I absolutely have to give The 9:30 Club and their crew props.

And I rarely do this.

The reason being, a friend and I got tickets to go see Staind (along with Three Days Grace, Hurt, and Anamie-I-can’t-remember-the-spelling). When we got there, the spot where we want to stand so we ccould easily see the interpreter was blocked off because it was VIP only. I had NO idea they would set up VIP because there was only one kind of tickets that you could buy.

Anyway, so they told us to wait and they would talk to some people. Tracy came by and tried to help us out. I explained to her that I requested an interpreter and that we usually stand over by the railing on the second floor so I can see the stage and the interpreter without any problems. She told us that she would double check and see if there was an interpreter.

We waited for a few minutes and Tracy came back with someone else, Bere (I believe that’s his name). Bere took us outside and he explained the situation to us. He said they were not able to get us interpreters and felt bad since they knew I’d been calling them about getting interpreters for the show. He gave me someone’s card to contact next time I go see a show. He asked if we wanted to meet the band–he could set us up in the VIP section and we wouldn’t have to worry about drinks.

“Just enjoy the show and next time you go to a show here, please call that number.” I told Bere that I actuallly felt like a pest because I kept calling to try to confirm if they were able to get interpreters, and he told me not to worry about it–he just wants me to be able to enjoy the show.

So we went down to meet Staind (the singer is a LOT shorter than I thought). They were cool. Then Tracy took us back upstairs and told the bartender to take care of us for the night and we had an awesome place to sit. And my favorite part is that I didn’t even ask for it; we would’ve been cool if they just let us stand in the VIP section and we’d get our own drinks.

Props to The 9:30 Club, Tracy, and Bere, they were cool and tried to cater to us. I’d definitely go to lots more shows there–just hopefully next time there’ll be an interpreter.

Side note: If you ever want interpreters for concerts, usually you call the venue directly to get tickets.

At Merriweather, I usually talk with Carol who always hooks me up. The only thing is the seats for where interpreted seats are are crappy, so I usually get the visually-impaired seats. I can’t get both and believe me, I’ve tried. Call them at: 410.715.5550.

At The 9:30 Club, call Amber Ree Soesbe - 202.265.0930. They’re fairly patient and will try to hook you up with whatever you need.

At Verizon Center, call 202.661.5065 (voice) or 202.661.5066 (TTY). They got me good seats for the Bon Jovi show that I saw last year.

Now go out there and enjoy these shows!!