Concert Venue Offers Refunds After Disastrous Jane's Addiction Show

BY Alex HudsonPublished Mar 23, 2012

Pretty much any concert-attending music fan is familiar with a crappy live venue with poor sound and bad amenities. Few of us, however, have ever experienced a venue so god-awful that ticket buyers were actually granted refunds. But that's exactly what happened at a recent Jane's Addiction concert when the veteran alt-rock crew played the inaugural show at Minneapolis, MN's new venue, the Brick, on Monday night (March 19).

So what exactly was so bad about the AEG-owned room? According to 89.3 The Current, the sight lines were so poor that the 2,000-odd people who attended the gig, whose tickets went for $65 a pop, weren't able to see the band properly. And those who retreated to the basement found nothing but small TVs and no sound system.

Making matters worse, it was almost impossible to push through the hoards of people to get the venue's only bathroom, according to the report. And before fans even got inside the room, they apparently had to wait in the rain while people filed through the Brick's narrow entrance way.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for the crowd to become more than a little grumpy, and the band even warned the security guards, "You're going to have a fucking riot on your hands" (watch the video embedded below). Attendees have since started a blog about how bad the venue is.

The venue's general manager Jeff Kehr issued an apology for the poor show. It reads:

We owe you an apology for the issues you encountered during the show. Live music experiences represent some of the greatest moments of our lives and, this was obviously not one of ours. Our goal in bringing a new music venue to the Twin Cities was to provide fans with the best possible concert experience, and despite a thundering performance from Jane's Addiction, we know we were unable to achieve this greatness on Monday night.

We have an obligation to make this right for our customers, which is why we are offering all Jane's Addiction ticket holders the choice of a refund, including service fees, or tickets to an upcoming show of their choice (based on availability). We are listening to your comments and feedback and are committed to making the necessary changes at The Brick to ensure that your next concert experience will be much more enjoyable.


It's unclear exactly how the venue intends to improve (and the shows in the coming weeks appear to be going ahead), but you can read the full statement at City Pages [via The Daily Swam], and get information on refunds there.

So next time you complain about a venue in your hometown, think about this show to put things in perspective.

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