Fans Vent Over Lines, GA At Stapleton Show

Fans publicly lambasted the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Ga., for long lines and premium prices for standing room at Chris Stapleton’s April 6 concert.

Scott Legato / RockStarProPhotography.com – Chris Stapleton
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fairgrounds Racecourse, New Orleans, La.

Stapleton and opener Columbus Civic Center drew a sellout crowd to the 10,000-capacity venue and while fans had no complaints about the actual performance, several criticized the venue on its official Facebook page.

“We paid a lot of money for 4th row seats to see Chris Stapleton and arrived there to find there were no chairs on the floor,” Jeff Blalock wrote in a 1-star review. “Luckily, Stapleton was so good he pulled them out of an outright riot. Worst venue ever!!!!!!!”

Other complaints included long lines for admissions and concessions, traffic and parking fees. One fan even went to Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson’s Facebook page and wrote: “No wonder you will be 4.3 million short on your budget this year. Clearly the people in charge have no clue how to run things smoothly, efficiently and coherently!! Does a “sold out” concert not mean crowds are coming!!! I will think twice before considering to attend future events!”

Tomlinson apparently heard the outcry and responded to the individual’s comment by sharing a note from venue director Jon Dorman.

The venue made public statements urging attendees to arrive early and coordinated with law enforcement to keep traffic moving, Dorman wrote, but “with limited access points there’s only so much we can do.” Door lines were related to the request to wand all entrants prior to admission, Dorman wrote, but as lines built up, they tried to speed the process along as best they could.

Regarding patrons’ frustration with tickets, he said that the floor tickets were clearly marked “General Admission Floor,” but also contained seat number’s for accounting purposes.

Complaints about being overcharged mostly came from patrons who bought their tickets on the secondary market, Dorman said, which may well have marked up the value of the ticket according to the seat number on the stub, despite the fact that there were never going to be any seats set up.

Most patrons’ reviews of the actual performance were still positive, and Dorman said that the city-owned venue will continue to collaborate with local law enforcement to manage traffic flow efficiently and is in the process of modifying the ticket design so that there is no confusion about seating vs. GA.