Everybody is'nt happy with the solo acoustic shows...

Meet The New Boss...
The following letter was first published in the Austin Daily ...

The Boss? The one-night show at the Austin Music Hall was definitely controlled by "The Boss." After spending several hours in line to obtain tickets to this event, I was anticipating the concert of a lifetime.

Upon arriving at the Music Hall, we were surprised to find a lengthy line of ticket holders waiting to enter the building. It was already past 8 PM and there was no opening act. Our first desire was to get to our seats, in the 33rd row center, which required those on the end to actually move out into the aisle so that we could squeeze through, to them. Sitting down was a trick in itself. The seats were plastic Cafeteria style like what you would find in a public school. They were tied together and could not be moved. Not only were these seats too small for someone of average size, but impossible for those unfortunate attending souls who were overweight. Our shoulders were snugly up against the people on either side, and my knees rested against the person's back in front of me. Likewise, the person behind me also had his knees up against my chair. Forget crossing your legs, moving, or anything else. Fortunately, we were not behind any pillars that other ticket holders found in front of them. After getting more or less settled in, I volunteered to get us drinks before the show started. All of the bars were manned, but nobody was in line. This seemed odd, so I asked for two colas. I was immediately told that there were no drinks available after 8:00 PM as per orders from "The Boss." I told the bartender I just wanted Coke's or water, but still the answer was 'no.' As I walked away, I watched several people place orders with the bartenders and receive drinks. When questioned, the bartender told me that only "special" people were allowed to be served. "So, what does it take to be special? I asked. Friends of the Music Hall owners or "The Boss" entourage. "Hmmmm ... so what you are telling me is that for the next 2-3 hours, I can watch other people drink, but I cannot." Furthermore, we were not told of this rule ahead of time.

By then, I was starting to get angry. My friend stared at me in disbelief when I told her about the drinking rule. The four people on the end of our row were some of the "special people." and had mixed drinks as well as canned colas.

"The Boss" arrives shortly thereafter and sings his first song which I recognized as one off the new Tom Joad album. After he completed this acoustical ballad, he tells the crowd that 'he would not tolerate any disruptive behavior or interruptions during his show. And then, he suggested to the audience that if anyone near them was creating any distractions, talking, etc. they could turn and tell them to 'shut the fuck up." Great way to start off the evening. It became very apparent that, not only could you not converse with anyone during the show, you could not leave or return to your seat for any reason during a song. Ushers were posted at each aisle to ensure that no interruptions or other movement occurred. This meant clapping, singing along or even whispering. After several songs, my friend and I were quite miserable. Not only were the seats extremely uncomfortable, but the rows were aligned so closely together that viewing the stage was impossible. I did find a 2x2 inch hole in which I could see "The Boss" if I laid my head on the person's shoulder to my left. We decided to take a break and exited during a pause between songs.

My friend, being a smoker, needed to step outside to have a cigarette. This was not allowed. All other concerts we had attended at this hall had allowed smoking on the patio. well, now ... what could possibly be next? We decided to torturing ourselves in our seats or stand against a side wall instead of disrupting everyone in our row again. Guess what? This also, was not allowed. You couldn't stand on the sides or in the foyer, or sit in the foyer. Either you could go to the bathroom and return to your seat ... or leave. Hmmm... This was beginning to sound like a prison, and leaving was sounding better and better. After we listened to 5-6 more songs, we decided that remaining was no longer tolerable. We exited and asked the box office if we could have our money back. They stated that the only person who could authorize a refund was "The Boss" manager. He was pointed out to us and we asked him if we could have a refund. He asked us the reason and we told him about the seats, smoking and drinking problems we had experienced. We must have looked like two alcoholics because that is all he had heard. He finally offered to get us something to drink if we would take our seats. We reminded him again that the drinks were not the only problem. He angrily stated that no refunds would be given just because we couldn't do without a drink. I said, "fine, but in the matter of good business, please refund our money.' Emphatically, he said 'no!.' Then he added that he couldn't believe we would leave "The Boss" show just because we couldn't drink. Realizing this idiot didn't want to understand our concerns and that his head was up his ass, we left.

The more I thought about this situation, the angrier I got. So, the "Boss" is the boss. But he is no longer the "boss" to me. He will never again be allowed to boss me around and make a concert miserable. I will never go to see him again. And for the people who own the Austin Music Hall: I am not the only one boycotting this establishment due to your desire to make more money by cramming us all together like sardines. Is money more important than repeat business? I think not.

B. H., Austin, Texas