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Long lineups ruined Rock the Shores experience

Anyone who purchased VIP tickets for $125 each to the Rock the Shores outdoor concert was ripped off.

Anyone who purchased VIP tickets for $125 each to the Rock the Shores outdoor concert was ripped off.

There were many people in the VIP area complaining and I’m surprised there wasn’t a riot. I had a bad feeling about the concert oranization right from the start. Why would a concert start at 5 p.m. on a Friday when most people work until then?

My family and I arrived at 6 p.m. hoping to see Current Swell, thinking we would miss the rush and get in right away having purchased the VIP tickets. We had to walk past the regular seating entrance lineup which was very short, and all the way around to the back of the venue where were surprised to see a very long lineup.

It took us 40 minutes to finally get to the entrance after waiting in the hot sun. I was surprise to see only two people working at the gate for the thousands of people in the VIP section. By the time we got in we missed Current Swell.

We were certainly surprised there were thousands of people in the VIP area. We were told there would be special VIP seating on a raised platform close to the stage. The VIP seating held about 50 people. The rest of the thousands of VIP ticket holders had to sit on the wet grass and a lot of the viewing was blocked by patio umbrellas.

The VIP area was off to the side and near the back of the venue. We had to watch the screens because we were so far away from the stage. We were also told we would have our own washrooms and food and beverage venues. The lineups were so long we had to keep going out into the general admission areas to use the washrooms. The people in the general admisssion area also had access to the front of the stage whereas the VIP section was barracaded off. The sound quality at being so far off to one side was terrible.

I have seen the Tragically Hip eight times, and I have been to many concerts and the Rock the Shores was definatley the worst concert I have ever experienced.

The organization group should go to a concert at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby to learn how to put on a outdoor concert. There are no VIP areas, no barricades, no tents or umbrellas blocking views, everyone brings their own lawn chair, everyone is free to roam around anywhere with alcholic beverages and it is a family event. They have ample staff to service the large crowds and the attendance is much greater than the 12,500 at Rock the Shores.

Oh and they also ran out of beer at 8:30 p.m., after they sold the beer tickets. Sam Roberts only played a few songs then the rest of his set was cancelled due to a lightning warning. The Hip started a half hour late at 9:30 p.m. and played with an incredible lightning show  going on behind them. That was the highlight of the night.

Jaime McCormick

Saanich