Verizon Center

I see that Barbra Streisand is appearing at the Verizon Center during the few days in October that my husband and I will be visiting. This seems an ideal opportunity to see her live but I wonder whether the seats still available (apart from those costing about $900) are worth having as they are at the back of the stage (according to the seating plan on the Verizon website) and she will presumably have her back to those seats all the while. Does anyone know if this is the case? Are any of those seats better than others? When I last looked at availability there was quite a selection still in that area.

Verizon Center

Quite possibly. But you can see the full frontal view of her performance via the big screen hanging from the center of the roof of the arena.

Verizon Center

Sandiemac

Since you aren%26#39;t from the US, you may not realize that The Verizon Center is a sports facility. It was not built for concerts, although they hold a ton of them there. It%26#39;s one thing to see a band like Bon Jovi there because it%26#39;s about the experience and the loud music more than the sound quality. But for an entertainer like Barbra Streisand, I don%26#39;t think you will enjoy the experience as much simply because the sound quality won%26#39;t be there. She has a such a beautiful voice, and I don%26#39;t think this venue will do her justice.

I just wanted you to be aware of that in case you go all out and purchase expensive tickets from a re-seller or something.

Good point, VaBelle. I%26#39;ve been to several concerts at MCI/Verizon Arena, and the acoustics are TERRIBLE!!! The acoustics are so bad it%26#39;s even hard to hear announcements in the arena. A concert hall it is not.

Thank you for much for these comments. You%26#39;re right - although I had realised it was a sports centre I hadn%26#39;t given any thought to the accoustics. The support are Il Divo (of whom I am also a fan) and of course the same very much applies to them. We%26#39;ll save our money and spend it elsewhere!

That%26#39;s why these forums are so great - you get information and tips which standard guidebooks just don%26#39;t cover.

Thanks again for your responses.

I agree about the acoustics. I have been fortunate enough to have really excellent seats for most of the shows I%26#39;ve seen there. However, a few months ago I went to see Billy Joel with a friend and we had the ';cheap'; seats. The sound was horrible!!!

If you don%26#39;t mind last minute plans, you can go to the box office the day of the show to see if they are released the VIP tickets. I haven%26#39;t done this but have a friend who swears by this method--tickets are face value and she has been in great sections every time.

Enjoy your visit!

Thanks for the tip - we are staying at the Marriott Convention Center

on F Street, which as I understand it is not very far from Verizon, so it would be easy to pop along and see what%26#39;s available.

DC is the third stop on our holiday - after NYC and Philly and before Richmond - and I can%26#39;t tell you how much we are looking forward to it.