Edgar A.
Yelp
I've been coming to The Glass House to see music since 1998. Sadly, it hasn't kept up with the times.
I attended a show there last night, and end to end it was a pretty bad experience. I won't name the band I saw, because they were wonderful and have nothing to do with the roasting the venue deserves and is about to get.
First is parking - there are plenty of lots to park in, but each lot has only one pay station, and a shoddy one at that. After parking in Lot 5, I got out to pay and discovered the line at the pay station was at least 30 people deep.
Then, to get my tickets I had to wait at will call. When I purchased them, there was no option for mobile tickets. Again, the will call line was massive. Hey Glass House, it's the 2020's now. Get digital tickets!!
In the restroom, there was no soap - just 2 consumer soap dispensers that were both empty. Luckily the bar had some hand sanitizer so that had to do.
While watching the opening band, I wanted to check out the main band's merch. In the old days, the merch used to be in the storefront area at the front of the building before you enter the actual stage / dance floor area. This made sense. Well, after searching around for where the merch stations were, I discovered the merch is now placed in the back of the venue, up the stairs in the mezzanine area. But there was a line, and you're not allowed to line up on the stairs (probably due to the fire danger) so one of the security guards barked at me to wait downstairs.
OK, several problems with this system. First, it's not artist friendly, as I saw several people give up on merch when the security guard barked at them. That means the band missed out on sales! Second, what if you're in a wheelchair? You can't get to the merch area. Ever heard of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Glass House?
Finally, the sound was just so-so. I had seen this band play in various venues around SoCal, and they always sound incredible. They did their best last night, but nothing's gonna solve the middling system they have going on at the Glass House.
If your favorite band is playing here, I guess you can't be choosy and are going to have to attend. But this place needs to get with it, in a serious way. The music was amazing - the venue experience was awful.