Seattle - April 23

[Casey]

Has anyone been to this venue (WaMu) before? I have once. It is an enormous concrete cavern. It has a very sterile, industrial feel to it. It would say it's the polar opposite of the lovingly restored older theatres that can be found in most cities. There is no incline to the floor and no balcony, but they do bring in bleacher seating for the seats in back. Obviously the best seats are those on the floor and, because the bleacher seats are so far back from the stage, I would not recommend those seats unless those are all you can get.
That said, this dark cavern experience could be kind of cool for a LC show...who knows..

Ticketbastard has the prices listed at US $69.50 - US $250.00.

[cartesian]

I'm curious, the seating chart for this theater on ticketmaster says there is a "terrace" as well as the orchestra/floor. Is this "terrace" not an actual balcony? And is this what you refer to being far away from the stage and thus not a great seat?

I was thinking of going for the "terrace" because it'll likely be the cheaper ticket but I do want a half decent seat at the same time

[Casey]

Well, it will depend how the pricing goes...if all of the seats in front of the terrace are $250, then I will probably not be sitting in front of the terrace. If the price differential is $30-40 then I probably will be sitting in front of the terrace. The venue is a GIANT all-purpose room, so the floor is totally flat. If the "terrace" is actually raised, then it will be a platform that they have brought it. Expect the sound quality to be good though, it was when I was there before.
I'm sure we will have a great advantage with pre-sale in terms of our seating.

Also, there are some pubs near by that serve drinks for less than $10-12 each (as the venue charges). So I look forward to meeting other fans before the show, maybe we can pick a spot as the event draws nearer.

[undrgrndwmn]

If I can get tickets to this show, I'll be there for sure. I refuse to deal with ticket brokers as a matter of principal. I might pay $1,000 for a pair of LC tix, but only if the money went to the artists performing and to their team of folks. Maybe I'll try to score tix to Vancouver, as well.

FYI, the theater gets fairly poor reviews on yelp.com except from ravers and this guy:

"Last night I was fortunate enough to be among the first to see, and more importantly hear, the much touted WaMu Theater unveiled. I must say I was a little skeptical. They transformed the cavernous exhibition center, home of car shows, boat shows, tailgate parties and the like into a a state of the art music venue. Having worked a little with sound let me tell you, it is hard to get good sound in a box. Hard floors, parallel walls and flat ceilings these are a sound designer's nightmare. But these horrors only made brief appearances last night and were banished by the time the headliner took the stage.

We made our way into SoDo about 45 minutes before curtain and proceeded to look for parking. Which took about 30 seconds as there was ample parking on First Ave across the street from the stadium. We were so close to the theater I had to triple check to make sure it was legal to park there. At the front door we were welcomed with a red carpet and led into a lobby area swathed in blue with four beer and wine kiosks. One note about concessions. Avoid them. That is unless you are into paying $8 for a plastic cup of Widmer Hefewiesen. And really, $7 for a glass of wine which retails at $8 a bottle, come on. There were a few food vendors but we avoided them as well. A few plush chair and couches were available and the walls were adorned with flat screen monitors displaying footage of various artists. None of this really held our attention and we quickly found our way to our seats.

The theater is created using acoustically treated curtains as walls and seats up to 7000. About 2/3 of the seats are on the floor with the remaining on a gently sloped riser. We sat six rows from the back just off center and had a fine, unobstructed view of the stage. It must be said, however, that the seats in front of us were vacant and had they been filled Trish's 5'2'' sight line would have been compromised. The Seats are not the most comfortable folding chairs I have sat in but they were not distractingly uncomfortable.

Then there is the acoustics. The sound was excellent. Pat Cashman was our Emcee for the evening and his voice rang so clear and his jokes were so bad I would have pierced my eardrums with chopsticks had they been available. Seriously. the man should not speak in public without a pre-approved written speech. Also, all you budding musicians take note, a good sound system will amplify all your flaws. Every vocal blunder, every missed note or blown harmony will be crystal clear. Granted the opening act had some last minute personnel adjustments and I don't think they got a proper sound check. There were a couple of shrill feedback loops and it took about half their set to get things nailed down tight. It was unfortunate as there were moments when they really shined.

Then Seal took the stage. Now, I am not a Seal fan (the tickets were free, really). I don't dislike him, I just don't know much beyond Crazy. He does, however, put on a great show. The room really held his energy. Everything sounded perfect. His high energy dance numbers rocked and the acoustic numbers were delicate and beautiful. Here is the thing about having a great sound system. It doesn't have to be earsplittingly loud. Even during the most rocking, energetic numbers I could speak to Trish in hushed tones and be heard. Consequently, I could also hear very clearly the conversation behind me, but I won't hold that against the facility.

I don't think I am ready to rush out and drop $300 to see Van Morrison, which I am sure is going to be amazing, tonight but I would definitely return to this venue."

[cartesian]

Well it's good to know the sound is going to be good although I'm skeptical about the rest of the venue. An LC fan meet up before the gig should most certainly happen (assuming I can actually get tickets!)

[hunter_child]

I'll take a 7000 seater theatre over an 18,000 seater stadium (GM Place, here in Vancouver). Why oh why isn't he playing in a smaller venue in Van?? Shame. A hockey stadium hardly lends itself well to intimate music and poetry....at least my chances of landing a ticket are higher

[Detour]

When I first saw he had a date set for Seattle I was hoping it would be at the Paramount. So sad to see it's at WaMu but I plan to be there anyway. Maybe the sound will be better than I'm thinking it will, no matter, it will still be a great show.

[dgbrannan]

... on the upside, tickets probably would have been much more expensive at the Paramount given that it seats less than 3000.

Scalpers are already listing LC tickets for this concert - how can they get away with that?!?

[mutti]

Anyone have any idea of ticket prices for the Seattle concert? I see the range but can't seem to find the price range and seating plan other than what others have mentioned here and the WAMU site. Am I correct that on 10am on Wednesday we will log on and see the password or do they email us? then we click the link and can buy 2 tickets...is this all done online? This is my first time doing this. I hate large venues but I agree GM place in Vancouver is more suited for hockey though years ago I saw Paul SImon and Bob Dylan there and it was fine..I hope we get good seats by this presale..anyone have any ideas to ensure to get a seat at a good price? I plan to spend up to $150 after all the taxes etc...Aren't we all lucky to be seeing Leonard Cohen!!! I did see him years ago at the Queen Elizabeth Theater in Vancouver and had 3rd row seats right in center..mind you it was easy as there were no computers or cell phones then...See you all there!!!

[Jeffs98119]

It is a horrible venue, and invariably charges the highest prices in Seattle. I saw Leonard in 1988 and 1993 at the Wiltern in LA, which is a lovely old theatre. Here in Seattle, the Paramount is similar and was the obvious choice. I suppose the WaMu holds more people by 2X and Leonard is trying to maximize revenue for his retirement, but I can't help but be disappointed in him for choosing this venue. (Why do I have the feeling I take my life into my hands saying this?) Nevertheless I will be there, and will pay the top price, because I may never have another chance to see him play live.

[danf]

This makes me tempted to go down to Oakland or LA. I had never been to the WAMU theater, but that is the closest to Eugene, where I live. I have never missed Cohen, any time I have had to opportunity.

[KaimiK]

Oh the plotting that will have to go into this to make it happen. If I'm fortunate enough to get a ticket, I'll be bringing my husband along so he can stay with our 2-year old in the hotel while I (and my prego belly) see the show! I've been a quiet fan for years, but to see him live would be a once-in-a-lifetime. Haven't been to a live show of any kind since motherhood, but this is a must do. Hope we're all able to be there!