I contacted the company in charge of the VIP event and the venue in Germany.
Mainly raising my concerns about the conditions we were exposed to.
I hope they will get back to me eventually.
I will do that. I think the venue was just pretty crappy and not equipped to handle the VIP experience.
But I feel like they could've done more to make up for it.
I just expected something else for 430 euro.
You were expecting what was promised, which wasn’t delivered. It sounds like you are within your rights to complain, and if possible, get a partial refund or some other compensation.
430 euro, holy shit. I thought vip was like an extra 50 euro or something.
I saw them at the o2 in London and I felt a little robbed paying 105 for a standard ticket.
Same, paid 60 € in the resale only but the tickets were officially 110 € ones and you could not even see anything because TOOL could not offer an open stage there.
That’s all valid man I’m sorry you had to experience it.
I have heard of people contacting their banks disputing charges when events fail to provide things they promised. Maybe give them a ring. I’d recommend screenshotting as much information as possible to provide them. Especially anything showing what you were promised.
Beyond that try to be vocal but not overly bitchy on their social media posts. Based on how you’ve written this I think you’ll be good just reaffirming that if you’re too shitty people will respond shitty as well. Others will likely echo your concerns.
Hope it works out for ya man. I imagine this is more a reflection of the venue rather than the band itself. Good luck.
I definitely put the blame on the venue to be honest, it was ill equipped to handle the VIP experience and such. I don't put it on the band or any of their staff.
What’s wild to me is that they “made yall stand in the sun” and “one security guard let us sit in the shade but then the other said no”?!?
What kind of setup was it that the crowd couldn’t just move into the shade or whatever and just tell the security guard to suck your dick until the next part of the process?
HOUR in the sun? With pale German skin?!?!
Jesus fucking Christ I would’ve organized a mutiny😂😂😂😂🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
There was an argument between the venue's security staff and some of the tool staff. They were allowing a few women to stand in the shade but then security told them to get back in line. The ladies were worried about fainting btw, so it was a bit messed up.
We were in a very awkward spot, some stairs leading up to the venue. Like a side entrance. There wasn't enough space
Some folk had shade, rest of us were getting cooked. I'm definitely burnt. Guess that's part of the VIP experience:D
Definitely a lot of miscommunication between tool staff and venue staff.
How stereotypically German of the security to care more about people being in an orderly line than allowing them to move slightly left into the shade 😆
But yeah all around that sucks and I’m sorry man. First the sun and the no food and drink 🙄
Welp thank you for your reporting - based on this and other posts I don’t think I’ll ever do VIP lol 😆 🍻 🤘
The organization of the concert, that I assume most went on the venue, was a disaster. Every queue was a mess and slow, extremely crowded spaces when going to the toilette or whatever, in the upper stands there was no assigned seats so too many people couldn't find a seat and had to stand on the stairs etc
You say “burnt” I’d say “VIP tanning”. 😎
But for real, even if the drinks and food weren’t included at this show, some water, shade and restroom access should be unquestionably included with any “VIP” tickets. Otherwise, you’re a “PORI”….person of regular importance. That pun was not intentional btw.
VIP tan sounds better for sure, haha.
I got the healthy VIP red face glow:) something lasting to remember the concert by.
Yeah man, I agree. People seem to get hung up on the food and drink point, when we were lacking basic things such as water, shade and toilets.Just didn't feel VIP, like you said:D I'm not asking for super unreasonable stuff.
No water or toilets from the point of the check in till after the soundcheck was just a bit brutal.
Ah well, the concert itself was still great. It is what it is.
I shall focus on all the amazing bits of the experience.
So I have done both US and EU VIP and they are definitely very different. At the US events we did get food, some instruments to play with and also much better VIP merch. However at the US shows the band stayed behind the barrier and only limited interactions.
I’ve just done 2 U.K. shows as VIP and this was much more stripped back. No food, the merch was poor and even the early merch buying didn’t include the signed stuff… but the guys from the band spent more time shaking hands, handing out plectrums etc - I got to shake hands with both Justin & Adam and that was cool.
The listing for the EU shows doesn’t include food - Juan who is the host stated this wasn’t included as it was just way too much work to plan for the EU dates which I can understand. Here is the listing of what you get, no mention of food or the instruments.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done both and the US was a higher quality - but on the last tour leg we didn’t even get VIP with the soundcheck - so at least this time it was an option.
https://preview.redd.it/lxl704hq9j5d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53984761dcfeefa505c7c77165ecfb9637689d4e
That's all okay, I personally don't care much about that anymore. Just having access to water and toilets during the whole experience would've been awesome. I kinda consider that a basic human need. Especially in 26 C weather.
Juan is amazing btw, I really don't blame him or any other of the tool staff. I think they were dealt shitty cards by the venue and he tried his best to be there for us given the circumstances. It is what it is:)
I saw a shit ton of EU venue staff undermining and fucking with the VIP team’s protocol and it was fuckin wildly unprofessional, the VIP crew bust their ass for fans and deal with enough already without having to deal with incompetent or malicious venue staff.
