Did You Purchase it?
by Mitchell Slepian
I regularly attend concerts, movies, the theater and Yankee Games. Venues include Madison Square Garden (MSG), City Winery, the Beacon and the Stadium. In most cases, the seats are assigned because the other audience members and I purchased specific seats.
Sure, there are occasions where the shows are general admission seating or standing room only. I am not a fan of this, but I have learned to live with it. There are some venues where I can stand it. Those include the Brooklyn Paramount (maybe because it is across the street from the original Junior’s) and Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. Irving Plaza is ok. Terminal 5 and Webster Hall suck.
About two weeks ago, I saw Florence and the Machine at MSG. I’ve seen Florence many times. She rocks. I had a decent seat. The two seats in front of me were empty for the opener. I was happy. I always want those seats empty. It makes it easier for me to see the stage. Two women sat in those seats. Were these their seats? No.
They looked and said, “Oh, open seats.” Yeah, it’s like a movie theater. The people who had the seats arrived just as Florence took the stage. The people left. They did say, “oh we are down this aisle. But we saw open seats and thought we’d take them.”
They got up, and the rightful occupants sat down, and Florence and the Machine were amazing. This is far from the first time this has happened.
Last week, I was at the Stadium. We beat the Orioles 11-3. I was in my usual spot (Section 232A). For several innings, the seats next to me were empty. Eventually, a friendly family sat next to me. They were up and down a lot. People were seated in front of me. They, too, were up and down a lot. I do not understand how you cannot be there for the first pitch and can miss an inning. During the sixth inning, when I get online for ice cream, I watch the game on the TVs by the concession stand. So, the seats ahead of me were empty. People came over and asked the folks next to me if anyone was seated there. They said yes. But they have not been there for an inning or two. The people who asked for those seats planted themselves in them.
The Stadium has the handicapped seating area near my section. People plant themselves there. Thankfully, the ushers do make them leave. But not right away. They used to have ushers in all sections and kept out those who were not supposed to be seated in a particular section. The Garden and Radio City try. But they don’t always succeed. Broadway and Lincoln Center generally get it right. It’s time to bring the ushers back to the other venues. It is time for people to understand it’s not a free-for-all.
Mitchell's thoughts, photos, etc. 