After attending The Maximo Park gig at Doncaster Dome and The Kaiser Chiefs at Hull Areana, here is a comparison of how the two cities deal with such crowds and events at two similar council venues.

Doncaster Dome: Maximo Park Vs Hull Arena: Kaiser Chiefs

Dome Smoking: Even though the Dome is a leisure centre it still had a designated outdoor smoking area on the bottom floor where punters entered the arena. You could take drinks and meet up with friends if you lost them throughout the night.
Hull Smoking: Once you are in the Hull Arena, like Royston Vasey, you’ll never leave weather you want a cigarette, are on fire or had left a limb in the Car Park. Many of the Staff also resembled the sitcom in some way

Dome Bar: The Dome set up temporary bars on the lower ground fenced in with steel bars as crowds squeezed though like cattle at a market. It did have a VIP bar upstairs which you had to pay and extra fiver for. The pints in both bars were of extortionate price but the Dome allowed you to buy in pint and a half cups, ideal if you didnt fancy trotting off from the stage for a drink mid-gig.
Hull Bar: The Arena has more bars than toilets, I counted 4/5 in total including the upstairs bar which clearly had no air conditioning and they even put screens on the windows so you couldnt see down onto the stage which I was a little puzzled about, these people had paid for a ticket and I didn’t quite understand why they weren’t allowed to watch the gig from the bar if they wanted.

Dome Staff: When realising there was no area to leave my coat I decided their was no way I could leave it on throughout the whole show unless I was planning on melting. I cheekily asked a huge scary looking member of security if there was anyway I could leave it behind the reception or one of the bars. To my amazement this Security guy was extreamely helpful and took my coat and put it away safely in a staff only area of the VIP bar. ‘Come see me after the gig, I’m Security manager, i’ll look after it for you’. Leaving me realising that huge Security guys aren’t that scary afterall!
Hull Staff: There must have been more staff than punters, checking every wristband with a miserable face, it was like walking into a prison as they slapped a band on your wrist and screamed, ‘Keep it moving!’ in your ear.When taking photo’s of the band, a stern member of staff shouted NO FLASH! Even though this was a strobe lighting gig and every other punter in the audience was flashing away with mobiles and digitals.When wanting to return to my car a member of staff insisted that she’d ,’Have to follow me’ to my car! – There was no way i was wandering into a dark Car Park with a stranger, bloody Hell, is that what you call Security?!

Sound: I’d paid only £16 to attend a gig at a council venue, i wasn’t expecting it to be great. But was pleasantly surprized with the quality of the sound, no matter where you stood in the Dome arena the sound quality was brilliant
Hull Sound: For a 36% higer ticket price, I don’t know weather it was the sound system or the acoustics but i’ve heard better sound quality in The Adelphi Club on De Grey Street.

Dome Security: Helpful security staff dotted around the venue who made sure the public knew where they could grab a beer, go to the loo, for a cigarette and into the main arena
Hull Security: The Arena Security were so bothered about me taking photos and following me to the reception to put my camera away (Not the other 3000 people in the arena who had cameras, just me) and stopping people from leaving to go for a cigarette that they failed to notice that a double decker sized Stage Crew lorry parked at the entrance had been broken into. I think somehow their security priorites were a little muddled.

Dome Parking: Ample parking around the Dome as it is situated in a Retail Park
Hull Parking: Although the Arena is situated in a retail park, the Arena Car Park was so full that cars has to park on curbs and grass. 500 empty spaces were opposite the Arena in the Retail Park parking, but the council had very cleverly put signs up stated ‘Fine for concert parking’ How rude!

Dome Overall Experience: Brilliant. Friendly Staff, great atmosphere and brilliant sound for what i thought would be an awkward venue to hold such a gig.
Hull Overall Experience: Ruined by ridiculous rules and appauling staff that made you feel like an animal or criminal, so much so that i had to leave after the 4th song before i really did cause a murder.


Doncaster Council Venue 1 / Hull Council Arena 0

Ill be going out of town for bigger gigs in the future, its unfortunate that theyre more welcoming

yer some good gigs

The gig itself were fab and the audience were in fine voice, especially during All These Things That Ive Done. Bit of a shame that the security were selectively stopping people from using digital cameras tho. Deffo need a bigger disabled platform.