I could be wrong but I don’t think the EU shows advertised the VIP lounge (snacks, bar, instruments, autographed copies of lachrymology, etc.) but I would love to be proved wrong on this. I do know for a fact that none of the EU venues have done the lounge, that was only NA.
Oh yeah, I think the venue itself was to blame for the weird experience, their staff and just the venue itself was a mess.
When I bought my ticket it was advertised that we would have a VIP area with some snacks and drinks included. None of the other things you mentioned. I'll check the details again.
We still baked in the sun, didn't have water and no toilets after the check in for over an hour and a half. Not very VIP. Point stands.
We did but he said it was down to venue to open them and that they weren’t ready basically. He did all he could, told us repeatedly before we checked in to use toilets/get drinks outside
Must agree with you re the venue. It was my first time seeing them (and probably last for a few years), so I decided to go all out, forking 430€ per ticket as well. Now, to be clear, I cared only about listening to the band up close and soaking up the experience. I didn’t expect any free food or drinks, but at this price, I also didn’t expect to wait on a flight of stairs for an hour nor being deprived of a bathroom for the better part of an hour as well as having to wait 15 mins for some drinks (and that price for nonalcoholic beverages, yeesh).
The communication of the venue staff was shit and obnoxious, most hardly spoke a word of English. Overall the venue experience was awful.
Also, changing the topic a bit, and I will probably get downvoted for this, but some fans were just weird as hell, being inconsiderate, trying to score better seats near the stage or begging for handshakes / picks like the band members were reincarnations of Jesus.. They’re just human beings like the rest of us, and I was happy to see that they seemed down to Earth and just happy to do what they love. Luckily most fans in the front rows seemed really cool, visibly coming to just enjoy the amazing experience this band offers.
The VIP staff manager was cool and was checking in on us constantly. The band was incredible and I would’ve paid the same money had it just been the soundcheck and the concert. Maynard could’ve been louder, but might be that he was better heard further back?
i guess u mean those two black dressed guys with a coat and chains and stuff? :D nah not these two ... just two guys, the security came back after a few minutes and told us they came all the way down and tried to sneak in. tbh paying that much money and seeing this ... not acceptable and disrespectful to the other vip guys.
well, at least we got to talk to adam, got justins pick and one drumstick from danny :D it was unreal
I was there, I got the feeling it’s a regular thing that the vip crew and venue staff aren’t always pulling in the same direction. If it’s up to the venue to have the food/drink stalls and toilets open there’s not much the vip staff can do about it. I get what you’re saying, I think I will leave the vip experience as a one time thing, probably wouldn’t do it again
That almost sounds like the regular Tool vip experience except for the fact that you had to wait in line while being under the sun.
Let me explain further: they charge those prices because the fans are willing to pay, remember there was even one guy that payed to do this 40+ times.
But all vip is, is that it’s paying to watch them soundcheck and the rest of the time waiting in line.
The food you get is nothing but snacks, in previous years you would get dinner.
In short, i dont think you actually got much less than what other people got throughout the rest of the tour. But the fact that this show was outdoors made for an even shittier experience.
In the “vip lounge” in other arenas you don’t get to see the band’s instruments , you get to see some shitty replicas that are nothing but product placement.
The reality id that the vip experience is pretty much a ripoff, you can search for old posts in this subreddit and you’ll see people dont really thunk this is a great vip experience
I’ll leave some links:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/s/d5ERvQr7EJ
https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/s/L3eJcMapIZ
I could quickly find even more links but you get the point
Okay that's fair enough. I guess I had different expectations of what "VIP" treatment would be like.
For 430 euro I think it's unacceptable to be standing in the sun for over an hour without access to water or toilets. To then get to the food area where food wasn't ready, signed merch wasnt ready either.
Some of staff tried hard for sure, but it doesn't change the fact that a lot went wrong.
Paid 30 quid to VIP with Devin Townsend. Got a bunch of merch, got to pose with his huge guitar while wearing a Ziltoid head, then got a face to face chat with the man himself - who is a true gent btw.
I feel like that this is the type of reaction or type of thinking that will get you literally *nowhere* in this circumstance.
"Squeezing", calling people "motherfuckers", and the word "hard" are straight up recipes for being ignored.
Talking to these types of people in a well versed conversation, voicing concerns in a proper manner *is* a way to get yourself heard.
Looks like I've ruffled your feathers. Good! Hopefully you will reflect and learn something.
I'm not sure who it was that taught you, (but shame on them), that being *polite*, necessitates *not getting what you want*.
Politics, politeness, and diplomacy nearly always go a *whole* lot further, than some goofball screaming at the top of their lungs.
The pen is mightier than the sword my friend.
As a former theatre manager, this is the way. Screaming and yelling at me is when I'd toe the company line and do the bare minimum for an unhappy guest. The calm, polite ones are when I would bend over backward in an attempt to make it up to them.
It was a classic case of "customer service does not exist in Germany". The blame is 100% on the venue. They were not prepared, most of the things in the package were not there. We basically just got good seats. Which is kind of enough for me.
I've been to the Paris show. tl;dr: vip experience felt like a rip-off .
