Before I go into detail about my experience attending the concert at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD, I would like to say that I am grateful that I was able to go and purchase tickets. I know it was a sold-out show and that a lot of fans couldn't travel or purchase tickets. I am grateful for being able to experience this show. Without further ado, here's my experience seeing Joshua Bassett and Lindsey Lomis at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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This concert was a standing-room-only concert and general admission one. This meant that Ticketmaster and other sites did NOT sell a ticket for a reserved seat. Fans could only buy a regular GA ticket, then at the concert venue, they would have to get there super early and stand on the floor. That's basically what GA means. However, The Fillmore does have seating. There's balcony seating which is upgrades, bar and club seating, or just extra add-ons. I guess Josh's concert didn't sell reserved seating tickets though.
As a fan who has a chronic illness, I am unable to stand for long periods, especially when I am outside and have temperature regulations because of the way my body reacts to heat and cold. Because of this, I have to request ADA seating or accessible seating whenever concerts are only selling standing-room-only tickets. There is no way I am paying extra for a bar table or VIP because it was a standing-room-only venue. I think it's ridiculous that people with disabilities have to pay more for seats at live events but that's an argument I can tell in another blog.
Normally, patrons with disabilities who are attending events have to request accessibility accommodations unless someone feels that they don't need accommodation. In my case, I needed a reserved seat in the ADA section. So I searched everywhere online for Fillmore's accessibility policy. And I kid you not, there is NO accessibility information on the Live Nation Silver Spring Fillmore site. (https://www.livenation.com/venue/KovZpZA6tFlA/the-fillmore-silver-spring-events#know-before-you-go)
To find the phone number to call to request an ADA seat, I had to search harder and I found this website. I have no idea who made it or if it is owned by the venue but accessibility policies for people with disabilities should NOT be that hard to find online. Here is the site I found the information I was looking for to contact someone about accessibility accommodations. I also added a picture of what they said and it is very vague.
Before we reach the next part of my experience getting ADA seats, I just want to say that I called the main box office TWO times, and they didn't answer my questions about accessibility. They also rushed me and did not let me explain what I would need to properly enjoy the concert as a fan with a disability. So, instead of calling them, I emailed them. 3rd time was a win, well kind of.
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Exactly a week before the concert date, I emailed Fillmoress.Boxoffice@livenation.com which is the website I found on the Live Nation Website. It was not easy to find this email address. Anyways, I wanted to ask them these questions to assure that my accommodations were met on the show day and that I would have a great time and an easy way to get in just like any other fan.
Since my dad does NOT have a disability, can he stand behind me or does he get a chair too?
How does early entry work for patrons with disabilities?
Where is disability seating located at the venue? (When I called to reserve a seat. I got the seat in the ADA area but was not told where it was)
Can I bring a snack in case my blood sugar drops because I have diabetes? (Normally you can't bring food into venues or theaters without medical exceptions)
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And this is the email that I got back from the venue box office a few days later. You would think that, once I had the answers I needed, I would be fine and assured to have a great experience. But that wasn't my experience.
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A week later, it was concert day. I was super excited to see Josh and Lindsey. I had been listening to their songs all day long and cuddling with Josh's teddy bear named Franklin. I thought that nothing was going to ruin my day. But boy I was in for a wild ride when I finally got to the venue.
Here is a breakdown of how my night went before the concert even started. Keep in mind that I had no idea what time VIP or early entry went inside. No one told me and the venue had no descriptions on their website. How much extra work and research did I have to do before I got to the venue? I don't even want to think about it.
5:00-6:00 pm: Found handicapped parking and dinner with dad
6:00-6:45 pm: Walked around Silver Spring and just hang out
6:45-7:00 pm: Walked to the venue from my current location
7:00-7:15: Talked to venue staff about disability seating and early entry.
(Apparently, I missed the time slot when GA and Early Entry went in because nobody told me about it so I had to wait for GA to go in. That's like 200+ people who are able-bodied watching me while I sit on the bench across the way from the entrance. When I could have been inside where there is AC. Maybe it was my fault I didn't research when early entry and VIP went inside?)
