that based off what, that the venue will be used a bunch for concerts? Ok then.

3) Again, there is nothing that says the stadium will be used for concerts. Especially a downtown one. Consistent outdoor concerts haven't worked in OKC. The reason DSG Park works is because it is in a suburb, and also holds almost 30k for concerts. You really are comparing a potential 10k stadium to one of the best MLS stadiums in the country? Good for you.

I am done on this track. Ir isn't about the Zoo Amp now, so I will refrain from any OT posts going forward.

1) Fair enough, but neither is the proposed stadium. It isn't a music venue with a primary goal of getting concerts. It will also only be 10k. Booking stadiums costs more than amphitheaters (from same music buddy). So having a 10k limit is almost worse than a 7k amphitheater limit, for money purposes. DSG Park (which you mention later) holds almost 3x as many people for concerts. May not always draw that much, but the potential is there for that many.

2) Because of how few outdoor shows OKC's downtown has had. The ballpark? Maybe 1 or 2 a year for 25 years. So you want to say that based off what, that the venue will be used a bunch for concerts? Ok then.

3) Again, there is nothing that says the stadium will be used for concerts. Especially a downtown one. Consistent outdoor concerts haven't worked in OKC. The reason DSG Park works is because it is in a suburb, and also holds almost 30k for concerts. You really are comparing a potential 10k stadium to one of the best MLS stadiums in the country? Good for you.

I am done on this track. Ir isn't about the Zoo Amp now, so I will refrain from any OT posts going forward.

1) You are making up statistics to prove your point. You and your buddy have no idea what it will cost to book the stadium here. The stadium will be built to be able to hold ticketed events year round…the park wasn’t built to hold ticketed events ever without setting up a ton of infrastructure to do it. Who cares if it was built specifically to hold concerts? Was the ford center built specifically to host concerts? It will be fine for the few events per year require more than 7,000 seats. It will also likely be over 10,000 for concerts if Dick’s stadium is any indication as their capacity for soccer is 18k and 27k for concerts.

2. The ballpark downtown has an anchor tenant that has it locked up far more often than a tenantless soccer stadium and I have nothing to back this up but it doesn’t seem like baseball stadiums nationally host concerts as much as soccer stadiums do. Even if Energy FC fires back up, that’s a 28 total game season vs 150 games in AAA baseball. Frisco’s soccer stadium is another example of one that hosts a bunch of concerts. And also…the lack of outdoor concerts around downtown would seem to indicate that the market for 10k capacity concerts isn’t what you suggest because nearly every outdoor show that’s come through OKC has gone to the zoo amp instead of seeking a larger outdoor venue. The Lakes was an attempt at a larger outdoor concert/festival only venue near downtown that failed pretty miserably. The airpark hosted a few prior to the wheeler district being developed and clearly there wasn’t enough need or interest to try to continue it after that ran its course.

3) what does being in a suburb have to do with anything? As long as there is adequate parking, why does it matter? Being downtown and in the middle of the metro should help, not hurt, the stadium’s ability to hold concerts. Also you act like DSG is in the middle of nowhere. It’s 9 miles by car from the center of downtown Denver, that’s about 3 miles further away than the zoo amp is from downtown OKC (or almost exactly the same distance if you take the highway). It’s 15 minutes from downtown to the zoo amp vs 18 minutes from downtown Denver to Dicks. Again, you’re just making assumptions to back up your argument.

You have an odd fascination with 10k capacity venues that doesn’t seem to be backed up by anything other than “a guy I know said so”. There has been nothing to indicate that the zoo amp isn’t a large enough venue or that there is a high demand for a larger venue. Maybe sunset actually happens and works but it just doesn’t seem like something for which there is the massive demand you seem to think there is.

It's too small. It holds 7k. Most festivals and summer tours need 10k to make money. That's from a music buddy of mine.

