O2 closing down for three months ?

iMax

Just overheard someone say the O2 is closing down for three months due to mo bookings. How long before NAMA ???

LPHeadstrong

Starting when? I just got tickets in the post today! Better not be cancelled now!

NotInventedHere

Meh don't know if I belive that http://theo2.ie/event-listing/

Professey Chin

No bookings? Place looks pretty busy to me

iMax

Admittedly I'm in the pub & eavesdropping, but they said they were being laid off for two to three months because the Grand Canal was booking most of the shows recently (perfect size for sell outs). They've had a couple of cancellations & are shutting the doors for a while.

iMax

Just checked that list posted above. There's nothing July, august & only four dares at the end of september.

scudzilla

The next show is Dolly Parton on Sept 14th, and then a short run of Batman from Sept 28th.

I'm guessing that most bands capable of filling The Point will be playing Festivals in the summer, regular tour schedules will probably resume Oct through to June next year

gsxr1

Its dead ... Riahanna is the next sell out gig. Most of the rest inbetween will be half full at best.

2 years ago i used to get called in there to work nearly every week. Even 3 times a week.

Now its like the famine.

I hope for better times ahead for the O2.
Its the best venue we have by miles

BigFatBass

gsxr1 wrote: »

Its dead ... Riahanna is the next sell out gig. Most of the rest inbetween will be half full at best.

2 years ago i used to get called in there to work nearly every week. Even 3 times a week.

Now its like the famine.

I hope for better times ahead for the O2.
Its the best venue we have by miles

How did u get a job there? I have been looking everywhere and cannot find anywhere to apply?

df1985

wait for festival season to end and then get the announcements, november on always is full of gigs.

delbertgrady

scudzilla wrote: »

I'm guessing that most bands capable of filling The Point will be playing festivals in the summer, regular tour schedules will probably resume Oct through to June next year

I made the same point on another thread. Regardless of personal taste, you can pick any of the current festival headliners (Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Beyonce, etc.) and they'd fill it no problem. You can be sure there'll be a lot of big names lined up for November/December/January. Summer and Autumn are just traditionally "slow" periods for indoor shows. December is always very busy in the O2. I remember seeing Horslips, Simple Minds/OMD, Depeche Mode and Paul McCartney in the space of about two weeks there in 2009.

On a bigger scale, in relation to any possible threat it may face, their main issue is one of bad timing. They were too late in developing the old Point, a venue where time had stood still for twenty years, and by the time it was done, the recession was upon us, the golden age of Irish concertgoing was no more, and they'd a 13,000 seater to fill at a time when the country was experiencing its darkest days since about 1983.

Now of course, certain things will always do well, especially pop acts. Enough kids will always somehow persuade mum and dad to fork out for P!NK tickets or Glee, but unless the artist has received exceptional concert reviews (Leonard Cohen is a good example), anything aimed at an older demographic is a real risk, and often the artist is left playing to a half seated house, with the area beyond Row 32 curtained off.

They've tried to counterbalance risk of potential poor sales with the introduction of the "optimum standing" floor arrangement (as used at Santana, Taylor Swift and Rush)*, which means there is a smaller standing area. This means the floor is guaranteed to be full, with tiered seats starting from the ground, as opposed to having a balcony. This is a really good configuration, but it doesn't suit all acts.

The problems with the development of the white elephant Point Village meant that the dynamic area that developer Harry Crosbie envisaged for the space around the concert venue simply didn't happen, so the O2 is - to an extent - a bit like the ill-fated Lighthouse Cinema; an entertainment venue that was set up on the basis that it would be at the centre of a newly-developed social and cultural hub, but once that all collapsed like a house of cards, the venue was left floundering. Now, I'm not saying that the O2 will go the same way of the Lighthouse, but it's a comparison worth making.

I was at Peter Kay a few months ago, which was part of a sellout run, but the merchandise stands and the bars were doing very little business, and a huge amount of the venue's income is through bar sales. This lack of business was equally evident earlier this week at James Taylor.

In relative terms, the Grand Canal Theatre is probably not faring any better, due to the overall economic climate. Famously designed to cater primarily for touring musical theatre productions, sales for many shows have been underwhelming - e.g., Chess - and there have been some ridiculously ambitious decisions made to put rock and pop acts there who wouldn't have sufficient appeal to fill the 2,100 seats.