7:15ish: I got told to sit on a metal bench across the way from the Box Office which was right in front of the GA line full of hundreds of teenage girls, boys, and their parents. (Imagine how outcasted and left out I felt on that bench. It was very sad and cold and windy.)
7:40 pm: A security guard came and got my dad and me from the cold bench and took us through security to scan the tickets.
Okay so yay! I got inside the venue. Now everything is fine, right?
Like many other fans, I got merchandise. I bought Josh's Brown 'Bassett' Hoodie. And while I was at the front of the merchandise line, I kept checking my Apple watch for the time because Lindsey Lomis' set was set to start at 8:00 and I wanted to get settled into my seat before the show started. But apparently, if you had ADA seating you couldn't just go straight to your seat on the balcony. If you were a person with disabilities who requested ADA-reserved seating, you had to stand in a long line to get a paper wristband and then got directed to your seat. The Fillmore Box Office left this information out of their email. I had no idea that I had to stand in a long line with able-bodied and disabled fans to get one wristband. And the worst part of this line was that this line included people who wanted, club seating, bar seats, VIP upgrades, and tables. It was not just a line for people with disabilities who needed assistance. All I needed was to be told where my seat was!
8:00 pm: Lindsey Lomis and her band start playing on the stage that is on the floor not even near the bar and balcony. I could barely hear what song she was playing. I asked the tall man behind me who was waiting for a drink if he could hear or see anything below the balcony and he said that he could not. I was devastated that I missed her first song because I am a huge fan of her music too. But missing one song doesn't ruin the entire concert, right?
8:15 pm: Some tall security guard member came over and apologized to me for the long wait. He made small talk with me and saw me jumping up and down to see if I could see the stage over the balcony railing. He told me that I was very excited and finally gave me my wristband.
I was so excited at that time. I had gotten the bracelet and was led to my seat. And the main act, was Josh so I still had time to sit down and Lindsey before he came on. Or so I thought...
When I got to my seat, I was a bit disappointed, they gave people with disabilities plastic folding chairs to sit in. Whereas, the able-bodied patrons on the left or right side of me got comfy chairs they paid for. My seat kept folding back up since I was lightweight and wanted to stand to see what was below the balcony.
[Disability seating is the plastic chairs, unless you had a wheelchair, and the bottom picture is club VIP, and also seats you could pay extra for on the left and right of the balcony. These left and right balcony seats can be anywhere between $85 to $105. While standing-room-only tickets are below $50)
(Image sources: Amazon.com,)
For me, the plastic chair didn't matter. I didn't have back issues or problems sitting. I just accepted the plastic chair and my dad got one too. All that mattered to me was that my favorite musicians were in the room.
I sat down in the uncomfortable plastic chair for most of Lindsey's concert because I was exhausted from the getting inside process and wanted to save energy for Josh.
While I was sitting in my chair, I realized that I could barely see the stage from the left side of the balcony. This was a problem because I was dying to see Josh perform and was only 4'11. The bar to the balcony gate to keep people from falling from the balcony was tall and was half wire and one giant pole on top. This top part of the railing met exactly at my eye level and it was so frustrating. In the row, in front of me, there was a wheelchair user in front of me, and her two grandparents to the left of me. I understood that she had to sit in the front row because her wheelchair took up space and she needed to see the stage too. However, as a person who's 4'11, I struggled to see anything unless she went to the bathroom or needed to be away from the loud noise. I felt like I was missing out on the concert experience, and I was jealous because the people in the front row had VIP meet-and-greet passes. I was witnessing a person with a visible disability enjoy the concert more than I was. I didn't even have a reason to be jealous. I could see and stand on my tip toes and the wheelchair user wasn't able to stand at all.
Why was I making a big deal out of it? I still go to go to the concert. Maybe a part of me felt like I deserved better treatment that hour of the night. Maybe it was because my sister used to be a wheelchair user, who couldn't walk. I was witnessing something my sister should have witnessed right in front of me and was not only jealous about myself not meeting Josh but also my sister not getting to have these wonderful concert experiences as a wheelchair user. I guess that's what grieving does to a person like me. It makes me think I deserved better.
