Nina H.
1/5
The Spill Canvas show held at The Moroccan Lounge on Friday, April 26, 2024, was characterized by a lack of coordination and organization, rendering it one of the most poorly executed events of this size that I have ever attended.
Typically, I secure concert tickets several months prior to the event. However, as I reside in Michigan, I could only get tickets to the concert once I knew I would be in Los Angeles, which was approximately two weeks before the scheduled date. Upon receiving the tickets, I immediately noticed that the event had been rescheduled, and the venue had been changed from The Teragram Ballroom. Additionally, while the original venue had listed the door time as 6:30 pm, the Ticketmaster event page conveyed the door time as 8:00 pm, and the tickets themselves stated a door time of 6:00 pm. To obtain clarification, I contacted the information email addresses on both the original and the new venue's websites on April 16, 2024. However, I did not receive any response. Consequently, on April 19, 2024, I sent another email and attempted to place a call. On calling the phone numbers provided on the venue websites and Google, I received a reorder tone for one, and for the other, I was routed right to a voicemail box with an ordinary recording that did not indicate it belonged to the venue.
As the day of the concert approached, I found myself in a state of uncertainty. No one had responded to my queries, and even comments on the original venue's Instagram page were left unanswered. Neither venue made any acknowledgment on their social media accounts about the venue change. However, as I do not follow the venues on social media, it's possible they posted about it on a story that I was not able to access, leaving me feeling completely in the dark.
I arrived at the venue at approximately 8:00 pm, only to find that the headlining band had already commenced their performance. According to the venue's website, if your ticket says "early," the show will conclude by 9:00 pm. However, my tickets did not say anything about an early show. Upon arrival, I was stopped by security, who aggressively inquired, "WHO ARE YOU HERE TO SEE!?!?" which made it seem as though I was doing something illicit by approaching the door. After entering, I requested water from the bartender and was directed to a drink dispenser with tiny cups that seemed more appropriate for mouthwash than hydration. Upon requesting a larger cup of ice, the bartender rolled her eyes as though I was causing inconvenience but eventually gave me a slightly larger cup than those near the drink dispenser with a minuscule scoop of ice.
Once in the stage area, the lighting and sound were excellent, and I was excited for the rest of the evening. That is until the band announced that they were forced to shorten their performance because another show was scheduled to take place afterward. This caused them to cut about 1/4 of their set. The band was clearly disheartened that they were not able to provide the experience they're known for.
When I was ready to leave, security was standing in the door way, blocking the exit entirely. As I’m not familiar with the venue I asked the employee in the box office, if that was the correct place to exit, to which I got my second eye roll of the evening, but ultimately the box office employee shook their head for yes. So to get through the door, I had to tap the security guard on the shoulder and ask to pass him.
It is disappointing that the venues failed in terms of planning and communication, leading everyone in attendance to receive less than what they had paid for despite the band's exceptional performance.