As I said at the outset, this is all down to bad timing. The simple fact is that people are tightening their belts and don't have the money to fork out to see concerts as much as before, especially for artists of "O2-level", where the prices start at around the €60 mark. There was a time not so long ago where I was hitting forty or fifty concerts a year, but now it's about a third as many. I've just become increasingly selective, and so, it would seem, has everyone else.

* I'm not suggesting these particular shows didn't sell - I'm just using them as examples of when that arrangement was used

the_doctor199

Check any arena in Europe between May - September, they'll only have a handful of music shows, it's standard during festival season.

/close thread

Furious-Red

Yea as said the summer months is festival season for most bands so bands wait till later on to come back and hit the arenas

Motley Crue

A reflection of the times, I feel for the security and bar staff who will loose money through this

Savman

The O2 is a great venue, on the Luas line so doesn't suffer the same transport problems as the old Point did (that god awful 60 minute walk along the cold quays after the show :rolleyes:)

However, if they want to put on more stuff I suggest they stop pricing the concerts astronomically. All the decent acts are €70+, making it an expensive night out. I wanted to see Tina Turner badly, but some of those tickets were €130 and there was no way in hell I could justify paying €260 for 2 of us just to set foot inside the venue. It's mad money.

By comparison, the same acts that play in the UK are often much more expensive on this island when on the same tour, it's only a 90min ferry journey FFS, there is no good reason for the premium other than pure greed.

Make the concerts less of a rip off and I'll gladly go to more.

jack presley

Savman wrote: »

that god awful 60 minute walk along the cold quays after the show

60 mins? Are you on your hands and knees or what?

honru

It doesn't surprise me that much that there's nothing on until September, being the summer and all. Usually we get at least one of the Reading/Leeds headliners doing an O2 gig around late August but pickings are slim with that this year.

I guess what surprises me more is the amount of concerts between October and December, seems to be much less this year. December is usually chock-a-block with gigs and so far only one concert has been announced. It's still early days yet so I'm sure there will be more events announced in the coming weeks.

Shreddingblood

Crap venue, don't care.

Alter-Ego

Shreddingblood wrote: »

Crap venue, don't care.

Pointless post, why bother?

Mickolution

Savman wrote: »

However, if they want to put on more stuff I suggest they stop pricing the concerts astronomically. All the decent acts are €70+, making it an expensive night out. I wanted to see Tina Turner badly, but some of those tickets were €130 and there was no way in hell I could justify paying €260 for 2 of us just to set foot inside the venue. It's mad money.

By comparison, the same acts that play in the UK are often much more expensive on this island when on the same tour, it's only a 90min ferry journey FFS, there is no good reason for the premium other than pure greed.

Make the concerts less of a rip off and I'll gladly go to more.

Thing is, people are paying the prices they charge so there's no reason to charge less. Most events there seem to sell very well (from the few I've been to, maybe it's been half empty at times?), so they know what they're doing in that respect. Why should they charge less if they're getting punters through the door?

As for things being cheaper in the UK, of course they are, because most acts that go there can put on several shows as opposed to one or two here. The acts who play the o2 here would probably play similar (usually bigger) venues in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Scotland, so there's far more money to be made, so they can charge less. Also, getting between those venues costs less for moving equipment, people and stage set-ups and can be done much quicker.

You say it's a 90min ferry journey, but I don't think there are many Arenas in Holyhead, either.

ScouseMouse

Like everything else in this country, its to fecking expensive. A fine venue, but people dont have the money anymore to fork out big money for tickets.

My Mrs was looking at taking the 8 year old to britney spears, but with standing at 70 euro, and the rest from 54 to 91 euros, its a lot of money.

I appreciate she probably wouldnt bother coming to Ireland unless she gets a good wad, but nobody has to throw around.

Bullseye1

Wasn't there talk of a cinema going in there too?

iMax

Regarding the Ticket price. The artist gets a set fee based on their minimum Vs the size of the venue, this is agreed & paid by the promoter. It's then up to the promoter to sell tickets (having hired the venue etc) & their profit is on top, it's not down to the artist what the ticket price is. Obviously the bigger the artist, the greater the fee, which will affect the eventual ticket price, but it's usually promoter set.