And there is a hard limit on events allowed at the Zoo Amp. That's how you know it was never meant to be permanent.

so 100 years is temp to you??

and the hard limit is like 26 events .. IIRC

The Zoo Amp just announced a bunch of concerts for this summer, including Blues Travelers, Howard Jones, and Cake:

https://www.prekindle.com/events/zoo-amphitheatre

^^^^^^^
Complete line-ups are pretty cool:


Legends of Hip Hop featuring Ice Cube, E-40, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (I've never seen Cube and would like to, but have seen Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and they're pretty good live in my experience)
Blues Traveler with Big Head Todd and the Monsters (have seen both bands and they were both great live when I saw each of them)
Howard Jones, ABC, Haircut One Hundred (I def want to go to this one)
Slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads, Hirie, The Expendables (I'd like to see Dirty Heads but not very dialed in on the other acts)
An evening with Cake (saw them years ago, would go again if I didn't have anything better to do that night)

I hope I can talk my wife into an August concert. I'd love to see Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

^^^^^^^
Complete line-ups are pretty cool:


Legends of Hip Hop featuring Ice Cube, E-40, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (I've never seen Cube and would like to, but have seen Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and they're pretty good live in my experience)
Blues Traveler with Big Head Todd and the Monsters (have seen both bands and they were both great live when I saw each of them)
Howard Jones, ABC, Haircut One Hundred (I def want to go to this one)
Slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads, Hirie, The Expendables (I'd like to see Dirty Heads but not very dialed in on the other acts)
An evening with Cake (saw them years ago, would go again if I didn't have anything better to do that night)


Howard Jones show should be good, some nostalgia in it for me since I saw him open for Eurythmics at the Zoo back in 84. I tend to only go to shows like this if the bands are pretty close to the original lineup, which Jones and Haircut 100 are (Jones was only Jones when I saw him, so that one's easy to check :)). ABC, however, looks like it's probably Martin Fry and yer granny on bongos, but I'll probably still go.

Howard Jones show should be good, some nostalgia in it for me since I saw him open for Eurythmics at the Zoo back in 84. I tend to only go to shows like this if the bands are pretty close to the original lineup, which Jones and Haircut 100 are (Jones was only Jones when I saw him, so that one's easy to check :)). ABC, however, looks like it's probably Martin Fry and yer granny on bongos, but I'll probably still go.
That's usually my philosophy too, but I give some grace to acts that largely revolved around a vocalist who is still present, or in some cases a specific musician who was recognized as THE driving force in the band. I will say that in recent weeks I've seen a couple of bands with original line-ups largely intact; Living Color at Beer City and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Tower. LC's lineup is the same as it was in the early 90s; only the bassist was different from the band I saw open for the Rolling Stones in 1989. BBVD remarkably had 100% of its original lineup intact, 30+ years later. They were tight as hell.

In a few weeks I'm going to live by that other rule and see Heart at BOK. I think only Ann and Nancy are the only original members, but they're who I'm there to see anyway.

In a few weeks I'm going to live by that other rule and see Heart at BOK. I think only Ann and Nancy are the only original members, but they're who I'm there to see anyway.

Coming from a classic rock POV, I don't think any other original members of heart have been around for a long time. I read an article about the negotiations between the sisters for this tour. They had some disagreements which caused some problems between them. One has her own separate band and the other wanted other musicians. I'm not sure how it turned out but at least they are touring again.

For the Flaming Lips shows, we got reserved seats, and it says there's a separate entrance (which we've never heard of or used). From looking at the overhead, it looks like there's an entrance on the south side of the amphitheatre near the front where the seating is. Can anybody confirm/deny, and if confirm, do you know if there's still a bunch of steps to get to the seating (looks like there might be, but tree shadows are in the way)? Wife has knee problems (that's why we got seats, that and we don't feel like getting there early enough to get a good spot for GA) and is wondering... Thanks for any info.

For the Flaming Lips shows, we got reserved seats, and it says there's a separate entrance (which we've never heard of or used). From looking at the overhead, it looks like there's an entrance on the south side of the amphitheatre near the front where the seating is. Can anybody confirm/deny, and if confirm, do you know if there's still a bunch of steps to get to the seating (looks like there might be, but tree shadows are in the way)? Wife has knee problems (that's why we got seats, that and we don't feel like getting there early enough to get a good spot for GA) and is wondering... Thanks for any info.

You might try this if you don't get a response from anyone here.

https://okczooamp.com/contact/

You might try this if you don't get a response from anyone here.

https://okczooamp.com/contact/

Yep, that was my next stop. I usually ask things like this here first because sometimes I get some additional useful info (you can park at blahblah if you use that entrance, etc.).

Did anyone go to the show last night? If so, what improvements did they make?

Did anyone go to the show last night? If so, what improvements did they make?

Heard from someone who was at Blues Traveler that it's mainly new restrooms made out of steel and air conditioned. New beverage/food stands too, I think. Not sure if there's more of them or not.

Heard from someone who was at Blues Traveler that it's mainly new restrooms made out of steel and air conditioned. New beverage/food stands too, I think. Not sure if there's more of them or not.

