Free Concert?

Ok, so last Thursday, I went to the Riverspirit Casino to hear Billy Squier play. I knew the name, but had no idea what I was in for. My boyfriend could not believe that I did not know who Billy Squier was, so I explained that I was a nerd/geek in high school and did not like the music that everyone else did.

"What kind of music did you like?"

"Barry Manilow"

"Oh."

So, those of you who have followed and listened to Billy Squier, you know what kind of an evening I was in for. But, free is free, music is music, and maybe my tastes had changed. Hope springs eternal.

To set this up properly, I had been to the Riverspirit Casino several times, and twice to listen to free music. Once was Craig Morgan, and once was The Four Tops. Both concerts were lovely. Craig was 29 minutes late getting onstage (it was a free concert, what did I expect?) but once he was out there, it was a great concert. The Four Tops were spot on time and gave a great concert, too. I expected a great concert from Billy Squire, too -- even if it turned out I did not know a single song.

First indication that something was amiss was the parking lot. There were plenty of empty spots in the lot, but they were roped-off by casino security. When we stopped to inquire as to why, we were told, "This is V.I.P. parking." Huh. I wonder what V.I.P. was in attendance? Was there another promotion going on that we had missed? Oh well, there were always the shuttles. No one has to walk far at Riverspirit.

Once inside, it was rather crowded.

"See? He was really big in the 80's and he's still big today."

Huh. Ok. Whatever. I never had said I did not know his name, I had said I did not know what he sang. Finally, Royce said, "He sings 'Stroke Me'" OOOHHHH....I know that one!

We are there 1.5 hours early. So, we make our way to the concert stage. The closer we get, the more crowded it is. This is strange. This guy must have been really really big. We look over the partition, and there is a sea of chairs set up - and only one guy sitting in the middle of them. The crowd is being held back by security.

This is unusual.

We cannot get close enough to ask any questions. You know, like, "Why won't you let anyone in to sit down?" There was plenty of murmuring about it. It was totally packed outside of the stage area.

Some geography. There is a stage area that is partitioned off with a low wall. About 5' tall, I would say. There is a gaming table - a long one, with space in the middle for a barmaid to walk around in - with bar stools all around it. It has slots there. So, you can sit there and play your slots, order drinks from the person standing inside the bar (yes, I would have to say it is a mini-bar set up as part of the wall), and still see the concert. Outside the partition is a bank of penny slots. Very conveniently located, actually. You can play the penny slots, order drinks from the host/hostesses that are milling about, and turn and watch the concert. It is a very good view, actually - unless there is a sea of people standing outside the wall because no one is allowed to sit down at the staging area. What was going on down there??

Finally, I got close enough to hear an exchange:

"Why are you letting only a few people in?"

"Those are V.I.P.s"

"V.I.P.'s? Why are they V.I.P.'s?"

"They paid for their ticket."

"WHAT ticket? There weren't tickets for sale!"

"Actually, they paid for tickets, but if you got here early, I could put your name on a list and if there was room, I would call you."

"I asked about tickets! You all said that the concert was FREE!"

"It is free - it's just not free to sit by the stage."

Talk about sneaky! The other concerts were not this way! There was no VIP parking, seating, or VIP anything! And for someone to ask and be told that there were no tickets - that it was a free concert? Who the heck were those "VIPs"? Now, I was ticked off.

I don't mind standing outside of a partition and watching a free concert. It is understood that "free" doesn't always translate to "convenient", and it is "first come, first served". However, when you advertise a free concert and then announce to the people waiting outside of that event that it is actually a ticketed event and you never got a chance to buy a ticket – that’s “dirty pool”.

I don't gamble. I don't drink. I don't smoke. These are all prerequisites for going to casinos, it seems. Here I am, listening to the above exchange, seething. As a consolation, this person says, "But you can still listen to the concert - there is a great view of the stage even from here." Of course we can still listen to the concert! We can even see Mr. Squier himself. It really is a good view. These are true statements.

But seriously, does the casino, Mr. Squier, his manager, or whoever really think that we are that dumb?

Of course we can stand outside the partition and watch the concert! Of course there are seats at every one of the penny slots that are outside the partition! (But, do keep gambling; if you are just sitting and watching, you will have to give up your seat for anyone who wants to pay the penny slots - so for two hours, keep feeding money into our machines - or allow the next person to feed money into our machines - thank you!) Of course we can listen to Billy Squier's concert!

This is because the casino and concert promoters haven't figured out a way to make us pay for the sound-waves that reach our ears outside of that partition.

And for the record, I knew two songs in that whole two hour concert: "Stroke Me" and "Everybody Wants You". They came at the end of the whole two hours. And they sounded better back in the 80's.