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View Full Version : House of Blues - Boston - A Gripe


londonblue007
23rd of February 2009 (Mon), 13:28
What a waste HOB was last night.... (BB King, Buddy Guy)
I get to the ticket window. Complete disaster after disaster. I'm about 5 people back, waiting in the rain and snow for 20 minutes. The box office was so disorganized, it made me sick. Literally, I have the sniffles today.
So, finally, I get to the window. "Hi, I'm confirmed for a photo pass, here's my ID. Who confirmed me? Universal Music and Live Nation."
So, the girl goes off... comes back. "Sorry, there is no photo list... we are looking for it."
She takes my ID and email confirmation again and goes off, hands it off to someone with a radio walkie talkie, who leaves the box office. A few minutes later, he comes back and gives the email printout and ID back to me. They ask for me to wait while they find the list and/or someone who knows about the list. Meanwhile, they then ask me to call my contact at Universal MG and Live Nation to have them call HOB. Its Sunday night, do you really think anyone at LN or UMG is working? no. course not.
So, after waiting about 20 minutes again, the show begins. I can hear the music through the walls.
Then they call me back to the window. "Sorry, there is no photography at all tonight." I say I have confirmation. They say "Doesn't matter, we have no list, and management decided there is no photography tonight at all. Sorry. You should complain to whoever thought they could give you photo passes"
I thanked them for their time, tell them politely it is not their fault, and leave.

Moral of the story.... It appears it doesn't matter what email confirmations you bring... doesn't matter if you are "on a list"... if the HOB Box Office doesn't have a list period...or management decides to not allow photography regardless of what others say.... then they won't let you in.

narlus
23rd of February 2009 (Mon), 13:32
wow, what a CF of the highest order. HoB appear to be even more fascist than the old Avalon staff.

i'm supposed to shoot George Clinton on Wed...hopefully that will happen!

DDCSD
23rd of February 2009 (Mon), 16:06
Yikes, that sucks.

I've been asking for the tour/road managers cell number for cases like this. I haven't had to use it, but I figure if I start dialing the number, hopefully people start moving. At least I hope so...

londonblue007
23rd of February 2009 (Mon), 16:20
Yikes, that sucks.

I've been asking for the tour/road managers cell number for cases like this. I haven't had to use it, but I figure if I start dialing the number, hopefully people start moving. At least I hope so...


That's what we(me, my publication management and my editors) just discussed. I've never had trouble at any other venue, but from now on, HOB shows... I'm not going to go unless I have a phone number or 2. It's not worth it, in time and money for transportation/parking/etc.

Compact Diss
24th of February 2009 (Tue), 20:59
I have been waiting for the discussions to begin about the new HOB...

The only thing I can add here is with BB King. I was never approved by him when I shot his show, it was actually through the venue itself, he seems to be highly protected by his people when he is around. I'm surprised that you were even given a confirmation at all.

I went to the HOB for a job, they offered me one, to be the guy in the bathroom that holds the paper towel for you after you wash your hands...I mentioned that I was a photographer to the guy watching the door that day, right away he jumps at me, "they already have a house photographer"..blah blah blah...I wasn't asking, he obviously had been prepped on what to say or whatever. I never did take the job...

I am interested in a lot of shows that are coming, but I haven't really made attempts at passes because I have figured it's Live Nation, mixed with HOB, I figure the policy would be strict, if any photography allowed at all...

Here's one story, I'm sure that there will be more to come...

narlus
24th of February 2009 (Tue), 21:56
i'll see what tmrw night brings...i'm supposed to shoot George Clinton...

narlus
25th of February 2009 (Wed), 09:15
well i just got off the phone w/ his production manager so hopefully that will be sorted and there will be no problems tonight.

get on up!

René Damkot
25th of February 2009 (Wed), 12:14
Sorry to hear the OP story & hope on better luck for Narlus...

narlus
26th of February 2009 (Thu), 10:17
phil, i noticed that for the buddy guy/bb king review that ran in the Boston Globe, they ran file photos from 2007 so maybe there wasn't any shooters approved (or, they might not have sent one and just ran those anyway...they've certainly done that in the past).

londonblue007
26th of February 2009 (Thu), 10:20
phil, i noticed that for the buddy guy/bb king review that ran in the Boston Globe, they ran file photos from 2007 so maybe there wasn't any shooters approved (or, they might not have sent one and just ran those anyway...they've certainly done that in the past).


I saw that too. I don't know what happened, but I have the email from Universal MG saying I was good to go.

narlus
26th of February 2009 (Thu), 11:33
well there were no snags for me last night...security didn't care about the 3 song rule for the 1st two bands (i left the pit and got some shots from the balconies; a couple shooters stayed in the entire time), and for Clinton it didn't really matter since the 3 songs probably went on for at least 30 minutes. i guess photogs get the sparkly 'all access' wrist band which allows 3rd level access, which is nice...good dead-on stage perspective. my wife enjoyed the extra room as well, away from the great unwashed :D

i'll toss a link in the share forum.