(This was my view while I was sitting in the second row of ADA seating and was also in the second row. I could not see much and the bar didn't meet my eye level unless I stood up. Some people near me who had disabilities couldn't even stand. :(
I was devastated about the fact that I could barely see the stage during Lindsey's act. Nevertheless, I put a smile on my face and stood on my tippy toes to see over the barrier since I was able to stand. The lady sitting behind me had injured her ankle so I wasn't able to stand on my tippy toes very long. I had to respect her space too because she wanted to get concert videos and photos for her daughters. So instead of tippy-toeing, I moved to stand in a position where I could see over the girl in the wheelchair and the lady behind me. And to add to my list of people's space I had to respect, I was seated right next to the light tech. He was some big and bulky man wearing headphones and when I looked down he pointed the light at the stage. Just my luck, I had to respect the light tech and the other people with disabilities between me and figure out how to enjoy a concert where I could barely see the stage unless I tip-toed.
(This was my view when the wheelchair user was not in her spot in the front. I walked to the front of the barrier to take this picture in front of the light tech before Josh came on. Keep in mind that I was still barely 5 feet. The bar was higher than my height and met my eye level.)
8:50 pm: Josh made his big entrance on stage and opened with an upbeat song. Of course, I wanted to stand, jump along and dance to the song, and sing along to it. But the lady in the back of me still had her leg rested up on another chair. I was polite enough to check to make sure that she could see and was okay during Josh's first song. Sure, that meant that I would miss maybe 30 seconds of Josh's first song. But it was the right thing to do, I wanted to make sure that the lady in the row in the back of me was able to see and hear at least a little bit. I felt bad for her too.
(This is my view when I stood on my tippy-toes to see over the wheelchair user and her guardians who were in the front row)
Between 8:50 and around 9:30 which was like the middle of the show, I kept on moving around that little left-side balcony. I even stood on two steps of stairs that led to table seating to see Josh perform in the middle of the floor since he interacts with the crowd. I was lucky that I was able to do that because some people with disabilities cannot stand and move, or balance on stairs crowded with other people.
(If you need a reference image of what the Fillmore Silver Spring Balcony and bar seats looked like just look it up on Google. I don't want to get copyrighted)
During this period, I was quietly complaining to my dad about now being able to see anything. I could hear the audio great though. I was struggling to see though because of the giant gate and bar in front of me and the fact that I was in the second row next to the light guy.
I think that at some point in the show the man sitting in front of me, felt bad for me since I was trying so hard to see anything over his granddaughter's wheelchair and the large barrier in front of us keeping the balcony safe. I didn't realize this but the older man who was the guardian of the wheelchair user stood in the back of the lady with the injured leg behind me. He was respecting our space and gave everyone else in the ADA section a chance to see the stage from behind the barrier gate. This nice man was kind enough to give me his VIP lanyard that he got since his granddaughter got a meet and greet with Josh. This lanyard and piece of heart-shaped plastic made me tear up. I was crying happy tears instead of sad ones at that moment. That man made me feel seen, instead of outcasted in the back of his granddaughter's wheelchair. I never got to thank him for the lanyard but this shows that kindness can go a long way. He wanted to make my night just as special as his granddaughter had, even if I didn't get to meet and greet Josh.
(Pictured is a black lanyard with a metal hook. Attached to the hook is a heart-shaped piece of plastic with Josh's side photo. On top of the photo it says 'VIP MEET AND GREET' in black and white colored text.)
If it weren't for this man's kind gesture, I would have struggled to see and take photos or videos for the rest of the night. It was a reminder to me that kind people do exist. Although, I knew that he wasn't going to stand in the back of the crowd to let me enjoy the concert for the entire hour. He was also a guardian to the wheelchair user and had to be with her to keep her company or watch out for her if she needed assistance. So this moment of joy where both the lady in the back of me and myself were able to see the stage a bit more only lasted for 15 minutes. The kind man who gave me his lanyard had every right to go back to his seat in front of me and take care of his granddaughter. I was just annoyed that I was struggling to see Josh again since he was moving around so much on stage and I was so far away in the balcony.
