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Disability and gigs


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I've never been to a gig before and am disabled with autism and a joint disorder which means I cannot stand for long periods of time. [emoji22]

 

I wandered if anyone else has had experience of going to gigs with a disability but without a chair. [emoji4]

 

How would I get to the front without standing or sitting in a wheelchair?

 

Would I qualify to temporarily sit in one and get a disabled spot?

 

I'm dreaming about seeing the band one day in the future but will need to plan things [emoji708] [emoji704] [emoji2]

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The best thing you can do is probably contact the venue you wanna go too. Disabled spots will probably be among the seats tho, so if you want to get to the barrier the only way is to que all day long, or somehow get to enter before everyone else which still means you'll have to stand at the barrier from 5pm till 11pm which, if i understand right, is way too long. But with the massive demand it has to be that way i'm afraid...

 

Unfortunately concerts, especially popular ones like Coldplay, aren't really optiaml for disabled people. But if you're fine with a decent seat, just contact the venue :)

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Don't worry too much about being right in the front row. Talking about Coldplay concerts any place you choose to see the show you'll enjoy it. They care about the fans siting on the back of the venues and the audience is involved during the whole concert. Hope you get the opportunity to see them, don't let your disability ruin a wonderful moment, enjoy every second and share your experience with all of us, I'll be waiting to read it :)

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I would go for a seat in the lower tiers. I saw some Youtube videos and the views from the lower ranks are pretty good, sometimes even better than the views from the standing crowd (especially if the stage is high).

Whichever seat/place you choose, I wish you a great time :)

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I'm in Somerset - thank you for the link. I'm sure they plan years ahead so I will live in hope.

 

The thing with autism is that you could adapt without affecting the neurotypical gig experience. I was thinking the other day of headphones for people with ASD - they could put them on if tired of the loud music and carry on listening at a reduced level. Some people with ASD don't like lots of colour and music due to sensory overload - personally I love being overloaded but I would love a quiet room at a gig to chill out after it! I will carry on thinking about it and join this group you've linked to x

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Where are you located? Here is a website that promotes shows and gigs for ppl with disabilities

http://whynotpeople.com/

They also have a FB page and you can become a member

It was announced that Coldplay would do a show for them a while back but I have not seen anything come of it. Good luck!

Christa, I have looked into it to. TimeLordAdored, I am disabled and saw Coldplay at a large arena in 2011. I had a ticket but once I got there, I could not sit in that seat because of my intense fear of heights and occasional dizziness. The venue let us move to disabled seats but we had to pay $30 more each, which we gladly did. The seats were right off the side of the stage over by the roadies. Unbelievable! This was in a sports venue. I had to get pain injections afterwords, but it was worth it to me. Now, I have a field seat in a larger stadium. It is assigned and we don't que here. But I strongly want to volunteer for OXFAM. I explained all of my disabilities when I applied and I also called them. I learned that their shifts are 4-5 hours of standing and walking. I can only do about an hour, and even that will be very painful and exhausting due to the standing and talking. I've asked them to consider what I can do anyway. They are going to discuss it and may have to see if the venue can give me a wheelchair. Who knows. Like you, I sometimes am driven to make a choice to do something that I know I shouldn't. I choose, at times, to pay that price. It is a delicate balance. I wish you luck in your decisions and dreams. As Coldplay says, "Don't ever give up."[emoji708]️[emoji683][emoji683]Your fellow differently-abled Coldplayer, IamSue.

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Christa, I have looked into it to. TimeLordAdored, I am disabled and saw Coldplay at a large arena in 2011. I had a ticket but once I got there, I could not sit in that seat because of my intense fear of heights and occasional dizziness. The venue let us move to disabled seats but we had to pay $30 more each, which we gladly did. The seats were right off the side of the stage over by the roadies. Unbelievable! This was in a sports venue. I had to get pain injections afterwords, but it was worth it to me. Now, I have a field seat in a larger stadium. It is assigned and we don't que here. But I strongly want to volunteer for OXFAM. I explained all of my disabilities when I applied and I also called them. I learned that their shifts are 4-5 hours of standing and walking. I can only do about an hour, and even that will be very painful and exhausting due to the standing and talking. I've asked them to consider what I can do anyway. They are going to discuss it and may have to see if the venue can give me a wheelchair. Who knows. Like you, I sometimes am driven to make a choice to do something that I know I shouldn't. I choose, at times, to pay that price. It is a delicate balance. I wish you luck in your decisions and dreams. As Coldplay says, "Don't ever give up."[emoji708]️[emoji683][emoji683]Your fellow differently-abled Coldplayer, IamSue.

 

Thanks for this. I am on 24/7 pain relief so I won't have to worry about seats being uncomfortable although I might need to move around.

 

The height thing - yeah I like to sit up at the theatre because I feel like I'm away from the main crowd but it did take my breath away for a few seconds initially. I don't think I could go very high! [emoji15]

 

Charging people extra for disabled positions is out of order since they can't chose where to sit fairly as everyone else does. An able bodied person can choose from the entire stadium if they are free from hypotension, autism, mental health issues or physical disability but we end up paying more.

 

Thanks for your wishes - back at ya [emoji4]

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  • 1 month later...

I just got my seat switched to a disabled one. Am worried because I'm not in a wheelchair but explained that I'm not able to stand long. I had a field seat. I called the venue but I get worried because they refer to all of the disabled seats as wheelchair accessible. Glad they are but they need to realize some people have other issues or serious back issues like mine (I have surgery soon) and are made much worse if they have to stand to see! Or can't be in a crowd...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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