Masonic Temple — Attraction in Detroit

Outstanding ADA staff!

I wanna start this by immediately thanking Arela, Rath and Shay of the ADA department. (I’m so sorry if I’m misremembering your names).

This was my first time driving out of state for a concert to see DJO and Post Animal! As someone with Autism and multiple chronic illnesses, I was very nervous about going to a venue I’ve never been. Especially with the venue getting changed to accommodate more people. I reached out by email and Arela gave me step by step instructions on where to go, what to look for, and who to speak to. Rath welcomed us in, showed us where the merch and bathrooms were and lead us directly to our seating. That’s where we met with Shay. They have a reserved area for ada guest that were the first two rows of the platform seating in the middle section, but they also gave us the option to sit anywhere we felt would be best as this concert didn’t have designated seats for each ticket. The ada area was perfectly center and best view. Unfortunately, throughout the night upwards of 40 able bodied groups tried to sit in the front row of the ADA section for their Convenience/ better view. Shay and Rath were on it all night. Any time someone tried to block our view who wasn’t supposed to be in the area was redirected the the available seating in the other areas. They were both very kind, respectful and friendly when explaining to these guests the seats were reserved. Throughout the night, people kept standing or walking past the ada area for refreshments/ bathroom etc and because I’d be seated, I’d often get people blocking my view. While another group was being redirected from the ADA area, I had the chance to get an in view video of my favorite song. Shay sees that I’m finally getting a chance to record uninterrupted, and literally CRAWLS past me to ensure they don’t get in my view and ruin the video. Any time a guest from the ada section had a question, or needed guidance, the Staff was on it. Even leading individuals directly to the bathrooms by providing a safe escort if they wanted. The consideration and energy from the staff was incredible. I’ve always had these ailments but only made aware of them in the last couple years. I’ve gone to hundreds of shows in the past but as my conditions progressed it has limited the amount I go to. The last few shows I went to with specific ADA “accommodations”, almost made me give up on concerts completely. Especially my experience at lollapalooza 2024. I came for 2 artists and was repeatedly purposely shoved, ignored, harassed and disrespected by staff and guests for being disabled. My experience at the Masonic Temple Theater was like a dream where as usually my experience is a nightmare. Thank you for your sincerity and your guidance. Thank you for making sure we were all...

one star purely for the staff working 9/17/23, they were fabulous.

my sister and i attended the front bottoms concert on 9/17/23, i had purchased general admission tickets in june. we arrived around 2:30 with about 20 people ahead of us and doors opening at 6:30. when doors opened, we quickly got our tickets checked then hurried to the theater they'd be playing in. there were two more people checking tickets in the theater and maybe 15 people at the barricade. i had our tickets checked once more and proceeded toward the pit when the ticket checker stopped us and said our tickets were not GA pit but just GA seating. we were extremely confused considering when i bought the tickets there were two options: GA lower level and GA upper level. the attendant explained to us that only the first 500 people to purchase tickets were able to access the pit. as more people came in getting their tickets checked, they were shown toward the seating and back, everyone visibly confused as to why they were being ushered toward the middle/back of the theater when they had GA floor tickets. we spoke to the attendant again, trying to figure out what had happened and he explained further that the event was initially being held in the main theater but did not sell enough tickets so it was moved to a smaller cathedral theater, which he told us we had gotten emails saying the concert was being moved to a smaller theater. many strangers around me were telling each other they had not received an email or had not seen an email regarding the switch and were understandably confused and upset along with me. i later on looked for the email and while i did find it and it did say it would be held in another theater, nowhere did it explain that we were being moved to a SMALLER theater where the floor space would be smaller and only the first 500 people would have access to the floor/pit. i spoke with my friend after the event (as well as a stranger exiting the concert with us) and both said this exact this has happened to each of them at this venue.

poor communication from this venue left many people, not just on sunday but previously as well, with disappointment after entering their event. this won't change my experience but hopefully it will be a cautionary tale for others and an opportunity to be better for those...

My initial 1 star ADA experience became a 5 star experience, once my group & I finally crossed paths with Rath.

Rath immediately jumped to our aid & expressed concern for the confusion that had been initially occurring. He took lead by escorting us into the venue & out to our escape on both nights of the Bassonic Temple in November. He did so with patient & kind enthusiasm that you could tell was genuine. He checked in multiple times during his rounds & made sure we knew where all our resources were. He provided recommendations that improved our overall experience & was transparent about company / theater policies that we were curious about.

Rath is, in my opinion, your very best employee & deserves to be recognized for the way he handles himself in his current position.

I recommend to groom Rath for management, that you should heavily consider offering him a position for sooner than later. He is a leader & everyone who is directed to follow his example will contribute towards a more efficient / effective operation and will indeed increase customer satisfaction. There is no substitute for someone who works that hard & also genuinely cares.

As for the concerns that initially contributed toward a 1 star first-impressions experience - its parameters were too lengthy in character limit to post here. I called the box office to gather an email that could reach management to engage in a polite dialogue about these concerns, but apparently “there isn’t any email” for this sort of thing. This is very curious, considering the scale of the team it must take to run the events held here.

I have been suggested a time & date to call in to reach a supervisor of sorts and will be doing so, but if you are in management and see this prior to Tues, Jan 21st - please reply with an email OR number so that I may do my due diligence by emphasizing certain circumstances, to encourage thought towards potential future solutions relevant to those who are disabled and attending shows at this location. Thank you in advance & Thanks again, Rath -...