Before I blog on the substance of last night's concert, a few observations on the venue, the O2 in Greenwich.
I had never previously been for a gig, although I did go in 2000 when it was the Millennium Dome. Like most people who actually went, I really enjoyed the Dome, unlike those sat being all sniffy without actually experiencing it. But I really didn't know what to expect.
It benefits from being outside of Central London. Like every venue - Wembley, Earl's Court, Croydon - outside Zone 1 it has the potential problem that after the event, 'everyone' wants to leave the same way, whereas in Central London everyone immediately disperses outside the theatre, joining the masses coming from other theatres, pubs and restaurants, but staggered. But we got the first tube train that came. And it was less hassle than trying to leave the Royal Opera House via Covent Garden station, especially if another theatre kicks out at the same time.
I would not have got a seat except that a nice chap offered me his. He, like many other people, got off at Canary Wharf, for the DLR, as I had expected, so a seat wouldn't have been a problem. Anyway, the journey from Central London is fast and short. We changed at London Bridge, the journey taking less than the hour I'd usually allow to get into town.
It definitely benefits from cars being discouraged. There are parking spaces for people with Disabled badges, and a taxi rank, but the general absence of cars is a pleasure that should be more widely encouraged. There is a canopied walkway from the Tube station to the venue.
When you walk into the place, the first thing that strikes you is the vastness of the space. We wandered Entertainment Avenue looking for loos until it dawned on us there would be some beyond security/ticket check. Entertainment Avenue is packed with chain restaurants and bars, all busy. Obviously used by lots of local people as well as people attending the entertainment. Nothing special; on the other hand, if you were coming straight from work and wanted to eat, you could.
The venue was subject to the usual stupid rules I have encountered elsewhere - tops to be taken off water bottles (I put my bottle-top into Jimmy's pocket). This is to stop them being used as missiles - which worried me, as it hadn't been advertised that Katherine Jenkins would be making a special guest appearance (don't worry, she didn't). I had carefully wrapped my camera in a scarf as advised by a friend, but the security guard barely wafted his hand in my bag. Another friend suggested it depends on how paranoid the artist is - she'd practically had a cavity search for Prince.
I'm sorry but I am one of those people whose first priority on getting somewhere is to find a loo and use it. Years of appalling experiences at places that take your money and don't bother providing adequate facilities have taught me that. My heart sunk at what seemed like a long queue for the Ladies, but fortunately it was a fast moving queue (I went to different loos at the interval and joined with a handful of women to prove that loo queues move quickly when you go both sides, and even more quickly when you gingerly push the doors that appear not to be locked...to conspirational laughter all round!).
My major criticism is that the venue doesn't appear to be particularly accessible. We rode an escalator to the first floor, but in the actual arena you then have to descend lots of stairs to reach the floor. I can't imagine they don't have wheelchair access, and, in truth, it's no worse than most old theatres, but there are numerous people who have mobility problems short of actually needing a wheelchair, including the elderly man walking slowly in front of me.
The chairs are bloody uncomfortable. They do have some padding but it's so thin it might as well be a wooden bench. I think you have to be well into the performance to endure that (I was!) because I have been to boring performances in more comfortable venues where I have been in severe pain.
A major disadvantage of the 'floor' is that it is flat with no pitch (did someone mention...oh never mind). That's fine in the fourth row but I could imagine it being a pain further back. Again no different from any other multi-purpose arena - the O2 will become 'North Greenwich Arena' and host basketball and gymnastics for the Olympics. I don't think they want a sloping floor!
I thought the acoustics were excellent. Of course, I was not expecting an opera house, where one expects the singers to be heard in the rafters without amplification. The arena is four times the size of the two main London opera houses, and a third bigger than the Royal Albert Hall. Guess what, they were amplified. I simply can't guess and won't speculate on how it sounded up in the gods, but from where I was, and not needing to rely on the sound system, it sounded great after some initial whistling/feedback.
The arena wasn't full. A couple of blocks with no stage view were deliberately left empty. I would imagine that that is standard for stage performances, although they would be used for floor shows (like basketball and gymnastics). And there were various empty seats dotted around, but the auditorium was much fuller than the capacity of the Albert Hall, and cool, roomy and much more comfortable.
Although I wouldn't describe it as The Best Venue Ever, considering its size and its purpose I think it's extremely good. I wouldn't hesitate to go to another event there, as long as the artist and price justified each other.