I thought that the wheelchair user was having a better night than I was. I was jealous of her. She got to meet Josh. And there I was behind her, complaining about not being able to see and screaming the lyrics to his songs. I wanted to be like all the other able-bodied fangirls on the floor who were closer to Josh and got interactions with him. However, I don't know what it's like to sit in the front row of the balcony with a gate in front of you while you are in a wheelchair. So I guess I will never know what her experience was like. I'll only remember that I was jealous of her and struggling to see them that night. I was lucky that I was able to be on my tiptoes. Not many people with disabilities who need reserved seating can stand as long as I can. I wished that the section was more accessible for everyone with any kind of disability, visible or invisible. Or that the ADA disability seating was in the center of the balcony and not the side where the gates were.
(This is a photo I took of Josh when the man was standing in the back of the seating area so that I could see a bit better. I still had to lean down over the barrier gate to take this since I was short.)
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About 3/4 when Josh started singing his song "Different", he jumped off the stage with his security. I wasn't sure where he went but I could still hear his voice. All of a sudden, my heart started beating fast and I screamed to my dad to tell him that Josh was coming into the balcony.
During almost every show, Josh likes to come all around the venue and greet his fans, and sing to them. He goes everywhere from the left, right, and back of the floor to the balcony. He even goes to the ADA seating area and the bar and table seats sometimes. I wasn't even sure if he'd keep to the disability-reserved seating area at all. Luckily, for me, he did come around and walk five to ten feet away from me. I was super excited and felt like all of my fangirl dreams had come true after the pandemic mess. Although, my excitement didn't last long. Two things happened right in front of my eyes that made me jealous and also felt a bit left out.
The first thing that happened while Josh was on the balcony, was that the kind man who was the wheelchair user's guardian shined his phone flashlight toward the direction of the ADA seating. I thought that he must have heard my excitement about Josh walking into the balcony. Although, Josh didn't walk toward me. He went straight to the wheelchair user who had her headphones on because it was so loud from fans screaming at him. I think her grandma or female guardian must have pushed her wheelchair in Josh's direction. And afterward, Josh went over to sing to her and held her hand. I was jealous but knew that Josh was in a rush to go all around the balcony and get back to the stage.
I think that these are the reasons why I felt a bit left out and jealous during that moment.
Because she got meet and greet and also held his hand during this moment.
I wished that was me. He was singing to.
Maybe I am overthinking this, but she had a wheelchair, and I had an invisible illness. My mind went straight to the thought that she had priority and every reason to interact with him because I was more able-bodied than she was and had more freedom. I know that sounds super wrong, coming from one disabled fan to another. But if you think about it, a person living with an invisible illness will not have the same treatment and experience as someone with a visible disability, like a wheelchair user. I don't know if I had any right to be jealous then. I just felt like I deserved something great to happen to me that night too. I hate that society is like this. I wish that we could include people with all types of disabilities everywhere we go. All disabilities matter.
It was another moment of realization for me that this wheelchair user who met Josh could have been my sister. I witnessed this happen first hand and it reminded me of my sister who passed. It not only reminded me of Kristen but also of the fact that she was alive. She could've been a happy wheelchair user who got to do things like this. My sister always got a bigger and better treatment. And it always made me wonder if it was because she was sicker and had a wheelchair, which led to people feeling bad for her and not for me. It led to people seeing her because she had a visible condition, while I was the little sister who was healthy and had an invisible illness. See I was overthinking again. I guess that is what grieving and having a chronic illness do.
After this interaction, Josh went down to the middle section of the balcony where the tables were. These were the tables where people could order food and have a comfier seat. I wasn't sure how expensive these table seats were per person but I was sure that it was an add-on. Anyways, Josh went into this section of the balcony and asked a girl if she smoked or had the intention to. For context, this is the intro to his song 'Smoke Slow'. It is not meant to be a serious question at all. He uses to lead into the song lyrics.
