Alexander A.
Yelp
I've been to this arena many times before, but this was my first time under its new name. I attended Y100's Jingle Ball with Nicki Minaj as the headliner.
In the past, parking was easy. However, this time it seemed much more complicated and there seemed to be a lot less attendants directing traffic. It was raining, so it was even harder than usual to tell where you needed to go and where you need to park. We eventually found a spot and it was very far from the arena doors. It would've been much easier if there were attendants directing traffic all the way to the closest parking spots like at other venues. Also, we paid for parking in advance and it seemed like it didn't have any influence on where we ended up.
The staff inside were great. Everyone serving food to the security were kind, helpful, and attentive.
I do wish there was more security moving throughout the floor seats because there was certain points throughout the show that a woman kept standing on her seat in front of me and blocking my view. It took about 15 minutes for a security staff to come over after I waived them down. 15 minutes doesn't seem long but at an event like Jingle Ball, where the performers are only on for that amount of time, it matters.
Our seats were great! Floor B, Row F! The view was great and the sound throughout the night was great. The only act who seemed to have a muffled microphone was Nicki Minaj at the end. It sounded like her vocals were only coming out of one speaker at times.
The pacing of the show was decent. However, there was an almost hour gap between Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj which was way later than what the event posted on their social media earlier in the day. I know delays happen but waiting until almost 1 AM for Nicki was a bit ridiculous. It was even more so after she left the stage after just a few songs. It would've been much more enjoyable if she'd came out on time and performed all of her setlist. The venue should try to make sure their acts go out on time.
There are a lot of bathrooms at the venue and I never had to wait for a stall. This is actually something very important mention because bathroom breaks and wait times can be a huge time consumer at other venues.
The drinks and food being served, while limited in terms of the options, was good nonetheless. I really enjoyed the cinnamon sugar pretzels. I never had those at a concert venue before so I snatched some up. My first one was nice and warm, my second one, towards the end of the night started to get a little stiff - I am guessing it was because the show was coming towards an end. The watermelon white claw was yummy but gave me a headache the next day.
The pricing for food and drinks is very expensive, but this is common at concert venues like this.
Finally, the Seat Geek requirement for tickets was a little challenging because I didn't know you could only buy the tickets on it. I searched for days on Ticketmaster for the event but it never came up.
All in all, it is a great venue and a great time if you have good seats. Be prepared to spend a lot of money on food and drinks if you go. If you do go, you'll have fun!