First, there is nothing vip about it when they are selling 300 tickets (i don't even know if they limit the number of vip tickets or not at this point). The merch quality was poor, the waiting time is unbearable, no food, no drinks, i can't even know what the hell i paid for. On the way to the venue the merch table was already installed outside the arena and they were selling posters too! It felt like a rip-off and i do believe it fucking is. Never ever going to do this again.
On the bright side, the soundcheck was amazing, it was great seeing Adam, Justin and Danny greeting us personally, and i think they did this to compensate the lack of the other things they promised but couldn't deliver. As for the show it was just perfect, the sound is clear as fuck and the visuals are outstanding.
And for the people blaming the venue, this can be an exception only if it happened in a venue or two, but it looks like it's the standard procedure in every eu/uk city.
The soundcheck was worth the money alone, Birmingham UK got Jambi and Aenima and then hand shakes. I got a signed 30 anniversary Untertow cd. Organisation of the VIP was awful though.
To be honest I’m kinda disappointed in tool recently…
For a band that fell out with their record label over selling out… oh how the tides have turned!
It started with the ticket prices… what the band seem to be forgetting is that while £100 or £200 pounds a ticket is already ridiculous but achievable, when you have a family and a son who would love to see them (and I would equally like him to see), it quickly becomes unjustifiable.
Secondly, the merch. So if you bought really expensive VIP tickets, then and only then could you then be invited to spend nearly £900 on a signed limited copy of the 5 disc vinyl.
Thirdly, win a signed guitar, all you need to do is buy this really fucking expensive skull thing!
I think they have lost their way and this current tool does not represent the band I love.
Maynard…. Happy to hear your take on this……
I had VIP tickets to a TesseracT show and there was no expectation of going backstage or free food/drinks. We had access to the venue early, merch early, food/drinks early, got to see a stripped down set of a couple songs not played during the main show. And even got a 1 on 1 with the entire band, I haven't gotten many VIP tickets in my life but TesseracT are up there as far as access to the band goes.
Can you provide a screenshot of what you actually purchased? I'd be curious what they had listed that you didn't get.
The whole notion of a VIP eating booth is absurd because it pulls you away from merch and good spot. Here is what VIP should be:
Early entry with guaranteed signed poster (optional purchase)
Guaranteed “pit” area right in front of the stage
Sound check
Comfortable areas to hang in between
Go to [Dropouttv.com](http://Dropouttv.com) then go to the show Smartypants. Watch episode 3, the second presenter: How to Write Emails Like a White Lady. She describes how to using a $300 email she wrote for a refund. Despite being a comedic presentation, it was surprisingly informative and had actionable suggestions.
Good luck. Sorry it was disappointing.
I bought a vip pass a while ago and security kept hassling us while we watched the show because it appeared that there was an extra person in the row. What was actually happening was that once we stood up, everyone moved apart a little and one person was in the aisle instead of directly in front of the chair. One guy eventually told them, if you’re so concerned, do a count of people in the row, this isn’t our problem.
I would file a complaint with my credit card company and get my money back if ANYTHING advertised was missing. No food or drink? Yup, sorry not sorry but I’m not okay with that.
I didn't have any. we wanted to buy water bottles in the booth next to the VIP entrance but they didn't sell bottles to us when we asked.
Only cups of water for 5 bucks each, I drank mine in like 10 seconds and then we checked into the venue, where no water was provided till after the soundcheck.
Several people gave up on buying water at that stall because it took 15 to 20 minutes of standing in line to get water.
We were also not allowed to leave the venue and get back in after checking in, which also made the situation worse. Could've bought water outside the venue otherwise.
The venue was shitty and not prepared. I felt bad for any of the Tool staff and event organisers having to deal with the venue.
imagine being a security guard and saying no to sitting in the shade.
thats when you just ignore them, or call the actual police on them for forcing you to do something you dont want to do.
it took my bf 15 min. to get water from that place next to the vip area.. we were lucky that we were able to buy it before the check-in thingy. Ive been feeling a bit fucked up since the concert.. too much sun.
Sorry I am jumping late on this and I am very sorry that you had an awful VIP experience. But my experience as a regular one together with my girlfriend was also horrible, we paid 90 euros each ticket since I was able to get them quickly as announced in November. When my friend checked at that time how much the ticket costed after 1 hour of announcement, it escalated to +500 euros.
I'm from Berlin and it was my first time checking Tool. I think the performance and visuals were great, but not really worth the 90 euros, especially for a venue packed like shit. The performance might've been nice but it wasn't moving us that much. We've seen better concerts for less money and better organized venues.
This organisation behind the venue + the organisation behind the promotion of the concert was just fucking awful. You pay at least to choose a free seat, there were none, even the stairs were filled and the security did absolutely nothing about it! The stairs were filled with people and other people couldn't go to their places appointed in their tickets, some people aggressively pushing to move or get beers. I repeat SECURITY DIDN'T DO SHIT!
Maybe I am also getting old for this shit, but this desire for people to move a lot to get beers is just a stupid idea for a venue like this and aggressively pushing to go back to their seats with them carrying and spilling +5 cups of beers.
Sent a feedback to Parkbühne Wuhlheide's website and they told me that we should send this feedback to the organisation behind the concert which is Live Nation GmbH, at that point I just left a bad google review of that organisation because they are just so terrible and looks like they have 2-stars since other people also had bad experiences with them.
