Hampton Coliseum — Attraction in Hampton

The structure and capacity of this place are great, but the Coliseum's staff are lousy, lazy, incompetent, and unprofessional (note that "event staff" are different from the "Coliseum staff" and that event staff are usually diligent, courteous, professional, and skilled). Except for one female Coliseum staff employee, I would fire all the rest that I saw and interacted with. They are incompetent lazy idiots, and for evidentiary purposes this is what I experienced: I was attending a high school graduation ceremony with a disabled relative who was in a wheelchair and had a daughter graduating from such school and at the ceremony. I volunteered to help him make it to the June 2023 graduation ceremony. We got there and went to a downstairs back door usable for disabled people in wheelchairs so he could be rolled onto the ground floor to watch the graduation ceremony. This was and is commonly done for events at the Coliseum. However, we get to the back door, which has a handicapped sign nearby indicating its use for handicapped people, yet Coliseum staff at the back door made me wheel him up to the front, then inside, and then they rode us in a golfcart upstairs where there is seating for non-handicapped people. At this point, I saw they tried to cram people in wheelchairs into a walkway near the seating for abled people, yet could also see the ground floor wide open area and that multiple disabled people were there in wheelchairs. Meanwhile, the Coliseum staff told me we could not go down there because the person I was with was in a wheelchair. I then physically pointed to the multiple people in wheelchairs down there showing such was permissible and said that such has also been done for other events. At this point, they became defensive and said they don't make the rules. I then asked to see the rules, and they did not and would not produce such and then said they just work there and don't have access to the rules to show such to attendees. I then said the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) supersedes any local rules and requires they provide a reasonable accommodation for disabled people to meaningfully attend and participate in events. At this point of facing legal liability, they became evasive and said they had to leave to go check on other stuff. The Coliseum staff did not help and were completely incompetent. I then got event staff from the high school involved. Totally different ball game with them. They said my relative in a wheelchair could be on the ground floor with the wheelchair. At this point, the knucklehead incompetent Coliseum staff had to be summoned to transport him downstairs, to and through the very back door we first went to. In doing so, they themselves said it was wrong and stupid to have sent him upstairs to begin with, then amazingly said that "whoever" made that decision was stupid. I then felt it absolutely necessary to remind them that they were the ones who made that decision, and that they were stupid in doing so by their own admission, at which time their faces went sour with guilt. We then attended and watched the ceremony from the ground floor and did not let their incompetence and unprofessionalism detract from the joy we had in seeing his daughter graduate and get her diploma.

I also want to point out that all of the Colisuem staff involved in this were black African Americans over 45-55 years old, and that (of the approximately 30-40 Colisuem staff I saw) I did not see any Colisuem staff who were young, or white, Spanish, or Asian. The local Hampton area is approximately 50% black, 40% white, 7% Spanish, and 3% Asian. Given these demographics, one would expect a more racially diverse employee demography, but not so at the Coliseum. While some white, Spanish, and Asian employees could work on other shifts, this does suggest a possible problem of age and racial discrimination in the hiring practices of the Coliseum's management, as they apparently only hire African Americans who are older and do not hire any white, Spanish, or Asian people, or any young people...

This is my second time this year attending a concert at the Hampton Coliseum and I have been utterly disappointed in the quality of the audiovisual equipment, seating (they are hard, extremely close, and not designed for plus sized individuals), the cleanliness (bathrooms are always dirty and do not get cleaned on throughout the show), the long waiting times, and the solicitation outside of the venue hall by random strangers (it does not make me feel safe to attend these events). Last night, I attended the Millennium Tour 2022 and upon entering, we were unable to find a clean bathroom. The sound and lighting was HORRIBLE and we could barely hear or understand the artists to truly enjoy the show. When we were finally able to hear the music, there was consistent feedback and echoes that made it difficult to hear. Then, we were forced to stand for majority of the 3.5 hour show due to the uncomfortable seating arrangements. There was complete darkness as the stage crew transitioned from artist to artist. It was such a long time that people chose to exit the show and were not told that the show wasn't over. There was no DJ to continue to engage the crowd until Bow Wow's transition. Due to the complete longstanding darkness, it also made myself and several women around me feel unsafe. I have attended the Millennium Tour previously at a different location and know that the artist put in extremely hard work to put on a fantastic show. This showed last night but due to technical issues, it felt as though I had wasted my money. Lastly, as we exited the show, there were several men soliciting money from women attendees for t-shirts outside of the building. They were aggressive and mean once told that we would not purchase their shirts. I do not think that the individuals selling the shirts were vendors (due to their location, timing, and the ongoing harassment).

I want to enjoy shows in the 757 but the Hampton Coliseum is dated and needs serious renovations to maintain a high-quality experience for their audiences. I hope that in the future I will be able to attend a show that allows me to feel as though this is a clean, safe, and high-quality experience for the amount of...

As beautiful as this venue is, as great as the layout is, as clear as the sound quality is, unfortunately. This venue also known as "the mothership" is a storied venue with an amazing musical past. The last few times I have went tho I encountered the rudest and worst service by the staff there. I've had completely legitimate tickets that they refuse to scan, and they won't let you explain anything to them. I had complete proof, was refused a manager by request, and cussed at when I calmly tried to explain my barcode wasn't from ticketmaster it was from their own box office! They told me they only scan ticketmaster and wouldn't allow me a single word which was UNEXPECTABLE especially giving the outrageous ticket prices there and the OVERWHELMING AMD INTIMIDATING POLICE PRESENCE that walk around everywhere like their middle school hall monitors looking for trouble, or causing it. These things change the entire "vibe" of a place. To not even allow a word in from a customer, to be so arrogant as to tell the customer "I know how to do my job if you like it you can leave. You sint gonna see my boss I'll have you removed!" And that " I know what our tickets look like im not gonna even try to scan that. Call the box office in the morning, we're done here!" Not a single word was uttered by me yet when they said this. And then when I had to leave after paying $400 and not even catching a glimpse of the show, the one billion cops there harassed me all the way to the car asking what im doing there if im not seeing the show. It was all ridiculous, rude and there's no oversight. Wasn't just me I saw over the top incidents with 4 other people on my short time there. As much as I loved this venue in the past, I assure you all I won't ever be coming back unless its an event I NEED to see. A true entertainment emergency. Even then I would be hard pressed to return. Bad manners destroys good energy. The way they are trained and treat their guest is UNEXPECTABLE! I emplore you all to show that we won't go to venues with rude staff and unfair policies that don't increase actual safety. What an...