The first thing, I noticed about this girl at the table seating was that she looked like she was able-bodied. I don't know for sure if she had an invisible illness since not all disabilities are visible. But I just assumed that she wasn't disabled because she wasn't in the ADA seating. She had her friends with her and was enjoying herself. She also had a center view of the stage from the middle of the balcony.
I was once again jealous. I'm sure a lot of fans were jealous since they didn't get to interact with Josh. Although. I was jealous for a different reason than most fans who stood were. I was jealous because I knew that if I didn't have a disability, I could have been one of those fans on the floor closer to him. Or one of the fans who were at the table seating instead of the disability reserved seating that was in the left corner of the balcony with a giant barrier gate shielding in front of the front row chair.
Yes, I was comparing myself to the two girls that got interactions. I thought that I had every right to be jealous though. That night, I was only thinking about how I was going to have the best night ever at this concert. I was only thinking about myself. I also knew from past experiences, that disabled seating at concerts was either in a place where you are unable to see or hear the concert. It was a way of saying that concerts are for able-bodied people. And that people with disabilities have to be placed in a separate farther away section further from the stage because it's safer and less crowded. Or maybe that's just my experience with concerts?
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The wheelchair user and her guardians left after her interaction with Josh. I assumed that it was because they wanted to get out before all the crazy fans did and they needed to keep their daughter safe. So I stood during three songs and during the encore in her place up front. I still had to be mindful of the lady behind me who was sitting through and the people around me. There was also that huge black barrier in front of me that met my eye level. So my view was a bit better then because I was able to stand but not the best.
During Josh's encore song, I think that the light tech realized that I wanted to enjoy and sing along to one last song. He moved away from the right side of me by the stairs and gave me some space. He had to do his job though and still put the spotlight on the stage. I believe that hearing and dancing to the encore song was the highlight of my night. I enjoyed it even when my view was blocked by a giant black barrier gate. I made the best of my experience.
I am happy for the wheelchair user and glad that she got to experience everything she could. I believe that the ADA seating section should have been in the center of the balcony and not covered by a giant barrier gate. I knew in my heart that the gate was keeping people from falling onto the floor but it was also keeping the disabled fans away from the able-bodied fans. That black gate in front of the balcony was a barrier, not only for me but all disabled fans in that area. It made us feel different from other fans who weren't in the ADA section. It met the bare minimum requirement for the ADA law. But the bare minimum wasn't enough.
I could have had a better time at this concert if I had been able-bodied. I know that it wasn't me or my body that was the problem. It's the very vague way the Americans with Disabilities Act was written. It's the lack of disability accessibility education that these concert venue staff and security have. It's also the fact that some concert venues are over 20 years old and weren't built to be fully accessible without any barriers.
I also felt like some of the things that happened that night could have been prevented if The Fillmore Staff and websites were more descriptive about accessibility. Like the fact that I was never told what time VIPs go in, or the fact that I was the ADA bracelet line is the same line as the table upgrade line and bar orders line. Oh and also, the box office picked up when I asked for disability-reserved seating but they didn't pick up the other two times when I had questions. These were just frustrating things I had to push through and deal with.
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Regardless, of my complaining, and not-so-great experience with the Fillmore staff, I had a great time at the concert. I kept my head high and a smile on my face. I was just really happy that I even got to the venue. Some parts of me also knew that there were gonna barriers and setbacks for me. Society and building design layout weren't built to be accessible or to prioritize ADA seating. These are things we as humans have to change. It's all man-made and created by people who didn't think about where disabled people should sit at concerts.
To make concerts and live event venues, fully accessible, able-bodied people should start by asking people with disabilities what they'd like to see and have improved. It might cost a ton of money and time to rebuild, build from scratch, or even fix websites so that they are fully accessible. But it doesn't hurt to ask someone for their input on what should be changed to make a place or event enjoyable for everyone. Everyone has a voice and deserves to be heard, even if you are part of an underrepresented community like I am.
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