Concert-Goers Pay a Premium to See Shows From the Pits

The best seats in the house aren’t seats anymore.

At the Universal Amphitheater, and at a number of concert halls around the country, management has made a semi-regular practice of ripping out the first 10 or so rows of seats to allow standing-room-only audiences up front.

Concert halls are doing this mostly for rock ‘n’ roll or alternative pop music shows, infusing them with a touch of a nightclub environment. At the 6,251-seat Universal Amphitheater, the vast majority of the audience sits while 200 people can crowd the stage and dance to the beat.

“We did it for a few shows in ’88 and quite a few more in ‘89,” said Missy Worth, amphitheater booking manager. “We do it for bands like Oingo Boingo and we did it for Keith Richards. We would not do it for Julio Iglesias.”

Standing pit tickets are advertised as “Party in the Pit” and cost the same as any other seat. Worth said the tickets have been selling out almost immediately. For two Elvis Costello concerts last week, pit tickets went for between $100 and $125 at ticket agencies around town.

“They’re the best seats if you don’t mind standing,” said Brad Rosenfeld, of Front Row Center Ticket Service. “It’s more for the younger kids. The older folks don’t want to stand all concert long.”

Irvine Meadows Amphitheater also has been offering standing-room pit tickets for selected concerts, Rosenfeld said. So have such halls as the Vick Theater in Chicago and the Detroit State Theater.

In Los Angeles, KROQ-FM (106.7) is heavily involved in promoting the concept, offering ticket giveaways for most “Party in the Pit” concerts.

“Our listeners love it,” said Jodie Renk, the radio station’s advertising and promotions director. “They want the flexibility of moving and dancing. There’s nobody there to say ‘Sit Down.’ There’s nobody there to say ‘Hey, you’re stepping on my toes.’ ”

From a business standpoint, Worth said, she’s been using the feature to attract bands that might ordinarily avoid Universal’s sit-down audiences, preferring to play in a club-like environment such as the Hollywood Palladium.

“General admission pit really electrifies the room,” Worth said, “It makes the band play harder. They talk about it. It adds a new element to the show.”