Mrs Shuttleworth

Mr.S wrote: »

Shreddingblood wrote: »

Crap venue, don't care.

:rolleyes:

Why's it crap? Its probably one of the best state of the art venues in Ireland.

No disrespect Mod but it's dreadful. Not a patch on the old Point - with all its faults - in terms of atmosphere, sightlines and acoustics. I've seen wildly differing acts in the new O2 - Prodigy, Deadmau5, Tina Turner, Kylie, Russell Brand and Roger Waters. They all sucked. Couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Beer/toilet/beer/toilet on and on, and that godawful floodlighting at the back near the foodstalls.

Any venue that makes a Deadmau5/Calvin Harris gig feel like a Sonny Knowles concert needs to think again.

Neo#

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

No disrespect Mod but it's dreadful. Not a patch on the old Point - with all its faults - in terms of atmosphere, sightlines and acoustics. I've seen wildly differing acts in the new O2 - Prodigy, Deadmau5, Tina Turner, Kylie, Russell Brand and Roger Waters. They all sucked. Couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Beer/toilet/beer/toilet on and on, and that godawful floodlighting at the back near the foodstalls.

Any venue that makes a Deadmau5/Calvin Harris gig feel like a Sonny Knowles concert needs to think again.

I have to disagree with this. i think the O2 is far superior to the old point. The O2 certainly has faults. If you are standing and in a bad spot you can get a crowd passing you to get to bars/toilets constantly. But the view and the sound is far better IMO. And there is more than one toilet!

Mrs Shuttleworth

Neo# wrote: »

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

No disrespect Mod but it's dreadful. Not a patch on the old Point - with all its faults - in terms of atmosphere, sightlines and acoustics. I've seen wildly differing acts in the new O2 - Prodigy, Deadmau5, Tina Turner, Kylie, Russell Brand and Roger Waters. They all sucked. Couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Beer/toilet/beer/toilet on and on, and that godawful floodlighting at the back near the foodstalls.

Any venue that makes a Deadmau5/Calvin Harris gig feel like a Sonny Knowles concert needs to think again.

I have to disagree with this. i think the O2 is far superior to the old point. The O2 certainly has faults. If you are standing and in a bad spot you can get a crowd passing you to get to bars/toilets constantly. But the view and the sound is far better IMO. And there is more than one toilet!

I've been everywhere in there, and it's like a morgue. The seated crowd are motionless being too far from the action. The standing areas unless squashed down the front are floodlit and too close to bars.

The old Point didn't allow booze in the arena itself and boring as it was it made the crowd focus more.

If you can get me know by PM a genuinely good spot in there I'd appreciate it.

blastman

A lot of the higher ticket cost in Ireland as opposed to the UK and Europe is down to insurance costs, let's not forget that.

Mickolution

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

I've been everywhere in there, and it's like a morgue. The seated crowd are motionless being too far from the action. The standing areas unless squashed down the front are floodlit and too close to bars.

The old Point didn't allow booze in the arena itself and boring as it was it made the crowd focus more.

If you can get me know by PM a genuinely good spot in there I'd appreciate it.

The seated section of the crowd is by and large, closer to the stage than the old Point, that was the reasoning for building up.

When the old one was there, all we ever heard was people complaining that you couldn't bring drinks into the arena.

The old Point was the worst venue I've ever been in. The o2 is a little "corporate", I'll admit, but it's a small price to pay for sound you can hear and acts you can actually see. Anyway, anyone who can play that size of venue is "corporate" anyway.

Shreddingblood

RIP The Ambassador, the best venue in Ireland.

gsxr1

The O2 has been designed for good acoustics , and the arena style give the best vantage points . Its got loads. I really like the place.
I dont get how some posters say the old point had better sound. Its simply did not. It was a big shed in fairness.

jill_valentine

I'm not into many O2 size bands, but it's been a fantastic venue anytime I've been there. The floor feels like a far smaller space than it is, and the balcony - though balconys are never my cup of tea - felt far closer than it is and came with amazing sightlines.