You of all people didn’t go to Blues Traveller(s)?!?

You of all people didn’t go to Blues Traveller(s)?!?

Ha, good one! Nope, not a fan of harmonica.

Did anyone go to the show last night? If so, what improvements did they make?I went to the show on Saturday. The upgraded bathrooms are awesome, especially on a hot night, as they are roomy, clean, and air conditioned. I didn't notice that there were more drink stands than before, but it did not seem to me that there were. I will check again when I go see Howard Jones and ABC in a couple weeks.

Howard Jones and ABC has been moved to the Criterion for some reason (maybe the ungodly heat).

Howard Jones and ABC has been moved to the Criterion for some reason (maybe the ungodly heat).Yeah, I got that email yesterday. I can't say I'm disappointed, really, unless that evening ends up being nice and cool.

I think tickets were selling much slower than they anticipated. I noticed they dropped the price by $30 or so a ticket a couple weeks ago.

If these first shows are a sign of things to come, then we are going to be majorly disappointed. I will give them a summer fully open to see if they get good shows with mainstream rock or pop acts, but getting Ice Cube and Cake, while ok acts, are not really what OKC's major amphitheater should be bragging about.

Like I said, they were not fully sure when they would be open, so booking shows was tough. But this first batch of shows is rough. Hopefully the severing of the DCF relationship doesn't come back to bite them, as the Zoo had already been struggling to get top traveling summer tours to come through.

Howard Jones and ABC has been moved to the Criterion for some reason (maybe the ungodly heat).
It was moved due to slow sales, but at the same time the sales numbers were probably also because of the heat. This show is a show for olds, and olds generally don't want to sit in the heat, Howard Jones/ABC notwithstanding.

There are a lot of theater dates on the HJ tour. I have no idea if they were relocations, too, but looks like most of the remaining shows on the tour are theater gigs.

He played mostly theater shows last year, too.

If these first shows are a sign of things to come, then we are going to be majorly disappointed. I will give them a summer fully open to see if they get good shows with mainstream rock or pop acts, but getting Ice Cube and Cake, while ok acts, are not really what OKC's major amphitheater should be bragging about.

Like I said, they were not fully sure when they would be open, so booking shows was tough. But this first batch of shows is rough. Hopefully the severing of the DCF relationship doesn't come back to bite them, as the Zoo had already been struggling to get top traveling summer tours to come through.

I’m sure they are very relieved that you found it within yourself to give them a summer to fully open. I can’t imagine how nervous they must have been while awaiting your decision.

If these first shows are a sign of things to come, then we are going to be majorly disappointed. I will give them a summer fully open to see if they get good shows with mainstream rock or pop acts, but getting Ice Cube and Cake, while ok acts, are not really what OKC's major amphitheater should be bragging about.

Like I said, they were not fully sure when they would be open, so booking shows was tough. But this first batch of shows is rough. Hopefully the severing of the DCF relationship doesn't come back to bite them, as the Zoo had already been struggling to get top traveling summer tours to come through.

I wouldn't think they would be a sign of things to come as the promoters only really took over early this year. Now they have a year under their belt to bring in better acts next summer and hopefully into fall. It would be hard to find bands to play that already had a tour ready to go unless they just happened to have some holes in their schedule and were near by.

It was moved due to slow sales, but at the same time the sales numbers were probably also because of the heat. This show is a show for olds, and olds generally don't want to sit in the heat, Howard Jones/ABC notwithstanding.

Had GA lawn tickets, not going now - they stuck us in either the last or next-to-last row on the right side under the balcony, as far right as you can go (Someone I know got one of their seats at the right end of a row and the other one at the left end of the row before/after it, but it got fixed, luckily). Under the balcony sounds so sh!tty there (view is pretty crappy too), and to be seated is just two bridges too far. I vowed long ago never to go to a seated show at the Criterion again (went to a seated show once a long time ago, vowed to never do it again, but Lindsey Buckingham is worth breaking a vow for, and it'd have to be Jimi coming back from the dead to make me go to a seated show there again :)), it's just unpleasant (small seat widths, manspreaders, all seats in a row hooked together), and we *never* end up under the balcony by choice, found that out at about the 2nd show we went to there a looong time ago. Speaking of the balcony, it's not open for this show - they could've opened it up and given people tickets there and the sound/view would be so much better (our preferred spot is in the left-side front corner of the balcony, front row or two - security keeps people from standing at the rail so you can see great, and sound is pretty good).