I've never been to the Palladium before but most of the other nights on the six city tour were in seated theatres so were were expecting something fairly intimate going in.
Didn't quite work out that way.
Seems the Palladium holds over 3,000 people in wide oval shaped general admission room that's perfect for bands but not really all that well suited for the kind of event where seeing the stage is key. The night started with a band we couldn't have cared less about so we spent time waiting in a very long beer line twice. Then we wandered the theatre looking for a place to stand and well...it didn't exist. Tall Steve, who was also with us, had no problem seeing over the masses but I couldn't see a thing and Liz couldn't less than a thing. This was not going to do.
We tried going upstairs. That was worse. Went back down and they started screening a future episode before the cast took the stage. We couldn't see anything. Liz took off to find a new location while Darrin and Steve, tired of wandering, decided to just stay planted at the back. I'm certain Darrin couldn't see either but maybe Steve was going to narrate like one of those dvd audio tracks for the blind.
I went looking for Liz just as a woman was letting her go upstairs to the VIP balcony. OK, this seemed cool...but we got up there and it was even worse. Now we were behind people looking down on the stage vs. up. I think I got a glimmer of a corner of the screen. I think Liz just saw the backs of many many people. There WAS an entire seated area with tables...but that was the real VIP and as far as we knew.... we weren't getting access.
So we go back downstairs and decide to stand on the steps along the wall with the many other people who were doing the same. We could now see perfectly. But...event venues don't particularly like it when people stand on stairs--that whole fire escape thing and all--so it took less than 60 seconds for the original woman who let us go upstairs to ask us to move.
Liz responded first. "There's nowhere for us to go!"
"Well you can't stand here!"
Arguing ensued. Liz and I both got loud and refused to leave. We accused them of overselling the venue. (Which they clearly had). She didn't seem to care. Problem for this poor woman is she didn't carry much authority because no one else moved either. And at least two more people argued that they couldn't see. It probably didn't help that I encouraged people not to leave when she asked them to move.
We watched a minute or two of the screened episode before the Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson-type (seriously this dude could have been his stunt double) security manager walked up. He worked his way walking up the stairs telling people to move and having them do exactly what he asked. Uh oh. Moments later we were the only two holdouts on our prime viewing perch.
"You can't stand here"
We gave the same arguments and didn't budge. At this point I thought we were going to be thrown out. And if that were the case we would have argued our way to a refund and waited til the show ended for Darrin and Steve at the bar across the street. We couldn't see anyway so what was the loss?
"Your whole posse is gone. You're still not moving?"
My posse? Oh, all those other poor saps who couldn't see? That's cool that I earned a reputation as a rebel rouser in the five minutes we were standing there. Fight the power!
We argued some more. Oversold...yadda yadda yadda. He suggested a few places for us to go and we answered that there was nowhere to stand after each one.
"When the fire marshal shuts this event down all the people in this theater will blame you."
Ah the guilt attempt. Except for the fact that we'd just get thrown out way before that could ever happen.
"No they won't," I yelled said. "They'll blame you for selling too many tickets. This isn't a concert. It's a stage show"
He asked Liz if she'd want him showing up at her job and giving him a hard time. Faux-Rock doesn't know Liz. "Parents do that to me EVERY DAY!" she snapped back.
"OK. Hold on a minute." He said holding his hand up a bit and clearly thinking.
Was he figuring out in his head how to throw us out? Liz and I looked at each other, confused.
Suddenly he grabbed the arm of this long haired dude hurrying up the stairs. "Can you help my friends here find a place to see?"
Next thing we know we're lead up to that seated VIP area and given a 4 person table. Almost immediately after we sit a waitress comes over to take a drink order. The preview episode ended just after we sat down (we didn't really see any of it), but the table was a perfect spot from which to watch the main show. After we caught our breath Liz and I looked at each other and I said, "How did we not get thrown out just then?" "And how did we get a table instead?" she added.
We tried to text Darrin to meet us, but he never got the messages until after the show. I never got the name of Not-Rock. I know we thanked him right before being whisked away, but I'm sure he just thought it was an easy way to shut-up a couple of loudmouths. Not as easy as showing us the door though--and for that I wish I knew how to send the venue sober positive accolades about him.And how was the show? Awesome and hilarious. But it's Always Sunny...live...in person. How could it be anything but?
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