Shira G.
Yelp
I have been remiss in sending my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Toby, the head of security at the Gorge.
Almost one year ago, my husband & I went to see Dead & Co at the Gorge.
We had been there before (2019) and so we had a bit of an idea what we were in for. I have a progressive knee illness and I remembered walking in the main gate and having to take the excruciating walk down the steep path to our floor seats far below.
By the time of the show last year (2023), I was already using a walker, so we made arrangements in advance to accommodate. We booked the more expensive campsite ($800 for 3 nights!) and called ahead to find out about ADA spots. We thought it was under control.
We arrived one week after there had been a fatal shooting there, so security was on high alert. Understandable. And unlike June 2019, when it was FREEZING cold and we had to bundle up with everything we could find in our RV, July 2023 was BLISTERINGLY hot, over 100 degrees.
We knew there were ADA shuttles, but guess what? They didn't come to our campground! They made a stupid assumption that since this campground was closest to the main entrance, that was good enough. But for some who had trouble walking, that was a long walk. And if you didn't have lawn seats, you still had to deal with the steep hill to the bottom. Not to mention the fact that the lines were so long at the main gate, and in the 100+ heat, people were passing out while waiting in line. They didn't have any shade in line and didn't offer waters or have any place for people to sit while waiting. (My cousin's boyfriend fainted from heat exhaustion, so I know this was true.)
Worse than that, none of the staff seemed to know what to do about the ADA transport issue. They were so poorly prepared. So, my husband got on his scooter and drove down to guest relations to get info. Again, no one knew what to do.
Toby, the head of security, happened to be there and asked how he could help. After hearing about my dilemma and my husband's frustration, he offered to come pick us up personally in his golf cart and take us to the ADA entrance all the way at the bottom of the venue. And he gave us his personal cell phone number.
True to his word, Toby was at our RV 1/2 hour before the concert, and not only drove us to the ADA entrance, but THROUGH the gate and directly to our seats! He picked us up after the show.
The second day, Toby ensured that we got VIP treatment and had our seats upgraded! After the show, we waited in the emergency medical area. A supervisor seemed annoyed with Toby for doing something outside his duties and promised that if we waited like all the other ADA guests, there would be someone to take us back to our RV. We waited at least an hour. The crowds dwindled and that supervisor disappeared.
God bless Toby for coming to our rescue again, all apologetic for being late because he had to deal with some numbskulls who were dealing drugs.
Toby has been working there for many years and clearly takes pride in his work and takes his task keeping the guests safe very seriously. But he also wants the guests to enjoy their experience and was frustrated about things not working smoothly, like their ADA accommodations. Toby really wanted me to give the venue a good review, which I just cannot. BUT I am very happy to say that the safety, security and well-being of the Gorge's guests are in good hands with him in charge. Toby is a decent human, a good man, and we will be forever grateful to him for helping to make us feel welcome and well-cared for.
(Star rating is tricky. The Gorge itself gets 2** for being an absolutely stunning
location. Toby gets 10********** for going over and above. But the venue itself gets 0 for lack of preparation and training, and for putting its guests in peril by not accommodating for the extreme heat and special needs. So I ended up giving 3***.)