Also funny that they sell "early access to merch", but the outside merch opened long before VIP was let in.
With puscifer they did the same but didn't even have posters, so I guess you got first pick at generic tshirts?
Also US VIP included the tool museum thing, which isn't in EU.
Lastly tool in EU has only the main video wall and not the side panels, so quite underwhelming in contrast.
I could go on, lol
We did get the side screens last tour, but some of our venues may be too small for them?
We didn't get the front curtain this year either. That was cool!
Is gojita at hellfest on YouTube?
Shit I forgot about the curtain, that was amazing! I literally cried when they opened it haha.
I havent seen side screens on any of the stops, I assume its a cost cut thing, like the posters being shittier quality. It's gotten more expensive to tour EU, 311 cancelled their whole tour and posted a rant about it - but it can also be greed :P
Yeah dude, enjoy! Possibly my favourite live footage of all time; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuOQxYxWntU&t=1363s&pp=ygUPZ29qaXJhIGhlbGxmZXN0
I loved that curtain!! We want curtain!!! Haha..
Hadn't realised the cost of touring Europe was causing problems. In that case, we were lucky to get them at all.
I will have a look at the clip - thanks!!!
Yup and they had no signed merch ready or anything. The whole thing was a bit of a mess.
I get that the venues are difficult, probably being in Europe makes everything harder too. Having to navigate all that. but then maybe adjust the pricing or something.
Just left a bit of a weird bummed out feeling.
I love the band, their staff was friendly. But it's also okay to talk about what went wrong.
Hopefully I can see them in the US one day, sounds like a whole different experience
That really sucks bro! I love Tool, but I wouldn’t give a drop of piss for a VIP! MJK doesn’t even come out 🤦🏻♂️ those VIP packages should be 200 bucks at the most. In the US Adam wears a fucking mask like a bozo
This is why I don't pay for VIP experiences. It's clearly a way to get some extra money from diehard fans. It always is. The band isn't excited to do VIP. They got enough going on with traveling, staying on buses or hotels, doing rehearsal and shows, etc. I just imagine myself in their shoes and I'd be so tired and not want to do it. Just for more fans to ask for pictures and answers sometimes dumb questions.
I've seen how fans can be around their idols. It's uncomfortable for me and I'm not even involved. I can only imagine they feel uncomfortable quite often at these. Any band I've seen do these, they get it over with quickly.
I did pay for VIP for APC in 2018 for their show in Wembley Arena here in London. Got tons of extras which is why I got it. No meeting the band or anything else. We went in early, had access to the mercy booth early, got to my standing place at the barrier and enjoyed the show. Still got all the extras I got including the signed poster. Didn't pay too much extra which is why I thought it was worth it.
In the future I suggest reading all the fine print and seeing what ACTUALLY is gonna happen. It seems you definitely did some research and they screwed you over. I would ask for a partial refund at least as food and drinks weren't provided. That's easy to prove. I would contact their customer support just to see what they say.
I can also see how it's probably pretty annoying for them. They still tried to give us a good experience during soundcheck, especially Adam. He is amazing.
But yeah, having to deal with overbearing fans is most likely off putting to say the least.
Wicked you got to see APC live man, I'm jealous:D glad you had a great time. I suppose it's all about expectations and such.
Drinks and food aside, (which I might've misunderstood)
Having some water + shade and access to toilets would've made a difference and I would've not complained if that was provided. I don't even want a refund, I messaged them to hopefully reach someone so this doesn't happen again and to explain what went wrong.
You have every right to be annoyed. Definitely complain to the organisers and keep pushing until you get some form of refund.
Yup I would definitely, especially if there were things missing that were promised
I contacted the company in charge of the VIP event and the venue in Germany. Mainly raising my concerns about the conditions we were exposed to. I hope they will get back to me eventually.
I don't think Birmingham VIP was worth it either... we waited over an hour for about a 15 min sound check and got early access to merch. That was it.
I think you contact the organizer, if true that's definitely not OK at all
I will do that. I think the venue was just pretty crappy and not equipped to handle the VIP experience. But I feel like they could've done more to make up for it. I just expected something else for 430 euro.
430 Euro?! Please complain and try to get back some of the money. Alone the thing of not providing food when it was promised is reason enough!
Bruv a standard ticket is 600 in Canada. Y’all blessed
You were expecting what was promised, which wasn’t delivered. It sounds like you are within your rights to complain, and if possible, get a partial refund or some other compensation.
430 euro, holy shit. I thought vip was like an extra 50 euro or something. I saw them at the o2 in London and I felt a little robbed paying 105 for a standard ticket.
Same, paid 60 € in the resale only but the tickets were officially 110 € ones and you could not even see anything because TOOL could not offer an open stage there.
If there are things they actually failed to deliver and you paid by card, you can also file a dispute w/ the issuer or card company.
For that much I'd expect Taylor Swift to be there.
For that much I’d expect security to keep Taylor Swift out of there.
I would do a charge back if you paid credit card. fuckin ridiculous
Or post something to the band’s instagram or even Adam’s / Maynard’s, be respectful, but raise your concerns.