The old Point had fond memories in its favour and that was all. It was a terrible venue in all other regards, and the O2 is a massive improvement let down only by it's slightly embarrassingly corporate branding.

Motley Crue

I have to say that I agree with the venue being an improvement on the Point Depo, but only because having both attended concerts and worked there, the old venue was essentially a monument to the past by the time it was demolished. The same could be said about Landsdowne Road (which was never a good place to hold concerts anyway, but that's beside the point).

The thing is that demolition and rebuilding was needed, and that's what has happened, and the 02 is a great example of a modern concert venue in the city of Dublin. Whether people like it or not, and they will complain either way, the 02 was desperately needed just like Aviva Stadium and now both complexes are built it is difficult to see organisers and promoters struggling for business.

These are two venues which will be used for the next 30/40 years and maybe beyond, and make massive improvements on those they left behind, so I can't really see the argument for a few blemishes.

RayCon

Shreddingblood wrote: »

RIP The Ambassador, the best venue in Ireland.

Despite seeing many good gigs there I couldn't disagree more.

Furious-Red

Motley Crue wrote: »

I have to say that I agree with the venue being an improvement on the Point Depo, but only because having both attended concerts and worked there, the old venue was essentially a monument to the past by the time it was demolished. The same could be said about Landsdowne Road (which was never a good place to hold concerts anyway, but that's beside the point).

The thing is that demolition and rebuilding was needed, and that's what has happened, and the 02 is a great example of a modern concert venue in the city of Dublin. Whether people like it or not, and they will complain either way, the 02 was desperately needed just like Aviva Stadium and now both complexes are built it is difficult to see organisers and promoters struggling for business.

These are two venues which will be used for the next 30/40 years and maybe beyond, and make massive improvements on those they left behind, so I can't really see the argument for a few blemishes.

Agreed i never like the point at all was there for a few gigs/events . The o2 is a massive step up and a really nice venue and you can see the stage anywhere.

RayCon wrote: »

Despite seeing many good gigs there I couldn't disagree more.

I liked the layout of the Ambassador but the sound was always shocking

part time punk

RayCon wrote: »

Despite seeing many good gigs there I couldn't disagree more.

Spot on. The Ambassador is a lovely building but the sound was normally brutal for gigs .... Only been to the O2 once but was impressed compared to the Point, except for the €6 pints in plastic glasses ! On the O2 ticket prices, I know some costs are higher here and big artists can get better value in the UK where there could do 6 gigs as opposed to one here. But artists/promoters are still taking the piss with some of the prices here. But as long as the big name/big price concerts keep selling, they'll continue to keep charging higher prices here

honru

Ah, I have fond memories of the Ambassador (back in the day, most of the more "alternative" bands I wanted to see played there, and I rarely went to gigs in the Olympia). It was extremely hit-or-miss with the sound though. I suppose MCD felt money was to be made by hosting club nights and so moved to The Academy. You could say the Tripod fills the void it left, albeit it seems underused for concerts.

PaulieBoy

Meh! I spit on the Ambassador. The SFX was the best venue in Dublin. Been downhill since that shut its doors :-)

argentum

The O2 in Dublin is the second busiest concert venue in the world.
Figures from Pollstar Magazine reveal there were 424,307 tickets sold for the venue in the first 6 months of the year.
That far outstrips the likes of Madison Square Garden in New York and Wembley Arena in London.
The 14,000-seat Dublin amphitheatre is run by Live Nation and opened in 2008.
The only venue busier in terms of total number of tickets sold is The O2 London.


Think this puts to bed the idea that its about to close.
It never has gigs this time of the year ,last year only had 4 between July -September as all the main acts are doing outdoor gigs.
With regards to other venues

Simmonscourt a kip
.SFX great for getting near the stage in the old days before they knocked it
The Olympia absolute kip .
The o2 brilliant if decide which area you want to be in .standing in front of sound desk best place for sound and visuals
Seating Blocks B- f for quieter gigs

Furious-Red

Mr.S wrote: »

Tripod is actually pretty good as a live venue, seen NFG there years ago and was impressed.

