Candians' choice: Camden or CT?

[scotty12]

Hey everyone,
Im making my plans for the summer tour and I'm faced with a dilemma. I can only afford so many shows, and that forces me to make a decision: The two night stand in Hartford, CT or the two nighter in Camden, NJ.
For those of you who have been to both venues, which one would you take?
Both of them will be a long drive for me (coming up from Ontario), but the opportunity for two shows in two nights is something that I dont want to miss!

OR: Are their people who feel strongly that I should hold out, go to neither, and hope for the festival in the break after the Toronto show?

Thanks in advance anyone for letting me know what you think,
Scott

[gregory311]

Go to DL and TO if money is an object. It will save you money, too.

Or, drive to Star Lake for the doubleheader. It's only a 4 1/2 hour drive for you, too.

J.

[scotty12]

Oh I will be at both of those shows....forgot to mention that!

I want to see a two nighter though!

Burgettstown, PA, according to mapquest ....is 500 miles/8 hour drive...I am from kingston Ontario.

Hartford is 376 miles and Camden 390.

Which of the two of those venues would you pick?

[GoLdpHiShDMB]

camden is always fun.

[scotty12]

anyone else have an opinion on this?

[BustedJeff]

I've been to both places, so maybe I can lend some advise.

The Meadows is a real mixed bag. On one hand, the place is a dump. Literally, it's built on an old dump (I think?). The venue does not seem like anything special at all. Also, from my experience, the crowd is awful. They're either sleeping or worked up in a drunken frenzy. If you go to shows just to listen to the music, the crowd will pull you away at times. On the other hand, the band typically (NOT 2003) puts on good shows there. You put up with a lot of crap, but you get a good show.

Camden is a nice place to see them. While the actual surrounding city is horrible (top 5 poorest city in the US), the venue itself is really nice. The waterfront is nice to watch at night and the place is pretty clean. The crowd was good, sans girls urinating on the lawn and people chanting sports things. The 2 shows I saw this year were really, really good. Neither night was weak.

You really can't go wrong with either one. I suspect the Meadows shows will be good this year (since last year sucked), and I'm hoping Camden will rock too. BTW, some SPAC dates could show up, and if they do I would say go to SPAC over either of the other places.

Since you want one answer...I'll say the Meadows since they would probably play some good shows there this year.

[scotty12]

Thanks alot Jeff..by the sounds of things I would prefer the meadows....Driving or walking through a poor city would be worse than sitting on a pile of garbage IMO...I may fear for my health, but at least not my life!

[GoLdpHiShDMB]

Thanks alot Jeff..by the sounds of things I would prefer the meadows....Driving or walking through a poor city would be worse than sitting on a pile of garbage IMO...I may fear for my health, but at least not my life!No need to fear for your life in Camden unless you get lost.. There are cops at every corner around the Tweeter Center during concerts.. The venue is better than CT's.

[DMB-CRAZY]

hmmm...I am going to TO (obviously) and Darien, just because of the close proximity to drive. NJ would be a fun road trip, but I dont know about the venue. If money is a probel, try Darien...but a two-night stint is always fun!

[scotty12]

^ yeah thats the thing, I think two shows back to back would be sweet....I hope that if I went I would hear a bunch of different songs

[BustedJeff]

No need to fear for your life in Camden unless you get lost.. There are cops at every corner around the Tweeter Center during concerts.. The venue is better than CT's.

When we went last year...we got lost. :lol It was one of the most terrifying experiences in recent memory. I think we saw a dead guy in the street.

[Kyle#41_7985]

I'm definitely goin to Hartford, so go there. If you have decent seats it isn't a bad venue. Also if you get a decent spot on the lawn away from some of the idiots it can be just fine too. I went to my first DMB concert there on the lawn and I really didn't notice much stupidity at all. Except maybe for the guy who tumbled all the way down the lawn after taking acid.