Tanglewood — Attraction in Stockbridge

Tanglewood Saturday July 20, 2024 It's not a summer in Western Massachusetts if you haven't been to Tanglewood. If you've been to Tanglewood this summer, or are planning to go, then you've had or are about to have a complete summer. Yes, the prices have gone up. Yes, it's tough to lug your stuff from the parking lot to the ticket office, then to your spot on the grass and then lug it all back, but what a day. Provided you've looked at the weather and you have good people with you, you'll have a great time. As a matter of fact, if you want to hear a classically perfect piece you can hear in the Berkshires we heard it on Saturday. Beethoven's Piano Concerto Number 3 in C minor, Opus 37. What a piece and as our 16 year old said, "That piano player was famous? You mean I saw a famous person?" Yes, son you did. Emmanuel Ax played the piano part that Beethoven originally did. And we went for the the 10:30am rehearsal. The place was full and there were people everywhere. The cost was a simple $21 and yes, it's higher than it was years ago, but isn't everything nowadays? As I walked in and met my parents who had set up and were there since 9:30am, I came upon a long man I didn't know, on a blanket, laying down, fast asleep with his copy of the NEW YORKER next to him. Classic Tanglewood. He had a rough morning. I'm glad he could unwind. 10 Things to Bring to Tanglewood: 1.) Your children. They need to experience others telling them to be quiet. 2.) 1-2 blankets and a cooler with food, drinks. 3.) some bring a table, I'm not there yet but it would have been nice, a short one, square and foldable. 4.) Your new wife, husband or partner. I went there 18 years ago after I got married to my wife. Good memories at Tanglewood. Bring your old wife, old husband or old partner too. 5.) An open mind. Some pieces are amazing, some are good, some are tough, some are bizarre, but it's the BSO (Boston Symphony Orchestra), so they have practiced, prepared, and performed. 6.) Quiet food. Some parts are so quiet and moving and you don't want to be chewing loud food to the annoyance of the people around you. 7.) Lawn chairs and a back up few too. The chair is the only way to go at Tanglewood. But bring a couple extra for others to visit and to lend to others. 8.) Extra spending money for the gift shop. 9.) curiosity. Hopefully you followed number 1 (you brought your kids) so take a walk during one of the pieces. Don't worry, you can hear the music EVERYWHERE, so go exploring and find the sundial, the maze and many other cool things at Tanglewood for the kids. 10.) Patience. You aren't there for the performance to wow you or shock you or to watch the whole thing. If you are on the lawn, go ahead and bring the other 9 things I've told you to bring and a book too, and just relax, chill and enjoy the time, the quiet, the classical music and...

Attended my first show at "Tangled Woods" last week. As a lifelong Mass resident, I've always been embarrassed that I'd never been there before. When my wife got tickets, I thought, great I can finally avert the shame next time everyone gushed about the time they saw Yo-Yo Ma while they sipped Pino on the lawn....

All these years and I thought the real name of the the place was Tanglewood, until I experienced the post event show exiting plan, which seems to have been drawn up by the same people who wrote the scripts for those 1960s era Godzilla movies....everybody run screaming in different directions until you bang into something.

Wonderful place to see a music event, but the real treat is trying to get out after the show. Welcome to the real Hotel California!

Went to the Robert Plant/Alison Krause show on Sunday night. Heavy rain started minutes after the show let out. Absolute chaos doesn't adequately describe the fiasco that awaited the 7500 cars all trying to get out in the pitch dark from lawn parking. When I got to my car there were hundreds of vehicles facing every conceivable direction locked in a Rubik's Cube like vice all thinking they were going the right way.....nothing worse than 10,000 liberals simultaneously pushing buttons on their GPS apps in their Suburus, Land Rovers and Mini's thinking Alexa is going to magically send them the secret way out of hell.

There were no lights, no signage, it was driving rain, it was pitch dark, no one was directing cars ....absolute chaos....my car moved for the first time 90 full minutes after the show let out ...if my GPS wasn't working, I'd still be driving around in the woods.....I'd use the term "amateur hour" but it took much longer than an hour. Oh, I failed to mention that my disabled sister in law who attended show with us, but drove separately, got side-swiped by a hit and run driver in the chaos...she is in a wheel chair and couldn't do anything as the jerk kept driving.

Summary: great place to see a show until you have to leave.....bring your patience, have extra food and water in the car, have plenty of gas, make sure your GPS is working, have some flares, compass and paper maps, flashlight, emergency location beacon, prayer beads, rosary, make sure your car insurance covers hit and run drivers, and most importantly plenty...

My husband and I have been going to Tanglewood for 30+ years. It is a beautiful venue. The last few times we have gone we have sat on the lawn on the main gate side. The volunteers/employees of the chair rental shed are very inconsiderate to the Patrons who have paid good money to listen to beautiful music. However, they find it appropriate to talk loudly, be on their phones, visit with other volunteers who bring the wheelchairs in at intermission and wait there for the show to end. They are extremely noisy, very inconsiderate and make the experience Less than enjoyable for patrons sitting by their station. Last week we went to hear John Williams premier and the second half of the performance by the BSO was absolutely beautiful. Too bad we couldn’t hear it because of all of the loud talking and fooling around at the chair rental shed. We then moved to the beer garden as we thought it would be quieter because it was closed but 29 year-old little girls were “visiting “the employees at the station where you can purchase drinks and small snacks by the lower main gate entrance. I went to the ladies room to see what was going on And two of the employees a girl and a young man were leaning over talking to the young girls who were extremely loud throughout the second half in addition, there were three ticket takers who were sitting on the bench, not paying any attention to all of the noise that the group was making. With the cost of admission, it seems that you are more interested in getting people in then the experience that they have once there on your grounds. We ran into the same issue with the chair rental shed last year as well as unruly guests who allowed their children to run around throwing balls, frisbees, etc., wrote a letter to the president as we have been constant contributors to Tanglewood. My husband received A “pR “type response. We then decided we would no longer contribute to Tanglewood until some things changed as the experience was not the same as it had been over the years we had been going. As employees/volunteers of Tanglewood I assume in the training they are Encouraged to be quiet and respectful of the patrons. I hope that you will speak to the kids that do the wheelchairs, hang out at the chair rental shed so that they will be more respectful. Thank you for your attention to...