Yea i really like Tripod , i seen Jimmy Eat World there last year and really liked the venue

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

No disrespect Mod but it's dreadful. Not a patch on the old Point - with all its faults - in terms of atmosphere, sightlines and acoustics. I've seen wildly differing acts in the new O2 - Prodigy, Deadmau5, Tina Turner, Kylie, Russell Brand and Roger Waters. They all sucked. Couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Beer/toilet/beer/toilet on and on, and that godawful floodlighting at the back near the foodstalls.

Any venue that makes a Deadmau5/Calvin Harris gig feel like a Sonny Knowles concert needs to think again.

Are you serious??
The point was literally an old shead converted into a venue. Ive been to loads of gigs in both the point and the O2, the O2 is so much better. Ive been to boxing/wrestling in both venues, strained my neck in the point trying to look at the ring in the point. You are the first person I've ever heard that prefers the point to the O2!

Shreddingblood wrote: »

RIP The Ambassador, the best venue in Ireland.

It was a old, dirty and the smell from the toilets would knock you out, perfect for Hard Rock/Metal I loved that place, it was so small you were never too far from the stage.

Mickolution

Mr.S wrote: »

Tripod is actually pretty good as a live venue, seen NFG there years ago and was impressed.

Tripod is the best venue in Dublin at the moment. Horribly uncomfortable when it's full, though.

indiewindy

What about some love for Vicar Street, class venue and no noisy bar in the main venue, like crawdaddy too. Olympia is seriously overrated

ghostdancer

i find Tripod to be awful tbh.
if it's full, the place is a complete sweatbox with no fresh air at all, and for any way quiet gigs, the bar at the back is noisy as hell.
i remember especially being there for Band of Horses last June, just standing listening to some delicate acoustic songs with sweat pumping out of me, and the sound of glasses and cash registers clattering in the background.

PTH2009

where is/was the top hat music venue ??. Metallica played there in the 80's so it must of been one hell of a venue

honru

PTH2009 wrote: »

where is/was the top hat music venue ??. Metallica played there in the 80's so it must of been one hell of a venue

It was nestled in between Dun Laoghaire and Monkstown at Longford Place. In its place nowadays are a block of apartments.

blastman

indiewindy wrote: »

What about some love for Vicar Street, class venue and no noisy bar in the main venue, like crawdaddy too. Olympia is seriously overrated

Having been to my first gig in the Grand Canal Theatre recently, I can honestly say I never want to sit at a gig in the Olympia again. The seats are ludicrously tight compared to a modern theatre. Having said that, standing is usually grand if you're not too far back

Vicar St. is a great venue, as is the Academy.

StaticAge11

Personally I love the Academy. I also really like the Button Factory, but I have only been there once for Less Than Jake

HeartShake

I absolutely love the Olympia. The Ambassador was amazing too. What's happening with it? Will we ever see it as a venue again?

The O2 I'm not that big a fan of. The sound is great, but the floodlighting, ****ty staff and generally inflated prices are annoying.

Big fan of the Academy, Tripod, Vicar St and Crawdaddy.

I kinda feel that in general, we do venues well. Even the RDS Showground transforms well.

Simmonscourt is a dump, however.

Lower level venues around Dublin are fairly hit and miss though. Workmans, Whelans, The Village and The Barge are all great.

The Pint, The Mezz, Gypsy Rose and most other places that have tried haven't impressed me too much.

delbertgrady

I don't think the Ambassador will be reinstated as a gig venue. There was a plan for it to be converted into a library, that would act as an overflow or replacement site for the existing library in the Ilac Centre, but I think that was scuppered by the recession. I expect it will retain its exhibition centre status for the forseeable future.

Mickolution

blastman wrote: »

Having been to my first gig in the Grand Canal Theatre recently, I can honestly say I never want to sit at a gig in the Olympia again. The seats are ludicrously tight compared to a modern theatre. Having said that, standing is usually grand if you're not too far back

Vicar St. is a great venue, as is the Academy.

Couldn't agree more about the Olympia. I'm not sure why it has such a reputation when as you say, the seats are very uncomfortable and standing is only "grand" if you're in certain areas. Terrible venue.

The Village is **** too.

SteM

PTH2009 wrote: »

where is/was the top hat music venue ??. Metallica played there in the 80's so it must of been one hell of a venue

It was some venue alright - used to be a roller rink to iirc.