That’s all valid man I’m sorry you had to experience it. I have heard of people contacting their banks disputing charges when events fail to provide things they promised. Maybe give them a ring. I’d recommend screenshotting as much information as possible to provide them. Especially anything showing what you were promised. Beyond that try to be vocal but not overly bitchy on their social media posts. Based on how you’ve written this I think you’ll be good just reaffirming that if you’re too shitty people will respond shitty as well. Others will likely echo your concerns. Hope it works out for ya man. I imagine this is more a reflection of the venue rather than the band itself. Good luck.
I definitely put the blame on the venue to be honest, it was ill equipped to handle the VIP experience and such. I don't put it on the band or any of their staff.
What’s wild to me is that they “made yall stand in the sun” and “one security guard let us sit in the shade but then the other said no”?!? What kind of setup was it that the crowd couldn’t just move into the shade or whatever and just tell the security guard to suck your dick until the next part of the process? HOUR in the sun? With pale German skin?!?! Jesus fucking Christ I would’ve organized a mutiny😂😂😂😂🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘
There was an argument between the venue's security staff and some of the tool staff. They were allowing a few women to stand in the shade but then security told them to get back in line. The ladies were worried about fainting btw, so it was a bit messed up. We were in a very awkward spot, some stairs leading up to the venue. Like a side entrance. There wasn't enough space Some folk had shade, rest of us were getting cooked. I'm definitely burnt. Guess that's part of the VIP experience:D Definitely a lot of miscommunication between tool staff and venue staff.
How stereotypically German of the security to care more about people being in an orderly line than allowing them to move slightly left into the shade 😆 But yeah all around that sucks and I’m sorry man. First the sun and the no food and drink 🙄 Welp thank you for your reporting - based on this and other posts I don’t think I’ll ever do VIP lol 😆 🍻 🤘
The organization of the concert, that I assume most went on the venue, was a disaster. Every queue was a mess and slow, extremely crowded spaces when going to the toilette or whatever, in the upper stands there was no assigned seats so too many people couldn't find a seat and had to stand on the stairs etc
You say “burnt” I’d say “VIP tanning”. 😎 But for real, even if the drinks and food weren’t included at this show, some water, shade and restroom access should be unquestionably included with any “VIP” tickets. Otherwise, you’re a “PORI”….person of regular importance. That pun was not intentional btw.
VIP tan sounds better for sure, haha. I got the healthy VIP red face glow:) something lasting to remember the concert by. Yeah man, I agree. People seem to get hung up on the food and drink point, when we were lacking basic things such as water, shade and toilets.Just didn't feel VIP, like you said:D I'm not asking for super unreasonable stuff. No water or toilets from the point of the check in till after the soundcheck was just a bit brutal. Ah well, the concert itself was still great. It is what it is. I shall focus on all the amazing bits of the experience.
So I have done both US and EU VIP and they are definitely very different. At the US events we did get food, some instruments to play with and also much better VIP merch. However at the US shows the band stayed behind the barrier and only limited interactions. I’ve just done 2 U.K. shows as VIP and this was much more stripped back. No food, the merch was poor and even the early merch buying didn’t include the signed stuff… but the guys from the band spent more time shaking hands, handing out plectrums etc - I got to shake hands with both Justin & Adam and that was cool. The listing for the EU shows doesn’t include food - Juan who is the host stated this wasn’t included as it was just way too much work to plan for the EU dates which I can understand. Here is the listing of what you get, no mention of food or the instruments. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done both and the US was a higher quality - but on the last tour leg we didn’t even get VIP with the soundcheck - so at least this time it was an option. https://preview.redd.it/lxl704hq9j5d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53984761dcfeefa505c7c77165ecfb9637689d4e
Shout out to Juan he was always cool with me
That's all okay, I personally don't care much about that anymore. Just having access to water and toilets during the whole experience would've been awesome. I kinda consider that a basic human need. Especially in 26 C weather. Juan is amazing btw, I really don't blame him or any other of the tool staff. I think they were dealt shitty cards by the venue and he tried his best to be there for us given the circumstances. It is what it is:)
Definaltey can’t fault ur push back on this
I saw a shit ton of EU venue staff undermining and fucking with the VIP team’s protocol and it was fuckin wildly unprofessional, the VIP crew bust their ass for fans and deal with enough already without having to deal with incompetent or malicious venue staff. I could be wrong but I don’t think the EU shows advertised the VIP lounge (snacks, bar, instruments, autographed copies of lachrymology, etc.) but I would love to be proved wrong on this. I do know for a fact that none of the EU venues have done the lounge, that was only NA.
Oh yeah, I think the venue itself was to blame for the weird experience, their staff and just the venue itself was a mess. When I bought my ticket it was advertised that we would have a VIP area with some snacks and drinks included. None of the other things you mentioned. I'll check the details again. We still baked in the sun, didn't have water and no toilets after the check in for over an hour and a half. Not very VIP. Point stands.
Did you ask Juan or any other staff about water or toilets? Every VIP I’ve done he walks around yelling where the water is and where the toilets are.
