The Kevster Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 What does everyone think of the O2 as a venue? I saw the Stones there back in August (they were terrible, but that's another story). I was very impressed with the facilities, sightlines, the bars, food, the staff etc, but I found the acoustics a bit substandard. People I know who've seen other artists there - Prince, Snow Patrol, Babs Streisland etc - have had similar experiences. Do you think the boys will be able to overcome any acoustic shortcomings? The Kevster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zep41 Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 What does everyone think of the O2 as a venue? I saw the Stones there back in August (they were terrible, but that's another story). I was very impressed with the facilities, sightlines, the bars, food, the staff etc, but I found the acoustics a bit substandard. People I know who've seen other artists there - Prince, Snow Patrol, Babs Streisland etc - have had similar experiences. Do you think the boys will be able to overcome any acoustic shortcomings? The Kevster I know they will. The last I saw Page and Plant was here in Cleveland, OH at the Gund Arena --- known around here as the worst acoustics for a venue --- and it was the best sounding concert I have ever been to. Logic tells me that the reunited Page, Jones, Plant and Jason Bonham coming together for the concert event of the decade will get it perfect !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverOffside Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Crank the amps up to 11! That'll sort it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warby Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Saw the Foo Fighters last weekend and I though the venue was great, the sound was clear and loud, even the security were friendly where I was, I am up in the rafters for the Zep gig but still hoping it will be good, but glad I do not suffer Vertigo. Slight complaint is the tube stops running back inot to London around 12.30am. THe bars and clubs in the veniue are open till 2am so Ken Livinstone needs to sort out the transport. I took a few photo's at the Foo's which are here http://www.team-skinny-racing.com they give some idea of the arena. Can't ait for the 10th..... Cheers Warby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B9Z43D@O2! Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS SPINAL TAP...CRANK THOSE MARSHALLS TO 11 AND LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercky Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Saw the Foo Fighters last weekend and I though the venue was great, the sound was clear and loud, even the security were friendly where I was, I am up in the rafters for the Zep gig but still hoping it will be good, but glad I do not suffer Vertigo. Slight complaint is the tube stops running back inot to London around 12.30am. THe bars and clubs in the veniue are open till 2am so Ken Livinstone needs to sort out the transport. I took a few photo's at the Foo's which are here http://www.team-skinny-racing.com they give some idea of the arena. Can't ait for the 10th..... Cheers Warby Great pics! Thanks for sharing. If only the people on the floor would lower their arms and stop taking pics/video then maybe they could see the band themselves and actually enjoy the show instead of watching it on their lcd screen. Check out picture 3268 to see what I mean. Don't get me wrong, I've got no problem with anyone taking pictures but please don't hold it up and block my view! It's generally only on the floor where it's really a problem. Since Warby was in the lower level I'm sure he didn't need to hold his camera up high to get these great pictures. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormpilot Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Interestingly photos show that the Foos had a little stage in the round with walkway connecting the main stage, it would be cool if Zep did that too. Anyone with insider knowledge know if there will be such a stage configuration for the Dec 10th show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllisonAdler Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Saw the Foo Fighters last weekend and I though the venue was great, the sound was clear and loud, even the security were friendly where I was, I am up in the rafters for the Zep gig but still hoping it will be good, but glad I do not suffer Vertigo. Slight complaint is the tube stops running back inot to London around 12.30am. THe bars and clubs in the veniue are open till 2am so Ken Livinstone needs to sort out the transport. I took a few photo's at the Foo's which are here http://www.team-skinny-racing.com they give some idea of the arena. Can't ait for the 10th..... Cheers Warby Uh-oh! Are taxis reasonably available later? I'd hate to have to walk all the way back to the west end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormpilot Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Uh-oh! Are taxis reasonably available later? I'd hate to have to walk all the way back to the west end! Taxis will be there, but you will have to wait, walking is not great since there is not an easy and safe way over the thames from that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Slight complaint is the tube stops running back inot to London around 12.30am. THe bars and clubs in the veniue are open till 2am so Ken Livinstone needs to sort out the transport. The catamaran runs along the river until late. Direct service from O2 to Waterloo, every 30 mins, until about 4am. Cost about £4. It is then easy to get night buses from Waterloo area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hot dog Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 Warby, those are great photos you took, what kind of camera do you use? And what was the security like at the O2 for getting in a camera? As was said, considering the size of the venue the actual floor space is quite small - certainly compared to Earls Court or Wembley Arena. It'll be fantastic being so close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzfan715 Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS SPINAL TAP...CRANK THOSE MARSHALLS TO 11 AND LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!!! Even Robert admits to having some Spinal Tap moments so I hope that they'll know that would make a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desirezep Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I just think you have to be careful obviously, and just keep your wits about you. A very good choice of venue, from what I have been told about the place it is impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomoonbeam Posted November 22, 2007 Share Posted November 22, 2007 I