Grossinger Motors Arena — Attraction in Bloomington

Avoid at all costs.

Attended Megadeth show here Wednesday, September 27, 2023.

The show must not have been well advertised, because the stage was in the middle of the main floor and there were a lot of available seats.

With less than three songs left in the set, "security" got ahold of a fan, one guy. It must have been brutal, because of what happened next...

The band's singer, Dave Mustaine STOPPED THE SONG to tell the FOUR "security" guards to stop hitting the guy.

The scuffle (if you can call it that) moved to the aisle and from where I was, I could see two staff holding the guy up and two punching him in the face.

In what world is this ok?

Even if he was drunk, you gotta rough him up like that??

Mustaine continued on, he said the show was over unless those bully "security" were removed from the building. A few minutes (and more wasted time that could be spent playing music) later, it was reported the problematic people were gone from the building, along with Megadeth's time to perform.

They played their final number and the show ended, but the atmosphere was definitely changed.

If this is the way this place runs at a fraction of capacity, imagine how crazy it would be with MORE people in attendance?

The arena has not issued any kind of public statement to explain, justify, apologize for, etc the actions of it's staff and the incredibly unprofessional and dangerous manner in which they conduct themselves, despite repeated requests to.

Many others, as well as myself will issue our reply though, do not visit this venue. You are not safe here, you are not welcome here. Maybe it's just a heavy metal thing, maybe it's just we who aren't welcome or safe here. I'd love some clarity, but I doubt I'll ever receive any.

So whatever, I'm gonna do what's best for me, and that's never return to this dangerous,...

Sadly, the venue is now ten years old, built in 2006 for 37 million bucks, and it has been an absolute boondoggle for Bloomington, losing money each year. It has poor parking, tight seats, was not constructed property for flow of people, including the bathrooms, and it's an absolute noose, fiscally, for the taxpayers. It's chosen location is "hidden in plain sight". Add to that an inept venue management company for the first decade and one could expect an unfilled schedule, poor attendance to lackluster acts, and not even close to the promised boost to the downtown city economy that is sorely needed. This is the quintessential example of a city trying to make money directly on what should be a private enterprise; the city has not the time, experience, or smarts to hire the right management, let alone operate it themselves. Better acts and facilities are, for example, right down the street at the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts, which has fewer seats, but better parking, better visibility, and a quite full schedule (and may still be owned by the city, but a different management company and agreement(

As reported in The Pantagraph in early 2016, the current management company has thrown in the towel and chose to say goodbye to the albatross, as did US Cellular, the naming sponsor. Bloomington goes back to the well with their leaking ladle to draw on the foul waters of another corporate management company, Venuworks, this time with better terms, so they think....

Attended a concert here last night on October 13th, 23. The concert was amazing! But the venue was not so great. It started with parking. There was nothing online that indicated one would have to find parking separated from the venue. Next there was no guides on where to enter or which line to stand in. We ended up in the wrong line twice. The concert started at 7pm and we didn't make it inside till 7:30pm. The concert was already going. There was no assistance in find where your seats were. When we finally found an associate to helps us locate our seats, there was someone else in them. We were row F seats 19/20 and someone who was 13/14 were in our spot. Instead of the associate asking them to move, he moved us to different seats in a different section that were cheaper than the seats that I had paid for. The problem with doing so, besides not getting what I paid for, we ended up stealing two seats from volunteers so that had to find different seats when they got back.

This venue was either off their game last night or they were just not equipped to handle a crowd. But either way, I'm extremely disappointed in the way the venue handle...