So That's What WaMu Theater Is...
Last week, Seattlest posed the question, "Just what is WaMu Theater?" According to the comments that followed this question, WaMu Theater is an "insincere" "characterless" "uninviting" "concrete cave" with "crappy sound".
Whoa, Seattle. Harsh words.
In the interest of fair reporting, we accepted an invitation to speak with Andrew Roe -- Marketing Director and Talent Buyer for AEG Live. We asked Mr. Roe whether there's more to WaMu Theater than what it appears to be on its face. Is it more than dressy curtains, a stage and some folding chairs? And what about the sound quality?
Here's what he had to say...
On the need for a venue like WaMu Theater:
We opened a market. In cities all over the U.S. they need the 5,000 to 7,000 seated/GA venue. Seattle doesn't have Mercer Arena anymore and there's no band that can sustain a whole year of Gorge or Key Arena size shows. The Paramount is great up to twenty-eight [hundred], but there's nothing in between. The fact is, if we didn't have this building, Daft Punk would have never come to Seattle. Everett and Key are way too arena-like and the Paramount is just too small. So this thing was built to fill a huge void in the Seattle market. That step between the Paramount and the arena shows.
On reports of poor sound quality:
The Daft Punk show was incredible. Everyone I've talked to or heard from agrees. Even The Stranger said they were surprised how good it sounded. And you know what? When it comes to the actual sound, it's theirs, not ours. They bring in their own sound. The Killers brought in their own sound. My Chemical Romance brought in their own sound. There are detailed sound checks before every show and believe me, these bands wouldn't go on stage if they weren't happy. The room sounds great now. Before we converted this place the sound was horrible. It was probably one of the worst sounding rooms in the Northwest. Back when the White Stripes played here it was terrible.
On the curtains:
I've seen what people are saying. The Stranger once called them "the tarted up curtains." These are metal fiber-lined sound curtains that weigh six pounds per square foot. These things deaden the sound in the lobby by like seventy percent. So you can have a conversation when you're in the beer garden now. It's not an echo chamber like it used to be. The thing is, the general public just has no idea what we've done to the place. The people in the business know. They know we spent 7.1 million dollars on improvements, but a lot of the public still think it's a big aircraft hangar with curtains on the walls, which clearly isn't the case. And it's not just curtains, there're sound baffles in every corner of that place -- the floor, the ceiling, everywhere.
On the name WaMu Theater:
I will agree with one big thing that the public has complained about. It's not a theater. It should never have been called a theater. It's a hall is what it is. It's a music hall and it's meant to be uber-generic, so if you're Daft Punk, the room becomes Daft Punk's. Or if you're My Chemical Romance, it becomes My Chemical Romance's room. It's generic on its own but it morphs into whatever the artist makes it, as opposed to it being an imposing theater where you could put band a, b, c,d thru z and it's always going to have the same look and feel that the Moore and the Paramount have.
Seattlest says...
We'll decide for ourselves. Maybe we'll head on down for the Interpol show. However, be warned WaMu Theater -- if we find nothing but Budweiser on tap, you'll so be on notice.
