Bethel woods, inc. - music and abuse!

BETHEL WOODS, INC. - MUSIC AND ABUSE

When spending good money for concert tickets, and paying OUTRAGEOUS prices for food and refreshments - like FOUR DOLLARS for a small bottle of water - WE HAVE A RIGHT TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT. We are fools to tolerate anything less!

On line to enter the Woodstock 40th anniversary concert at Bethel Woods, I had a carrying bag in which, among other things, was a tambourine. One poorly trained or just plain stupid guy working security at the entrance asked to see what was in my bag, so I opened it and showed it to him. He said I could not bring it in. When asked why, he said because the tambourine was a "hard object." When I objected, he told me I should bring it back to my car - about a HALF MILE away! I objected further, so he told me I could check it at a nearby customer service tent and get a receipt for it.

At customer service, I was told that they DO NOT check things and that I COULD bring it in, but I should go through the gate at a different location to avoid the person that told me I could not do so.

I did that, but there another moronic bag-checker had the AUDACITY to STICK HIS HAND INTO MY BAG to go through what was in it! He is very lucky I am a peaceful man! Even a POLICE OFFICER has no legal right to do that without probable cause. Did that idiot think that if I had anything prohibited or illegal, I would be so stupid as to have it in a bag that was to be examined?

I also witnessed a glass water bottle being stolen ("confiscated") from a friend, but I did not object at the time - after all, glass can be dangerous. However,I then saw beer BEING SOLD IN GLASS BOTTLES inside the venue!

Did you know that many concert venues carelessly inflict permanent hearing loss on their patrons? Seated close to one of those huge speaker stacks, you are likely to be subject todangerous levels of sound long enough to cause permanent inner ear damage if you don't wear good protection.

Actually, Bethel Woods is not nearly as bad as some other places I’ve been to. I now NEVER go to some, like Madison Square Garden, that charge you a fortune then treat you like shit. Such places are staffed by bullying goons that will STEAL anything they can from you. They know you can't complain to a cop that your pot was stolen, and that you are likely to tolerate their crap rather than risk being thrown out. They only get away with this abuse because We the Sheeple have allowed them to. Well, as Dylan wrote, "The Times,They Are a-Changin'!"

Management is FULLY RESPONSIBLE for the conduct of employees and their treatment of patrons. If we stop patronizing the abusive concert profiteers, and tell them why, they will start treating us with respect!

ALTERNATIVES TO ABUSIVE CONCERT VENUES

Do you have a home theater system? This combination of wide-screen TV,DVD/videotape player, and stereo sound system can give you entertainment experiences comparable to being at a live show. You can buy one with the money saved by not going to a few commercial concerts. For the cost of another concert, you can get enough CDs and DVDs to enjoy your favorite bands for months - and without the obnoxious commercials that you get onscreen at live shows nowadays. Yes, despite all you spend there, they subject you to advertising!

The home theater system or a high-quality stereo system allows the enjoyment of your favorite bands in the privacy and comfort of your own home. No hours of travel to and from the concert venue. No parking problems. No paying large sums for tickets, related expenses, and transportation, and no outrageous prices for refreshments. No idiots violating your rights and privacy by searching you and your property, and "confiscating" whatever they want to. No bad seats from which the view or the sound is not good. No being surrounded by drunks and noisy rowdies. No nasty security goons to push you around or even rob you. Want to light up a doobie? - go ahead; you are at home partying and can do whatever you please. You have total control. Take a break whenever you want - just push the pause button first and you won't miss a thing. And you can even choose what yousee and hear, skipping over what you don't care to. And once paid for, your home theater or sound system will last for many years with no further cost.

TELL ALL THE GREEDY, DISRESPECTFUL CORPSERATE CONCERT VENUES WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH THEIR MUSIC AND ABUSE!

 

The refreshment prices at Bethel are outrageous, the parking is absolutely terrible, and I've had my bag rifled through on the way in as well. Poorly trained staff is right! The last time I went was in '07 to see Bob Dylan and I don't know if I'll ever go back. One of my good friends produces some of their screen printed tie-dyes and tie-dyed banners so he gets free tickets and backstage passes sometimes. That's probably the only way I would go back, if I wasn't paying. He and I always joke about Bethel's eight dollar popcorn, they've got to be fucking kidding me.

 

That sounds pretty typical for a public event. Every once in a while I have had some particularly irksome experience (umbrella confiscated in the rain and no way of retrieving it (it was a gift) and OTC painkillers (I get migraines) taken) but other than that I've just accepted that as the norm. I dunno...

 

Sorry you had such a bad time, Mick. I was also there in august, but I had a great time. I also had a backpack with me, but there wasn't anything in it that caused any problems.Situations like yours happens all the time, but that shouldn't have ruined your experience there...mellow out a little....

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