Capital One Arena — Attraction in Washington

When I've been a loyal fan, dropping thousands over 15 years, attending events at what was the Verizon Center and now the Capital One Arena, you'd better believe I know what excellence looks like. And what happened at the CMG concert? Far from it. It's a NON-SMOKING venue. Period. But that night? It was like shooting in a foggy gym, with the whole place smoked out. And the response from guest relations? A half-baked apology and some flimsy excuse. There is no sign of ushers or security telling people to put out their smokes. The smoke was so harmful it spilled into the hallways, making it look like the building was on fire. I couldn't even stay for the whole debacle. I had to leave, choking for air, with just a couple of ushers checking if I was okay. People were hogging aisles, taking seats they didn't pay for—I had to boot folks from mine. And my throat's been a wreck for days. All I got was a sorry excuse for an apology, and when I asked for a refund? Denied by this multimillion-dollar venue. That's it. I'm done. I'll fly out to other states to catch shows from now on. Places that know how to manage a crowd. And the staff? Some were decent, but most? A joke. Especially upstairs. They couldn't even get water after they cut off service, and the event ran late. That's not just bad service; it's dangerous. The whole experience was a mess. Is the attitude problem real, and what is the policy on bags? Absurd. My purse was barely oversized than allowed, so I had to cough up extra to store it. And concessions. Forget it. I couldn't even if I wanted to, hands full since women's clothes lack pockets. So yeah, I'm saying it. I'm taking my game—and my money—elsewhere. Four hours out of my way? It's worth it to avoid this nonsense. They've lost a loyal fan, and I'm hitting the road, looking for places that respect the rules and their guests. This? It's...

I wanted to share the experience that my friends and I had while trying to enter the venue on Saturday, July 27th to see Blink 182. My friend and I both have multiple severe medical illnesses that are not physically presenting but have required life saving surgeries including a double lung transplant, feeding tube placement, and a total colectomy as well as the need for daily medications to help keep us alive. Our lives are already hard enough and we did not appreciate your staff making it even harder. When trying to enter the venue, your staff made us feel judged and belittled all for bringing in necessary medications. Our medications were in prescription bottles that were clearly labeled and matched the information on our drivers licenses. I take a medication called Domperidone that your staff tried to tell me was a narcotic when I can assure you that it is not. Narcotics are always clearly labeled with a "C" for controlled substance or "N" for narcotic. Your staff was loudly repeating, "You can't bring this in. This is a narcotic," in front of everyone in line when it's actually a medication to help my gastroparesis (the paralyzation of the stomach). This medication is not a narcotic and isn't even used to treat pain at all. None of your security staff is in the medical field and should not be making judgements based on disabled peoples' medication and medical status. The lack of respect and understanding for disabled people by your staff is absurd and ableist. While this interaction has probably already been forgotten by your staff, my friend and I will forever remember how the staff at the Capital One Arena made us feel all because we're...

I like the location and it has good sound quality in the arena and maintains a comfortable temperature. Seating doesn't offer much leg room, so you would need to stand each time someone wants to pass. However, food and concessions need to be improved. (Also, somehow, some were able to get marijuana and cigarettes in the venue and smoke it because I smelled it at times. They only allow really small bags like clutch purses or fanny packs and use metal detectors but maybe no other checks). Food taste okay but chicken seemed raw and rubbery for one order and soda was flat (line too long to get replacement before show start), so money just wasted, and they run out of condiments too often. Ketchup was out most of the time and waited 10 mins for them refill honey mustard and ketchup on second trip (came back to see if it had been replaced). They were looking for some. In the meantime, Chris Brown came out early (they said he would start at 9:15 but he started about 9:05. He had opening acts and everything was on time or ahead of schedule). They need to just hand out prepackaged condiments with the order or have someone manning the stations and have replacements readily available. They literally have to take same container away for refills and bring it back. I don't like ordering food for this reason and it's overpriced, but I took kids with me who swore they were hungry (although they ate something before). Also, they should at least allow guests to bring their own water (but they don't allow tops, so there's that) since lines are out of hand. And they ran out of pizza. Let guests bring their own snacks and drinks if venue cannot...