I left early.
Here's why:
August 3, 2009
Austin Music Hall
208 Nueces Street
Austin TX 78701
Dear Ma'am/Sir:
My husband and I were guests at Austin Music Hall tonight for Counting Crows and Augustana. We are residents of Shreveport, a military family just trying to get a break and enjoy a night out with my favorite band 6 hours from our home.
Because we are responsible and self-sufficient, we paid our money, bought our tickets, looked up the venue online, mapped it out, and perused the general information about it to ensure we were aware of and abided by house rules.
As a result, we elected NOT to bring my Nikon. This was a matter of respect for the rules. We were glad to comply. It’s what reasonable people do.
Unfortunately, reasonable people are often lonely for the like-minded.
During the Counting Crows concert, we had two great spots on the floor just three people deep from center stage. Those around us were respectful, there to see the band, and very cordial with one another during the wait for start time, as well as during the first half of the show.
Then came intermission.
Three women had made their way to our side and shoved their way into no available space. After being jostled and bumped for the entire 10 minute intermission by the one closest to me, I turned to face her and asked her, with great restraint, to please stop pushing me. She, along with her two friends, took my request as fighting words, and proceeded to berate me for the next 40 minutes of the concert. I was not the only guest falling prey to their bullying. One lady immediately in front of them leaned over to me and empathized, saying the same girl was pushing her as well and maybe we should call security over.
The security representative closest to us at the edge of the stage wore a badge bearing the name Francis. He was engrossed in a flirtation with a woman immediately in front of him on the front row, but the other guest and I were finally able to get his attention and alert him to the fact that this rude person was killing the concert experience for the rest of us. Mr. Francis was patronizing and reticent, and returned to his conversation with the attractive lady on the front row.
Perhaps you can imagine how this must have further fueled the rudeness of the offensive guest in our midst? This woman was so close to my face that the alcohol emanating from her breath burned my eyes. She moved even closer to me and flipped her hair against my chest for the next half hour, all the while bumping into me repeatedly, in time to the music.
When she started to speak disrespectfully about me to my husband, I addressed her directly to turn around, stop talking to my husband, and enjoy the concert like she said she was there to do.
This is when Mr. Francis decided to intervene. He left his conversation with the attractive lady on the front row and asked me if he needed to throw me out of the concert.
I told him he didn’t have to. My husband and I left right then, before the concert of my favorite band whose tours I have not missed since 1994 had come to an end.
We left because Austin Music Hall expected me to behave a certain way and abide by certain rules but did not care to enforce its own policy with a drunk and unruly patron.
We left because a security representative who was too busy fraternizing with a guest to his liking failed to exercise the authority of his position to execute the published policy of the venue he serves.
We left because we are decent, hard-working Americans who don’t deserve to be treated this way by someone who was paid to protect us from unruly, drunk, and disrespectful guests who don’t know how to behave in public.
Then I got back to the hotel and started looking around online. Apparently, Austin Music Hall has a sordid reputation for just this sort of incident. While it helps to know that I am not the only one to have been treated this way at AMH, I will head back home to Shreveport tomorrow with bad memories of this concert that I had been looking forward to for nearly four months now. I regret that I laid down 90 hard-earned dollars and was robbed of my money’s worth. I regret that when I and another guest asked your security detail for help, we were dismissed and ignored.
Is this the kind of behavior you encourage from your security representatives? From your patrons?
I am deeply disappointed in my experience at Austin Music Hall. This night was ruined for me by drunken rudeness left unaddressed by inept security staff and further exacerbated by Mr. Francis’ threat to eject me from the concert when I tried to defend myself because he refused.
The concert is over, the night is lost, and the moment can’t be undone. Something special and much-anticipated has been totally ruined for me. Hopefully, no one else will have to undergo this kind of treatment at your facility. It certainly will not happen to me again.
Respectfully,
Mollie Walton Corbett
6019 Rosemead Circle
Bossier City, LA 71111
757-241-0859
318-734-5182
God bless the people who run Austin Music Hall.
Here's why:
Mrs. Corbett,
I am sorry to hear that you had a disappointing experience at our venue last night and I am disheartened to hear that your situation was handled in such a manner. We appreciate patrons such as yourself who come to the shows and abide by the rules, making it an enjoyable experience for all involved. Unfortunately, as you stated, reasonable people are often lonely for the like minded. It is unfortunate that you had to be involved with one of the few patrons who chose to be disrespectful. I would like to apologize for the way the situation was handled by the security guard. We use an independent security company who is NOT a part of the Direct Events organization, therefore we have no part in the hiring or training of said security guards. I will forward your email to their management so that they can take the proper steps to ensure a situation like this does not happen again.
I realize that you do not live in the Austin area, but I would like to offer you a gift certificate, which is redeemable for 2 tickets to any show at either of our venues (Austin Music Hall or La Zona Rosa) so that we may show you that your situation was an unusual one and certainly not telling of how we do business. It is unfortunate that you walked away from our building with a bad impression, and we would certainly like to turn that around.
Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your situation.
Respectfully,
Alicia Ross
Business Manager - Direct Events
So, the good news is we can see anyone we want in Austin whenever we want. The bad news is, we won't get back what was lost. I missed everything after Holiday in Spain.
I missed A Murder of One.
Thinking about a plane ride...
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