saw the Rolling Stones three times (stage at one end of the arena) and Prince seven times (stage in the round), at the O2 this year. The sound varies on the PA rig used, the one used by the Stones was much superior than for Prince, but I think the acoustics in the venue are generally better suited to a stage at one end of the floor. Although the venue makes great claims about it being a purpose designed concert venue, I don't reckon it was acoustically designed, otherwise the sound would be more balanced. I think the sound engineer on the night will have quite a challenge to get an amazing sound out of the space. However, most good sound engineers are used to working with cavernous modern arenas not well disposed to achieving a balanced, dynamic sound range. The venue staff are markedly different to those at other London venue and I would say the customer service ethic is not dissimilar to in the USA. The staff are friendly and go out of their way to help you. The amenities (bars and restaurants) in the complex are of a good standard, but there are not enough restaurants (outside the concert arena, in the still covered part of the complex) for the numbers of people who attend an arena show as yet. You typically need to queue for 30 to 40 minutes at peak to before a concert, before you get a seat in the restaurants. If you wanna go eat there, I recommend going there for circa 5.00pm to 6.00pm, as then you should not have to queue, or at least for only a fraction of the time. Unfortunately, none of the restaurants take advance bookings, but maybe they have changed their policy by now. Food/Restaurants establishments include: Zizzi, Pizza Express, Nandos, Starbucks, a Thai place, an Italian place, a few cafes and several bars of various kinds. There are myriad drinks and snacks (fast food) bars inside the O2 arena itself. The quality is marginally better than comparable venues but still no great shakes. Queuing here is still a ubiquitous pursuit, but then people who go to concerts are used to that. There is a VIP lounge upstairs that is situated behind the stage area (if it is at one end of the floor), they do screen off the backstage so you can't see anything going on. On the ground level, there is an exclusive, sophisticated bar/food/lounge for O2 customers, but I think you need to book in advance or be invited to use it. I didn't get the impression it was for all O2 customer, perhaps just corporate account guests? There are several large car parks, but many of the roads to the venue from North/Central London go through Greenwich and they seem to get congested easily. Leaving the venue afterwards, from the car parks, if you took the car is not as bad as some entertainment venues of a similar ilk, but still expect congestion. You don't need to buy parking in advance, as it seems to imply on Ticketmaster. Booking advanced parking is slightly more expensive, but the pre-booked car parks are closer to the exits roads so do affords a faster egress. I think the easiest way to get to the O2 is by the Jubilee Tube line, the trains are frequent and fast. They still run well after the concert finish time. They did run a river boat service for the Prince concerts that took you back to London Bridge or Waterloo for about £4.00, but I don't know if they will lay them on for the Zep gig. Prince was playing aftershows that finished as late as 3.30am, so they ran boats every 30 minutes up until 4.00am. The floor and lower tiers (especially the front section of the lower tiers) are brilliant, but the upper tier (Level 4), is a nightmare. I never went to Level 4 for any of these ten concerts, but know many people who did. The angle of the Level 4 seating is literally vertigo inducing and many people had to ask for "upgrades" to the lower levels for this reason. Due to this the venue customer services normally keeps a small allocation of tickets for people who need to be transferred from Level 4. If the event (like this one) is sold out, the availability of "upgrade" tickets are on a strictly first come, first served basis. If you have been allocated Level 4 tickets in the ballot and you genuinely suffer from vertigo or have issues with heights and steep inclines combined, I recommend you contact Harvey Goldsmith's office and express your concerns, to see what they can do to help before the event. Indi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warby Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Warby, those are great photos you took, what kind of camera do you use? And what was the security like at the O2 for getting in a camera? As was said, considering the size of the venue the actual floor space is quite small - certainly compared to Earls Court or Wembley Arena. It'll be fantastic being so close! Glad you liked the photo's. Camera is a Canon G7. Security were checking for camera's but they just asked me what I had in my pockets and I said mobile and phone and that was it, in I went. If I chance the camera for Zep I may stuff it down my jeans! Cheers Warby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hot dog Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Glad you liked the photo's. Camera is a Canon G7. Security were checking for camera's but they just asked me what I had in my pockets and I said mobile and phone and that was it, in I went. If I chance the camera for Zep I may stuff it down my jeans! Cheers Warby Cheers for that. I've been checking out the other photos on your site, great stuff; some of those gigs I went to. You always seem to get great seats for taking photos! If you do risk the camera I'd love to see your Zeppelin photos. Are you seating for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knebby Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Great info Indi, thanks for taking the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humbug Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Indi, thank you for the information. Don't suppose you noticed if there was motorcycle parking? Otherwise just hope the CATs are running when the concert finishes. Cheers, Humbug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllisonAdler Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 Thanks indi and everyone for all the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warby Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 Cheers for that. I've been checking out the other photos on your site, great stuff; some of those gigs I went to. You always seem to get great seats for taking photos! If you do risk the camera I'd love to see your Zeppelin photos. Are you seating for that? Yes seats for Zep but up in the rafters so not sure what the view will be like. Regards Warby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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