Hello to all at prince.org and and Prince fans...



I, like you, am a die-hard Prince admirer. Though I'm not as hard core
as some of you (I don't have the money to follow his shows throughout
the country or spend a heap of money on memorabilia), I do know that he
is by far my favorite performer. I remember Raspberry Beret being one
of the first songs I memorized the words to (that was over 15 years
ago!).



2 years ago I had excellent seats to his show in Boston, MA, and he
canceled only hours before the performance. I was really upset, to say
the least. So, when I got tickets to see him in Worcester, MA for his
Hit and Run tour, I was beyond excited. Like many other people, I
waited in line for many hours to get my vouchers. I showed up at the
Palladium 4 hours early to make sure I was close for this general
admission show. I was about the 20th person in line when I arrived.



My plea to you concerns the following events which caused me to miss out on this show.

A) the doors were scheduled to open at 7pm and we were not let in until
8:30. The show was supposed to start at 8pm.



B) as we waited outside, at least 20-25 people blatantly cut me and
others who had been standing in line for 4 hours. Many claimed to be
meeting friends up front.



C) I managed to get very close to the stage (about 10 feet from his
mic!!!) and as people filled in, I was elbowed, pushed, and even
screamed at as the push towards the stage began.



D) once everyone was crammed into the tiny theater, we were forced
again to wait. Between 8:30 and 10pm all of the tired, cold, and
anxious fans got more and more upset. Many had plenty of time to get
drunk and obnoxious.



E) It was around 10pm that many people surrounding me (drunk and mad) began arguing and trying to make their way toward each other to fight.
I was stuck right in the middle. I was extremely scared, feeling that a
riot would begin at any time. Other around me told me that it would
"get much worse when he comes on stage."



At this point I had no choice but to leave. I felt threatened and
unsafe.



Lots of people would say "That's what shows are like," or "you should've
sucked it up." But I'm left feeling punished. I put my time in, I
stood in line, I paid my money, I didn't push or shove, and I missed
out.



What's my plea?



No matter how badly ANYONE wants to see or be close to Prince, it is not
worth cheating or hurting others.



Don't cut people, don't just let people cut (even your friends that showed up 10 minutes before show time), and support others who are
confronting people who cut.



Don't push and shove and elbow to get to the front. And if you see
someone doing it to someone else, help them out... say something.



I realize the Palladium is as much at fault as the mean spirited fans
who wrecked this evening for a lot of people. Keeping people waiting in
the cold forever, cramming them in to maximum capacity, and giving them
too much time to get wasted makes for riotous and dangerous conditions.



To all of you who are courteous and considerate to your fellow fans...
Thank you and keep it up. To those of you who recognize this behavior
as your own, take a second to consider your fellow fans. We're ALL
there for the same reason.



Thanks for everybody's time....



Fan of 15 years ( 0 shows )
-Worcester, MA