Shortly after settling into Calgary we purchased tickets to see the Black Eyed Peas (BEP) as we had heard they are renowned for putting on a good show. The show was Tuesday night and after finishing work and a quick bite to eat we made our way to the Pengrowth Saddledome.
The Saddledome is comparable in size to the Sydney Entertainment Centre but instead of hosting basketball games it is normally home to the Calgary Flames hockey team. Costing $100 million to build in 1983 the saddledome is a very nice sporting venue but this is where its biggest downfall comes to light. The Saddledome has the acoustics of an empty aircraft hanger! It is obvious that it was built as a sports venue and concerts were merely an afterthought.
While BEP put a solid performance in they were let down by a terrible concert venue. At best we could hear a mish-mash of reverberating echos and nonsensical distortion. They are an incredibly dynamic group with 4 artists that could easily stand on their own. From Fergie performing single handed cartwheels while singing to Will.i.am drumming with right hand whilst rapping into his mic held in left hand. I can only imagine how much better it would have been if we could have understood/heard them.
Would we see BEP again? – Yes, I'd even recommend you see them too if your into that kind of music (or have 12 – 16 year old daughters).
Would we see another gig at the Saddledome? – Not a chance!