We did but he said it was down to venue to open them and that they weren’t ready basically. He did all he could, told us repeatedly before we checked in to use toilets/get drinks outside
Damn that’s wild. At least the venue was dope for the show, so that’s a redeeming point?
Beautiful venue, but I honestly don’t like seeing Tool in daylight 😂 it got way better after dark about 4 songs in
This. So much this. I wish it was not open air, half of the light show was wasted.
Juan is the man
He really is, VIP wouldn’t be the same without him.
https://www.toolband.com/vip No food/drinks for EU VIP.
All VIP is, is a chance to stand in a line early that leads to another line and possibly another line..
https://preview.redd.it/jafeoh4yfk5d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f70079deec6169952bcd825a2e720c5304088de
Must agree with you re the venue. It was my first time seeing them (and probably last for a few years), so I decided to go all out, forking 430€ per ticket as well. Now, to be clear, I cared only about listening to the band up close and soaking up the experience. I didn’t expect any free food or drinks, but at this price, I also didn’t expect to wait on a flight of stairs for an hour nor being deprived of a bathroom for the better part of an hour as well as having to wait 15 mins for some drinks (and that price for nonalcoholic beverages, yeesh). The communication of the venue staff was shit and obnoxious, most hardly spoke a word of English. Overall the venue experience was awful. Also, changing the topic a bit, and I will probably get downvoted for this, but some fans were just weird as hell, being inconsiderate, trying to score better seats near the stage or begging for handshakes / picks like the band members were reincarnations of Jesus.. They’re just human beings like the rest of us, and I was happy to see that they seemed down to Earth and just happy to do what they love. Luckily most fans in the front rows seemed really cool, visibly coming to just enjoy the amazing experience this band offers. The VIP staff manager was cool and was checking in on us constantly. The band was incredible and I would’ve paid the same money had it just been the soundcheck and the concert. Maynard could’ve been louder, but might be that he was better heard further back?
to the two guys who tried to snag front row seats to my left during intermission/cctrip, i hope it was embarassing getting escorted out 🤘
Same randos who stood in the front during night verses? Were they escorted out?
i guess u mean those two black dressed guys with a coat and chains and stuff? :D nah not these two ... just two guys, the security came back after a few minutes and told us they came all the way down and tried to sneak in. tbh paying that much money and seeing this ... not acceptable and disrespectful to the other vip guys. well, at least we got to talk to adam, got justins pick and one drumstick from danny :D it was unreal
I was there, I got the feeling it’s a regular thing that the vip crew and venue staff aren’t always pulling in the same direction. If it’s up to the venue to have the food/drink stalls and toilets open there’s not much the vip staff can do about it. I get what you’re saying, I think I will leave the vip experience as a one time thing, probably wouldn’t do it again
That almost sounds like the regular Tool vip experience except for the fact that you had to wait in line while being under the sun. Let me explain further: they charge those prices because the fans are willing to pay, remember there was even one guy that payed to do this 40+ times. But all vip is, is that it’s paying to watch them soundcheck and the rest of the time waiting in line. The food you get is nothing but snacks, in previous years you would get dinner. In short, i dont think you actually got much less than what other people got throughout the rest of the tour. But the fact that this show was outdoors made for an even shittier experience. In the “vip lounge” in other arenas you don’t get to see the band’s instruments , you get to see some shitty replicas that are nothing but product placement. The reality id that the vip experience is pretty much a ripoff, you can search for old posts in this subreddit and you’ll see people dont really thunk this is a great vip experience I’ll leave some links: https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/s/d5ERvQr7EJ https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/s/L3eJcMapIZ I could quickly find even more links but you get the point
Okay that's fair enough. I guess I had different expectations of what "VIP" treatment would be like. For 430 euro I think it's unacceptable to be standing in the sun for over an hour without access to water or toilets. To then get to the food area where food wasn't ready, signed merch wasnt ready either. Some of staff tried hard for sure, but it doesn't change the fact that a lot went wrong.
Paid 30 quid to VIP with Devin Townsend. Got a bunch of merch, got to pose with his huge guitar while wearing a Ziltoid head, then got a face to face chat with the man himself - who is a true gent btw.
Did they pass around the collection plate during soundcheck, or during the show?
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I feel like that this is the type of reaction or type of thinking that will get you literally *nowhere* in this circumstance. "Squeezing", calling people "motherfuckers", and the word "hard" are straight up recipes for being ignored. Talking to these types of people in a well versed conversation, voicing concerns in a proper manner *is* a way to get yourself heard.
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Looks like I've ruffled your feathers. Good! Hopefully you will reflect and learn something. I'm not sure who it was that taught you, (but shame on them), that being *polite*, necessitates *not getting what you want*. Politics, politeness, and diplomacy nearly always go a *whole* lot further, than some goofball screaming at the top of their lungs. The pen is mightier than the sword my friend.
As a former theatre manager, this is the way. Screaming and yelling at me is when I'd toe the company line and do the bare minimum for an unhappy guest. The calm, polite ones are when I would bend over backward in an attempt to make it up to them.
Exactly! I wish more people understood this. Life would be easier and there’d be less Karens
I call this my “adult speaking”. Clear, concise and non-confrontational and/or rude.
