…Or is there. Even in the very best of theatres with “perfect” design, where you sit DOES matter. Often it will change your perception of the show. Let me explain.

Several weeks back, I had the privilege of attending Barry Manilow’s concert at the Las Vegas Hilton. Fortunately, our seats where in the 6^th row and center. I should probably add, I was blessed to have had my 75 year old mom with me. I can’t remember the last time just my mom & I attended show. We were bound to have a great time and knew it from the get go! There wasn’t a song played that we didn’t know every lyric to. We proved it by singing each one aloud, as did most of the capacity audience members. The energy from the sound vibrated through the bottom of our feet, rose quickly into our soul and before you knew, like the Pledge of Allegiance, the words simply rolled off our tongues.

Everything was on that night, everything! The lighting, the voices, an appreciative audience, Barry was in great voice, the house was full and we had perfect seats. We were smack in the middle of it all! We were in the game and we had glow sticks to prove it. If you squinted your eyes, the theatre air just above the sea of audience members heads was filled with what seemed like a ballet of fireflies. The mood was like a full moon.

Throughout the first 75minutes, the enthusiasm of the show kept swelling and then a huge thrust stage was jutted out above and in the middle of house. Now, we felt as though we could kiss Barry on the check cause he was so close. And finally, with yet another fabulous moment in the finale’, hundreds of confetti canyons went off, littering the audience with colorful kidlike joy. (My Mom probably hadn’t touched a piece of confetti in probably 50 yrs. or so.) She looked more like a child than I’d seen her, ever!

Last week, 7 of us bought tickets to see Barry Manilow. Our tickets were $132.50 for the back of the main floor. Our site lines were fine but I almost felt as though I was attending the concert alone. The energy from the audience from behind billowing to the stage was missing. Don’t forget, we were in the 6^th row from the back. The sound didn’t have the same fullness as it had weeks prior when I was down stage and front. The over hang from the balcony prevented the confetti from dispersing atop our heads, which was the very childlike moment I had so previously enjoyed.

Three of our party of seven, were brought down to the third row just right of center. The feedback from them was much more receptive than from the four of us sitting in the rear. I do believe there IS a bad seat in the house. I think whenever possible and whenever we could afford to be a little closer to the stage, it is certainly worth the price difference. I personally loved the show and all of the elements both times. This time I had to take note of the differences and quite frankly they were clearly obvious.

So the next time you hear someone say, there’s not a bad seat in the house, think about it and decide how much you want to make your 90 minute theatre experience count. Time is money, so my advice is to spend it……….your entertainment experience is worth it!