The Avalon Theatre — Attraction in Grand Junction

This was the first time, since the multi-million dollar remodel, that my wife and I have had the opportunity to enjoy the Avalon Theatre. We were so looking forward to the Cinderella Ballet. Our disappointment started almost immediately with the rude and inconsiderate behavior of a large group of people that had decided to have a reunion conversation whilst in line, and blocking the entrance for everyone else to get in and actually take in the ambiance. No matter, however, because once inside it was still the same ill-conceived and overcrowded reception area. Having successfully navigated through the mass of people, all attempting to achieve different objectives, that included "shopping" for the marketing memorabilia located conspicuously right next to a doorway not meant to handle the folks standing in line as well as those trying to access the entrances and get to their seats. Moving forward, though, we trudged up the stairs only to be greeted by a very nice usher that let us know, unbeknownst to her and to us, that the seats we had purchased were not the seats we were assigned(thank you ticketmaster). Not all their fault, however, because the "venue" had requested that our tickets purchased through ticketmaster online in early January, NOT be delivered to us until the day before the event, which, according to them, made it difficult to reserve the seats we had chosen for the $250 advance price we had the privilege of paying! OK, still gonna get through this and see a good show?! NOPE! Airline seats are more spacious and comfortable than the ones chosen to be installed at the Avalon. It was obvious that the style of seating chosen was more about maximum occupancy and return on investment than it was on comfort! And the HVAC system that was supposedly completely revamped, and a major part of the cost of the remodel, was not even functioning, making it unbearably hot in the upper mezzanine. But, all in all, the Ballet itself was performed beautifully, and a joy to watch(minus the Julia Robert's Pretty Woman catcalls and wolfhowls that were prevalent throughout the performance)! Ahh, the current age we live in, lacking in social grace and decorum! Next time we will just take in a movie. At least we will be...

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Nov. 5, 2021

Ashton Lee was the warm up act. I know warm up acts do not get the benefit of a sound check, or a great one. The sound system is usually dialed in for the headliner. The bas drum and the bass guitar volumes were beyond where the overall sound was. Think of listening to Stairway to Heaven and your neighbor pounding on you wall. This is a shame as it does not present the act to present itself in its optimum people . More later as the problems were present for the Dirt Band as well.

Then the Dirt Band came on after a lengthy intermission described as a short intermission. Why? Because they had the tear down the warmup act completely. This not only the instruments but the microphones and cables.

The first song by The Dirt Band was a great surprise. The bass drum and bass guitar were very well balanced. The vocals and especially the harmonies sat above the music and we were able to sit back…..for one song. Then, the bass guitar was cranked up. Not only was it too loud, the lowest frequency that instrument can produce is not musical. It takes the sound crew to use the equalizer section of their sound board to tame this beast. Think is sitting outside Main Street Bagel and having someone driving by with the bass n their car stereo cranked up you can’t hear the musicians playing in front of the place.

Before you knew it, the guitars were cranked up and the keyboards. The vocals were now competing for a place among the din of sound.

This is a similar problem that happened when the Oakridge Boys performed at the Avalon. The sound crew must think every act is a ‘thrash metal band’

What most people do not realize, the sound they hear is not directly from the performers. It is coming from a given venue’s sound system.this means the sound crews make or break a concert performance.

For concerts at the Avalon and Los Colonias the sound issue plagues their events.

For the great majority of concert goers….they are enjoying these events and find no issue with any aspect of the performances. So we are in a tiny minority..I get it. But last night was the last time we go to a musical event in the...

Hi, I wanted to express my frustration with the process of buying tickets for music events. I am new to this, so the first time I went on, I went to a third party site and started to order tickets and realized it was not the venue sale even though it had your name attached. I did not get those tickets and canceled before processing the order. I then went to your site and ordered what I thought was tickets and was surprised at the difference in the increased amount for the tickets. I ordered what I thought was two tickets on row 7 and no options to know exactly what seats we were getting out of three multiple seats open. I later realized that when there is three ticket seats you must purchase them all or one of them. There is, I guess no option for two tickets as I found out much too late. When I realized I bought one ticket and not two, I immediately returned to get another single seat only to be informed someone else snatched them up. I went on to see if there was two seats again to be bought and for a higher price in same section, I ordered two seats. Not wanting to sit in two different places with my spouse.

I went on to try to refund, cancel or even sell the first ticket and could not. No options available for returning my money. selling the ticket does not give you full price for the ticket. I went on help chat to get help and it was not helpful. I asked for a refund and it informed me that it would appear on online account, if we were eligible. After reviewing the online account, I surmised it was not an option, since it did not open a refund possibility on the account event. I now paid more than I wanted, got seats in row 15 instead of 7 and have a ticket I can't refund for full price, or sell for full price of what I paid, nor can I cancel it. Somehow this is not right for paying customers and frankly leaves me with a bitter taste for your venue. Whats going on that you can't just buy a ticket and have it for it's worth, and customer service...