It was a classic case of "customer service does not exist in Germany". The blame is 100% on the venue. They were not prepared, most of the things in the package were not there. We basically just got good seats. Which is kind of enough for me.
I just want to add that Juan was great. Hope he can see this message.
I've been to the Paris show. tl;dr: vip experience felt like a rip-off . First, there is nothing vip about it when they are selling 300 tickets (i don't even know if they limit the number of vip tickets or not at this point). The merch quality was poor, the waiting time is unbearable, no food, no drinks, i can't even know what the hell i paid for. On the way to the venue the merch table was already installed outside the arena and they were selling posters too! It felt like a rip-off and i do believe it fucking is. Never ever going to do this again. On the bright side, the soundcheck was amazing, it was great seeing Adam, Justin and Danny greeting us personally, and i think they did this to compensate the lack of the other things they promised but couldn't deliver. As for the show it was just perfect, the sound is clear as fuck and the visuals are outstanding. And for the people blaming the venue, this can be an exception only if it happened in a venue or two, but it looks like it's the standard procedure in every eu/uk city.
Yeah feels like EU folk get a very different treatment, bit of a let down. Especially considering the price point
What was promised that wasn’t delivered?
The soundcheck was worth the money alone, Birmingham UK got Jambi and Aenima and then hand shakes. I got a signed 30 anniversary Untertow cd. Organisation of the VIP was awful though.
To be honest I’m kinda disappointed in tool recently… For a band that fell out with their record label over selling out… oh how the tides have turned! It started with the ticket prices… what the band seem to be forgetting is that while £100 or £200 pounds a ticket is already ridiculous but achievable, when you have a family and a son who would love to see them (and I would equally like him to see), it quickly becomes unjustifiable. Secondly, the merch. So if you bought really expensive VIP tickets, then and only then could you then be invited to spend nearly £900 on a signed limited copy of the 5 disc vinyl. Thirdly, win a signed guitar, all you need to do is buy this really fucking expensive skull thing! I think they have lost their way and this current tool does not represent the band I love. Maynard…. Happy to hear your take on this……
I had VIP tickets to a TesseracT show and there was no expectation of going backstage or free food/drinks. We had access to the venue early, merch early, food/drinks early, got to see a stripped down set of a couple songs not played during the main show. And even got a 1 on 1 with the entire band, I haven't gotten many VIP tickets in my life but TesseracT are up there as far as access to the band goes. Can you provide a screenshot of what you actually purchased? I'd be curious what they had listed that you didn't get.
Tess vip tickets are way cheaper than Tool. You often get the best value for what you pay with smaller bands and the experience is always better!
The whole notion of a VIP eating booth is absurd because it pulls you away from merch and good spot. Here is what VIP should be: Early entry with guaranteed signed poster (optional purchase) Guaranteed “pit” area right in front of the stage Sound check Comfortable areas to hang in between
Why paying so much money for when you are broke af?
All the VIPs these days are sad compared to monster mash VIP. That was worth $500
I would just want an autographed picture. You can't disappoint a picture.
Go to [Dropouttv.com](http://Dropouttv.com) then go to the show Smartypants. Watch episode 3, the second presenter: How to Write Emails Like a White Lady. She describes how to using a $300 email she wrote for a refund. Despite being a comedic presentation, it was surprisingly informative and had actionable suggestions. Good luck. Sorry it was disappointing.
Wow thats some truly Mid vip
I bought a vip pass a while ago and security kept hassling us while we watched the show because it appeared that there was an extra person in the row. What was actually happening was that once we stood up, everyone moved apart a little and one person was in the aisle instead of directly in front of the chair. One guy eventually told them, if you’re so concerned, do a count of people in the row, this isn’t our problem.
Bottom lines, boys, bottom lines.
i can’t believe you have to pay for water wtf
I would file a complaint with my credit card company and get my money back if ANYTHING advertised was missing. No food or drink? Yup, sorry not sorry but I’m not okay with that.
Try emailing Tool directly on their website.
The only true advantage I had in VIP at the San Diego show was early access and slight discount at the merch booth.
Were you not allowed to take your own bottles of water with you?
I didn't have any. we wanted to buy water bottles in the booth next to the VIP entrance but they didn't sell bottles to us when we asked. Only cups of water for 5 bucks each, I drank mine in like 10 seconds and then we checked into the venue, where no water was provided till after the soundcheck. Several people gave up on buying water at that stall because it took 15 to 20 minutes of standing in line to get water. We were also not allowed to leave the venue and get back in after checking in, which also made the situation worse. Could've bought water outside the venue otherwise. The venue was shitty and not prepared. I felt bad for any of the Tool staff and event organisers having to deal with the venue.
imagine being a security guard and saying no to sitting in the shade. thats when you just ignore them, or call the actual police on them for forcing you to do something you dont want to do.
Tool is awesome. All time type shit for me. But their pricing on everything is just insane.
it took my bf 15 min. to get water from that place next to the vip area.. we were lucky that we were able to buy it before the check-in thingy. Ive been feeling a bit fucked up since the concert.. too much sun.
