Maricopa County Events Center

I feel bad giving the Maricopa people a one star review because its like talking shit about your own grandparents behind their backs … so I’ll bump the MCEC up a star so I can still have enough of the good graces with the old-​timers to garner some biscuits and orange marmalade up in heaven after I snuff it someday.
I saw one of my favorite acts here, but it was strange «hanging out» at a pseudo-​Spanish-​revival venue planted in a sea of asphalt, golf courses, and blue hairs along with a bunch of scene kids.
The theater itself is massive, so the aspect of intimacy is right out. The sound was less than stellar and the expanse of the venue seemed to suck everyones energy away. I think the performer even commented on it. Then, the venue ran out of beer at first, then ran out of booze, then lastly anything that was currently in a liquefied state at all. Compounded by the fact that there was a single bartender pouring bottles of beer into glasses and making mixed drinks at EACH OF THE TWO WET BARS, the lines for alcohol service were about 45 minutes long — and this was BEFORE the show. They ran out of alcohol entirely before the headliner went on, luckily i had a chance to drink a Alaskan Amber (shocker that they had a nice beer on hand) and double fisted a Jack and Coke (which is really weird for me to order, but it was literally ALL THEY HAD, and i might have got one of the last pours of the night despite there being about 50 – 60 people in line behind me.
Overall, the old people really seemed to be out of their league, but polite and helpful.
I probably could have skipped buying a ticket to this event and just walked right into the show due to the overwhelmed staff. I also could have been chugging a handle of Glenlivet as i did so and no one would have stopped me – well, other than the thousands of alcohol-​thirsty concert-​goers.
Luckily not too many prominent people go here that i want to see.
As a positive, the bathrooms were big and clean.