The KISS Army Rallies For Disabled Fanby Karen Sanchez
*Exclusive*
Here is a letter from KISS fan Karen Sanchez:
Okay here's the story from Friday nite's (10/16/09) KISS concert at Hampton Coliseum which rallied the KISS Army behind me in support of Accommodation & Accessibility. When the tickets were purchased it was thru a Pre-sale. Upon inquiry for accessible seating we were informed Ticketmaster does not handle accessible seating (NOT TRUE) and to contact the Hampton Coliseum. Upon contacting the Coliseum we were informed they will not handle any seating until the public sale on the Saturday. I had been thru thru this before - and here we go again. A clever way to continue to selling tickets during a Pre-sale without including the disabled fans.
We were not interested in waiting for the public sale due to the fact by then it would be harder to get good seats. We opted for pre-sale regular seating as 3 out 4 of us did not need accessibility & since I was familiar with how this process worked I would have my seating changed to the "handicapped section" when we got there, if not prior. When we arrived, we were shown Floor Section B, row 12, seats 1-4 BUT the usher was perplexed about what to do with me. I explained I'd seen on the website there was a handicapped section in front of Section B but he quickly told me there was no such thing. Not what the website showed ... ! Then it became this ordeal about the scooter I use for mobility would be "sticking out" into the aisle and the aisle cannot be blocked due to fire code. I get that. But I inform them they have a problem because they have failed to make accommodations for wheelchair users, etc. It didn't mattter - park my scooter in the reg seating spot as best as I can without sticking out too much. Problem #1.
I inform the usher that as soon as everyone stands up I will see NOTHING. I can't stand and I am probably sitting at a 3 1/2' or 4' height. Didn't matter - there was no seating in front for disabled fans. I ask if the show begins & I can't see will they let me go up front. I'm told they can't make that call - only security can. I say no problem, I will talk to them. My best friend goes on my behalf to speak to security at the stage wall. He says we'll see how it goes. Before this, the usher actually said to me about not being able to see if people are standing that "hopefully we can keep people seated." I asked him straight up, "At a KISS concert?? Are you nuts???" Problem #2
The opening band Buckcherry put on an awesome show & people were still trickling in for KISS. I did see most of Buckcherry until their final song "Crazy Bitch" when people started standing up - Crazy Bitch pretty much summed up what I was to become. So, I pulled into the aisle a bit & locked eyes of the security guy & motioned while asking "can I go up there?" With a roll of his eyes he waved me up. Then he quickly disappeared.
Buckcherry had ended their show & it was lights up break time before KISS. Two young guys came up to where I was parked and saw the Gene facemask on the front of my scooter & my sign "KISS rocks my 50th birthday!" & wanted pics taken with me. Way cool ... and we hung out talking. Then the security guard comes back & tell the guys when the lights go dark they have to go back to their seats. I ask if I do too & he says yes. I tell him I'll never see anything & we paid way too much money for tickets for me not to see. Not his call - he says it's the call of "higher up." (I'm thinking there's no one too freakin' high up for me to talk to, show me the damn way.) Anyway, I go back to my seated area except it was break time so I wasn't fully pulled into my spot yet. Then the fire marshall came over & tells me someone made a complaint that I was in the aisle. Very nice man just doing his job but I explain everything I've already explained & plus I told him when I was up front that was because security gave me the OK. I also explain the Coliseum has made a major legal error in not making accommodations for disabled fans who bought tickets for the floor section. He says he is going to go talk to someone to see what can be done & would be back.
This nice woman comes to help & explains she does family & accessibility advocacy work & by this time there are A LOT of fans around me pissed off at what is happening (they're on my side.) Everyone's offering help & then here comes management. The asst, planner (I think this was his position - lost his business card) informs me I cannot be in the aisle. I tell him that I wasn't except for when security allowed me to go up front. I also inform him that on the website there was a handicapped section in front of Sec. B. His response "I don't know anything about that." ??? WTF?? I tell him he needs to look at their website - and meantime the woman helping me informs him of her work & quotes ADA code (Americans with Disabilities Act) & how this is illegal & she threatens to begin texting & get this news out. I also tell him I have NO problem letting the local news & paper have this run for Sunday news. He still keeps insisting "I can't make the people sit down, ma'am!" as if I was making that request. He also kept talking over me & I asked several times if he was going to let me talk. His excuse was KISS was going to get ready to start. I am simply trying to explain problem #1 & #2. He says he will be right back.
Comes back with an offer to seat all four of us up in the tiered area to the side claiming no obstruction of view. I remind him we could have bought tickets for that section if that's what we wanted but we preferred the floor & THEY have an obligation to make accommodations on the floor. He doesn't want to budge but neither am I. I did advocacy work years ago & blew the whistle on many local businesses who were breaking the law. I am not going to another section - screw that. Then he says the offer will remain open if we change our minds.
Then KISS is coming on stage and the place erupts. The KISS curtain falls and people are on their feet and the intro begins. I can see NOTHING - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. And I start bawling. I had this happen at my first Elton John concert & it's bullshit. But Bobby and Mark lift me up out of my scooter & above the crowd & park me on their knees so I can see ... tears running down my face & I now feel like a big FU was just given wings:) I see & hear the opening & the guys needed a break from my boney butt :) and I sat down for a portion of the second song. And here's the real clincher ...
A whole horde of people had rushed the aisle and front when KISS came out -everybody you can imagine who had seats in back or up in the tiers. This seemed to be OK but little ol' me had my scooter sticking out in the aisle. So as people started going back to their seats & ushers were clearing people out of the aisle, there became a shouting match between the people seated around me & the people going back who rushed the aisle. People were pissed off at what had happened to me.
Then I looked down the cleared out aisle & I was waved up by one of the lady ushers. They'd allowed me to go directly up front in front of the stage on Gene Simmons' side:) Bobby was at my side most of the time but I did want my best friend to come up & share the experience since she is very petite & it was her first KISS concert. It felt like a victory for standing my ground. In fact, on the way going up front everyone in an aisle seat was fistbumping me all the way. At one point to my right in the second row which was part of the meet n greet section & people who paid for the premium ticket packages, someone tapped my arm & handed me a photo of KISS with all of their signatures. Everyone pointed to the people who sent it down & they motioned it was for me ... wow ... awesome & generous & SO cool how the KISS Army will stand behind true fans:) Thank you! :)
Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley & Tommy Thayer all saw me sign & gestured an acknowledgement to me & Gene threw a pick to me but we couldn't find it. That's OK. They still rocked my 50th birthday and so did my friends, Bobby & the KISS Army. In fact, I even think if Gene, Paul, Tommy or Eric knew what was happening they themselves would pick me up & place me in my own special spot to enjoy the show:)
On a closing note I suppose it is only fair that I make a final thank you to the management of the Coliseum who sought out to finally do the right thing. I am sure it's no mistake that by Saturday morning there was no seating chart available on their website:) This doesn't mean the issue is over with. This is important in so many ways that people share this story - pass it on - because there are millions of disabled fans all over the world but especially in the US who are not having their accessibility rights met. It takes squeaky wheels like me to "Shout It Out Loud" and insist on places doing the right and the LEGALLY right thing!!!
Rock n Roll Over ? Never.
Rallies (def): To call together for a common purpose; assemble: rally troops at a parade ground. 2. To reassemble and restore to order.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/topic.php?uid=77296264404&topic=9686
