Venue Implements $250 "Talking" Charge

BobC

BobC

Silver Member
I've been getting emails from the Turning Point in Piermont, NY for a long time, but this was quite a shock when I saw it a while ago. A $250 talking charge? Seems a bit extreme to me. If you say one word during a show, they charge you $250? Don't know that I'll ever go back there again.
 

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Wow - either they have customers that don’t mind paying for that or they like the business model that puts them out of business?

Or they care that the musicians get the audience’s undivided attention? Are they a classical music only club?
 
Son of Vistalite Black said:
Fully support it. Pretty sure it's an attempt at humor, but as Winston Wolf said, it's so weird that people would pay $35 to $1000 to have an Old Friends Reunion convo in the middle of a crowd during a rock show ... Go to the back, enjoy the smoking area or just Shut Your Pie Hole.
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^ This.

I bleeping hate going to a concert and standing next to people who are talking the entire time.

It's rude to the band and rude to other people in the venue.

Kudos to the venue for taking a stand on rude people.
 
I stopped going to live jazz because I could not hear it because so many people were talking. Peace and goodwill.
 
I can see it's kind of a joke, but also a "hey, shut the hell up during the show" thing. My Girlfriend just went to see a show at the Hollywood Bowl and she said during one of the performances most of the crowd was just having conversation. I get it, Bob Dylan sucks, but at least be respectful to the people around you who paid to be there.
 
one of my bands rocks two 18" subs and two 15" tops, and we play LOUD, so there isnt much room for talking during the music, people try but cant hear themselves xD
 
It's more like a "STFU, I didn't pay to listen to you and I don't see your name on the ticket." I mean, I'd like to see them have the onions to try to enforce that rule, but at the same time, I'd be more likely to go to a place NOT wall-to-wall with narcissistic idiots who never learned how to behave.

At least someone is trying to do something about the entitled a-holes that can ruin the experience.


Dan
 
Bo Eder said:
Wow - either they have customers that don’t mind paying for that or they like the business model that puts them out of business?

Or they care that the musicians get the audience’s undivided attention? Are they a classical music only club?
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No, it's a very well established, eclectic and rootsy musical lineup, and a small, but very well known popular music venue. I've been there several times. most recently last winter when my friend's Zydeco band was playing.

I understand how annoying it can be when people are rudely talking during a performance, but to tack on a $250 charge for opening your mouth is extreme.

There used to be a jazz club called Gulliver's in Lincoln Park, NJ. I saw Louie Bellson there once. The owner, an oddball named Amos, had very visible signs on every table sternly warning people not to talk loudly during the performance, but there was no extra "talking charge" tacked on.

Gulliver's went out of business shortly thereafter. I'd hate to see the Turning Point suffer the same fate. Another jazz club, Trumpets, went out of business also. I saw the Harlem Jazz All-Stars there, all of them refugees from the Big Band Era, including drummer Johnny Blowers, who I met that night.
 
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BobC said:
No, it's a very well established, eclectic and rootsy musical lineup, and a small, but very well known popular music venue. I've been there several times. most recently last winter when my friend's Zydeco band was playing.

I understand how annoying it can be when people are rudely talking during a performance, but to tack on a $250 charge for opening your mouth is extreme.

There used to be a jazz club called Gulliver's in Lincoln Park, NJ. I saw Louie Bellson there once. The owner, an oddball named Amos, had very visible signs on every table sternly warning people not to talk loudly during the performance, but there was no extra "talking charge" tacked on.
Gulliver's went out of business shortly thereafter. I'd hate to see the Turning Point suffer the same fate.
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Aren’t all club owners odd balls? It takes a real dedicated businessman to make a music club profitable for the long run, and I’ve never seen one last for the long run under one owner.
 
Bo Eder said:
Aren’t all club owners odd balls? It takes a real dedicated businessman to make a music club profitable for the long run, and I’ve never seen one last for the long run under one owner.
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You know it. We've both been doing this long enough to know that club owners are either a-holes or weirdos. The nice guys don't stay in business. I'm sure you have stories. I certainly do.
 
BobC said:
I've been getting emails from the Turning Point in Piermont, NY for a long time, but this was quite a shock when I saw it a while ago. A $250 talking charge? Seems a bit extreme to me. If you say one word during a show, they charge you $250? Don't know that I'll ever go back there again.
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OK......$250.....what if I am "talking"... on a cell phone that beeps and rings? Double Secret Probation fine?
 
Although the $250 "talking fee" is obviously a humorous way to keep people quiet, I kinda like the idea. Some people don't know when to shut up.

Old "war story" from my Army days:

I was an Army captain assigned to give a 1-2 hour class to a group of officers most of who outranked me. It was my "big moment". I prepared for weeks and all was going well.

About 10 minutes into the class, a lieutenant colonel started chatting to the guy next to him. It was annoying and distracting. I politely asked him to be quiet. He stopped for a couple minutes, then resumed talking. Again, I asked him to pipe down. This happened 3 or 4 more times. Finally, I had had enough.

I abruptly shut off the projector and announced "Class is over. I'm not going try to talk over the audience." The place went silent. I packed my stuff and turned to walk out. The commander broke the silence "Would you be willing to continue your class if I give you my personal assurance that LTC Smith won't interrupt again." I agreed. The commander turned to the LTC and told him to STFU.
 
Son of Vistalite Black said:
Fully support it. Pretty sure it's an attempt at humor, but as Winston Wolf said, it's so weird that people would pay $35 to $1000 to have an Old Friends Reunion convo in the middle of a crowd during a rock show ... Go to the back, enjoy the smoking area or just Shut Your Pie Hole.
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I feel the same about people who smoke weed, do other drugs, get blitzed in some way, or people who film the entire show with their phone. You paid a bunch of money to watch, hear, be in a community with the band. Why do these things that take you (and most likely others) out of the experience?
 
A venue I play at regularly is a “listening space”. The owner comes out front before every show, welcomes the crowd and asks that they kindly refrain from talking. It is a venue of sbout 65 seats. She has established this by policy for over ten years. Consequently people know this is the case and they are happy to be quiet and listen. It builds the value of the performances when everyone can hear and all attention is on the stage.
 
I think instead of of the old smoking section there should be a flash photograph/phone/talking section away from the attentive audience. So the annoying folks can be annoying to each other and leave the “well behaved” to enjoy the show.
 
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