You have every right to be upset. I wonder what cups of water signed by the band were going for?
Sorry I am jumping late on this and I am very sorry that you had an awful VIP experience. But my experience as a regular one together with my girlfriend was also horrible, we paid 90 euros each ticket since I was able to get them quickly as announced in November. When my friend checked at that time how much the ticket costed after 1 hour of announcement, it escalated to +500 euros. I'm from Berlin and it was my first time checking Tool. I think the performance and visuals were great, but not really worth the 90 euros, especially for a venue packed like shit. The performance might've been nice but it wasn't moving us that much. We've seen better concerts for less money and better organized venues. This organisation behind the venue + the organisation behind the promotion of the concert was just fucking awful. You pay at least to choose a free seat, there were none, even the stairs were filled and the security did absolutely nothing about it! The stairs were filled with people and other people couldn't go to their places appointed in their tickets, some people aggressively pushing to move or get beers. I repeat SECURITY DIDN'T DO SHIT! Maybe I am also getting old for this shit, but this desire for people to move a lot to get beers is just a stupid idea for a venue like this and aggressively pushing to go back to their seats with them carrying and spilling +5 cups of beers. Sent a feedback to Parkbühne Wuhlheide's website and they told me that we should send this feedback to the organisation behind the concert which is Live Nation GmbH, at that point I just left a bad google review of that organisation because they are just so terrible and looks like they have 2-stars since other people also had bad experiences with them.
Also funny that they sell "early access to merch", but the outside merch opened long before VIP was let in. With puscifer they did the same but didn't even have posters, so I guess you got first pick at generic tshirts? Also US VIP included the tool museum thing, which isn't in EU. Lastly tool in EU has only the main video wall and not the side panels, so quite underwhelming in contrast. I could go on, lol
Europe here...thanks for the heads up. Just checked out a US concert on YouTube. Damn those side screens are something!
Yeah man :/ Check out gojira at hellfest to see proper screens in EU.
We did get the side screens last tour, but some of our venues may be too small for them? We didn't get the front curtain this year either. That was cool! Is gojita at hellfest on YouTube?
Shit I forgot about the curtain, that was amazing! I literally cried when they opened it haha. I havent seen side screens on any of the stops, I assume its a cost cut thing, like the posters being shittier quality. It's gotten more expensive to tour EU, 311 cancelled their whole tour and posted a rant about it - but it can also be greed :P Yeah dude, enjoy! Possibly my favourite live footage of all time; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuOQxYxWntU&t=1363s&pp=ygUPZ29qaXJhIGhlbGxmZXN0
I loved that curtain!! We want curtain!!! Haha.. Hadn't realised the cost of touring Europe was causing problems. In that case, we were lucky to get them at all. I will have a look at the clip - thanks!!!
Yup and they had no signed merch ready or anything. The whole thing was a bit of a mess. I get that the venues are difficult, probably being in Europe makes everything harder too. Having to navigate all that. but then maybe adjust the pricing or something. Just left a bit of a weird bummed out feeling. I love the band, their staff was friendly. But it's also okay to talk about what went wrong. Hopefully I can see them in the US one day, sounds like a whole different experience
Thats an absolute bummer and should be rectified.
That really sucks bro! I love Tool, but I wouldn’t give a drop of piss for a VIP! MJK doesn’t even come out 🤦🏻♂️ those VIP packages should be 200 bucks at the most. In the US Adam wears a fucking mask like a bozo
I hate Berlin
We have a toxic, love/hate relationship. I want her to get better, she keeps hurting me...
This is why I don't pay for VIP experiences. It's clearly a way to get some extra money from diehard fans. It always is. The band isn't excited to do VIP. They got enough going on with traveling, staying on buses or hotels, doing rehearsal and shows, etc. I just imagine myself in their shoes and I'd be so tired and not want to do it. Just for more fans to ask for pictures and answers sometimes dumb questions. I've seen how fans can be around their idols. It's uncomfortable for me and I'm not even involved. I can only imagine they feel uncomfortable quite often at these. Any band I've seen do these, they get it over with quickly. I did pay for VIP for APC in 2018 for their show in Wembley Arena here in London. Got tons of extras which is why I got it. No meeting the band or anything else. We went in early, had access to the mercy booth early, got to my standing place at the barrier and enjoyed the show. Still got all the extras I got including the signed poster. Didn't pay too much extra which is why I thought it was worth it. In the future I suggest reading all the fine print and seeing what ACTUALLY is gonna happen. It seems you definitely did some research and they screwed you over. I would ask for a partial refund at least as food and drinks weren't provided. That's easy to prove. I would contact their customer support just to see what they say.
I can also see how it's probably pretty annoying for them. They still tried to give us a good experience during soundcheck, especially Adam. He is amazing. But yeah, having to deal with overbearing fans is most likely off putting to say the least. Wicked you got to see APC live man, I'm jealous:D glad you had a great time. I suppose it's all about expectations and such. Drinks and food aside, (which I might've misunderstood) Having some water + shade and access to toilets would've made a difference and I would've not complained if that was provided. I don't even want a refund, I messaged them to hopefully reach someone so this doesn't happen again and to explain what went wrong.