I seriously doubt the management team of Live Nation is capable of running the company.  Concert promotion is about shows, not Wall Street presentations (which the company also does poorly.)

You’ve got to read the comments about Tom Petty’s show at the Gorge.  There’s no excuse for an experience like this. Before Live Nation acquired the venue there were no complaints.  What went wrong?  Was there too little staff?  Were people improperly trained?  Have budgets been cut so slim that the job can no longer be done?

All concert promotion is local.  Sure, you can roll up radio stations and broadcast the same pap amongst twenty plus minutes of commercials, but even that ain’t working so hot, especially now that people have alternatives.  And believe me, people have alternatives to overpaying to see acts that are on the road playing their old hits again and again, year after year.

Trying to make the economics work, trying to keep its stock inflated, Live Nation has taken its eye off the ball.  Who can make this company run properly?  Probably no one.  But certainly not the team involved.

Someone needs to make the trains run on time and the cars can’t be antiques, but refurbished Pullmans.  Promoting concerts isn’t purely about a balance sheet, spending x to make y.  It’s ultimately a service business, and Live Nation is providing no service, certainly not at the Gorge.

Scroll down this page to relive the horrific experience:

Tom Petty at The Gorge

A few examples:

aliciae7 – 22 June, 2010

Tom=AMAZING, venue=CRAP

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tom & The Heartbreakers. They are my all time favorite band ever. Been listening to them since I was little. I have only been to 4 concerts in my life and have all been Tom!! 3 of which have been at the Gorge.. Tom & the Heartbreakers were absolutely AMAZING. This was by far the best show Ive seen them put on. Tom was so humble and even signed autographs for people when they were done playing..how cool is that!?! BUT the amphitheater was beyond CRAZY this time!! We got there an hour and a half early…after waiting in line to park for a good hour or so… only to find out there was a HUGE line to get into the amphitheater. We waited till 8 before we got in!! Missed all but three or so of Joe Cockers songs…which was okay because we came to see Tom anyways, but still, pay 120 bucks per ticket plus motel and gas that was crap. If that wasnt bad enough the lines for the bathrooms were ten min waits, the bathrooms were already full before Tom even started playing so I can only imagine what they were like towards the end of the concert. I delt with all that and thoroughly enjoyed the show but when it was over was the scary part. People were so packed and pushing each other Im surprised people didnt get trampled!!! I am only five feet tall so was looking at the backs of everyones shoulders, surrounded by stumbling drunks pushing me and kicking me and making my sandals come off over and over… and then if that wasnt bad enough the whole crowd started MOOING!!!! because they all knew it was like we were a cattle herd!! I had NEVER seen it that busy there and so out of control!! Was absolutely crazy. I would come back to see Tom only because its Tom & I love them (have his name across my back windshields of both rigs and soon to get the logo on my back!! 🙂 but they need to put a cap on the number of people allowed to purchase tickets for there or something because that was TOTALLY out of control!! Thumbs UP UP UP for Tom & the band Thumbs DOWN DOWN DOWN for the venue/event staff/live nation…whoever was at fault for the madness!!!!

LIMITEDEDITION – 16 June, 2010

The Gorge Experience

I love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and have been going to their shows since 1979. I never miss a TP&HB concert. But if they come back to the Gorge next time they tour, I will miss them. Tom and the band were excellent, but the entire experience at the Gorge was so awful that it was hard to get past it and enjoy the show the way we usually do. We also missed Joe Cocker, even though we arrived with plenty of time to spare. The lack of security and organization was unbelieveable. I have never liked the Gorge, and now I will not go back. I really hope they play a different venue in the Northwest next time they tour. I know many people love the Gorge, but many of us do not.

Live Nation failed!

