Eddie Woods, Chester le Street, UK
Bronze and brassed off
My wife and I were flattered and honoured to be invited by our Maltese friends to attend the Joseph Calleja Tribute To Pavarotti concert last Saturday in Palace Square, Valetta. We approached the venue in eager anticipation of witnessing a performance of the great man and his guests. Imagine our horror at finding that our allocated seats in the Bronze section, row F, seats 3 to 7, were situated such that our view was of the backsides of four cellists and a drummer. This at a cost of €80 per seat!
The organisers were obviously aware that there was a problem in this area because they had installed a TV screen, supposedly to compensate for the fact that we could see nothing of the stage! If we had wanted to watch TV we would have stayed at home.
Charging €80 for a non-existing view is tantamount to accepting money under false pretences, a criminal offence in most countries.
Is it beyond the organisers to recognise the fact that there is a natural slope of the surface in front of the Palace and the stage could have been placed at the opposite end to Café Cordina, thus affording an acceptable view for all patrons? As it was, many of those in our section recognised the fact that the barman had a better view than us and he was paid to be there!
All of the members of the audience to the right of the stage in the Bronze section have a right to feel robbed of what should have been a memorable night, as well as €80!
To the performers I would say: Hold your heads high in the pride that you are a credit to your chosen profession. To the organisers I would say: Hang your heads in shame!
From a lover of Malta, its people and its culture.
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Joe Martinelli
Jul 16th 2008, 16:15
Mr. Wood, what you experienced does not make it to "Only in Malta".
Last year, in December, I also paid a bit more that e80.00 plus transportation from London, Ontario to Toronto and back. My wife and I were told that they were good seats, so, knowing how popular Andre' Rieu was, we booked several months in advance.
Imagine our disappointment when we discovered that our 'good seats' were at the extreme right side of the enormous stage on which two giant screens were placed, one on each side. However, the screen we could watch was at exactly the same angle as the stage. We would have been extremely happy if only we could see any performer's back side.
To add insult to injury, right behind us was the station for the horse drawn carriages escorting the performers to the stage. Within minutes of our arrival, several horses did what horses do, so we were regaled with an extra treat, we never expected to receive.
On the positive side, and since there was a blizzard outside, we had visions of being in the countryside in the Summer, close to a pile of horse manure. Notwithstanding, the music was truly magnificent!
Charles DeMicoli
Jul 16th 2008, 15:57
Were there tickets available for the better seats, and how much did they cost, at the time that your tickets were purchased? We've all been to venues where some of the seats are to be avoided at all costs, no matter the price.