Tom Petty said on Tavis Smiley, "All the trouble (fans) go to attend a concert, you owe them a great performance". Tom delivered. Live Nation didn’t. I was happy to spend $500 to reprise a concert experience my sons and I had in 1994 seeing Petty in Vancouver, and also revisit the Gorge for a concert. We enjoyed the concert, we completely were cheated out of the experience, we missed Joe Cocker, the sun setting over the hills, the ambience, etc. The mass of people crowded together was dangerous, especially when guys in the back started yelling "push" etc. It’s just good luck,not good management that no one was hurt. Live Nation grossed a minimum $1 million on this concert,.. they could have spent another $5000 looking after the fans, their customers. Contact media@livenation.com .. going to their site to get a refund is hopeless! Barb in Cranbrook

bigsky – 15 June, 2010

Gorge Lines

Agree with who ever drove 5 hours…and had to wait forever. I had tickets to Saturday’s show..drove 5 hours from Missoula, Montana to the Gorge. Will call was a nightmare…then the hearding of the people to get in. It’s the first time ever I missed the opening act, at a Petty concert there. What the hell is up with the staff 1 1/2 hours to get ticket and then get in. No wonder I missed Joe Cocker. ———————————- Tom Petty & Heartbreakers were in great form as usual..as if I had to even say that…it just goes without saying…You guys always rock..

jasonbeck10 – 15 June, 2010

Petty @ The Gorge

Petty’s show the second night at the Gorge was excellent as always. Saw him in Vancouver the Tuesday before and he played the same setlist both nights, but no biggie–both nights rocked! We drove down from Vancouver making the pilgrimmage in approximately 5 hours with stops. Small price for what is a great venue and always great show from Petty. That said, my three friends and I had row 9 seats ($150 each) and we arrived at Will Call at 6:15pm, over an hour before Joe Cocker was to hit the stage. We then waded into the massive body of thousands trying to get through the gates and moved approximately 20 feet in an hour. Not once did an employee take the initiative to give the crowd any indication of the wait time or if a problem existed or anything. Only added to a bad situation. Have never been so disappointed as when we heard Cocker’s set begin echoing in the distance and the line was clearly not going to move in time to get in without missing a significant chunk. Never did we think we’d miss the entire set and get to our seats only 15 minutes before Petty and the boys hit the stage. No chance for food, beer, T-shirts, souvenirs, nothing. We felt a bit cheated out of half the concert. As did many of the thousands trapped outside like cattle. Like I said, Petty’s show rocked, but the sour taste of a near 3-hour wait was too much to overcome. Don’t think I’ll come back to the Gorge again (this time was my third seeing Petty here after concerts in 2005 and 2008) after this experience. My friends would likely agree. Too bad, as the past two Petty concerts at the Gorge were great experiences where we could basically walk right in with little hassle. The entire concert and venue staff had the feel of a new team that was badly disorganized and didn’t know what they were in for. Can’t remember if Livenation has managed Petty concerts here before, but this was definitely my worst concert experience at any venue for any artist. I am embarrassed to complain (particularly on the website of my absolute favourite band) but couldn’t find any forum or method on either the Livenation or Gorge websites and felt those in charge should know the conditions for future concerts before more fans are lost.

Gorge Amphitheater – 6/12/10

I’m not one to be a pessimist, so I’ll start by saying that the set Tom and the boys played was amazing as usual. Mojo is going to rock and will be playing in my home and car for months. This was my twelth time seeing the band dating back to 1995 when I was in high school. This was the fourth time I’ve made the 250-mile drive to one of the most beautiful venues in the country. Nothing makes me happier than seeing this band live. With that being said, the organization at the Gorge on this particular night was about as poor as I can imagine. The chaos that ensued at the will call station and the entrance by a presumably understaffed crew at the Gorge was inexcusable. It took over ninety minutes from the time I got in line at will call to the time I set foot in the venue. I, like thousands of others I presume, missed Joe Cocker’s set. I’m not sure if the first nice day in what seemed like months in the NW was the culprit for this, or maybe it was because more premium seatholders had to pick up tickets at the venue in lieu of the mail (to combat the scalpers), but I hope that LiveNation gets their stuff together in the future. I feel guilty for posting this here because Tom and the HBs are my favorite band without question. I just want Tom to know! I consider myself a die hard, and have flown far away and made long road trips to see them, and I will keep doing it. I just hope that the people organizing these events will realize that we the fans sacrifice a lot in some cases to attend and we should never have to worry about standing in a line for an hour-and-a-half just to get into the venue. Joe Cocker, I’ll catch you next time. TPHB, you’re the best in the business and I hope for many more years and many more GREAT experiences.