November 28, 2001

3:03 AM

Beneath the Dome...and I mean London's Millennium Dome, still causing controversy nearly a year after it closed. Undercover reporters seem surprised to find there's nothing inside the big top since its contents were demolished. No problem to the Dome's detractors, though, or to the thousands of ravers heading for the Ministry of Sound New Year's Eve party at the Dome, complete with indoor and outdoor funfair! Any MeFiers going?
posted by skylar (46 comments total)

£40 before Nov 26th, more after. Fucking opportunists.
posted by Summer at 3:21 AM on November 28, 2001

Along with plenty of other party promoters... it's standard practice. Usually one price far in advance, another nearer the date or on the door. But then, shouldn't the fans who advance the organisation the money/ interest to fund the event get special treatment? What about Burning Man? Tickets $185 to start, $200 by August 24, $250 on the gate. As it happens the Ministry tickets have only gone up by £5 so far but it's still a lot of cash. Even worse in my opinion are the 'convenience charges' and 'postage fees' that Ticketmaster and co lay on.
posted by skylar at 3:36 AM on November 28, 2001

Tickets $185 to start, $200 by August 24, $250 on the gate

OMG. You're so right about ticketmaster. First Call Tickets are even worse. Buy a job lot of six or so and you're looking at £10 extra.

I'd love to go the Ministry of Sound thing - I think the Dome is a fantastic structure - but £45, then money for drinks and drugs. You're looking at £150 and I'm v. v. poor.
posted by Summer at 3:51 AM on November 28, 2001

exactly. i'd like to go to this, but my favourites aren't there and the thought of getting back at the end of it tires me out straight away. i am getting a bag of fun and caning it at my local.
posted by Frasermoo at 4:03 AM on November 28, 2001

Good idea, Frasermoo. Then again plenty of locals seem to have been charging £10 or £20 to get in on New Year these last couple of years. I think Summer put it most succinctly in her first post.

If all else fails, stay in and watch the box.

The question I'm trying to resolve is this: is it getting worse, or has New Year's Eve always been such a pain in the arse?
posted by dlewis at 4:50 AM on November 28, 2001

New Years Eve has always been a pain in the arse. Have been totally disillusioned with it ever since queueing for 3 hours at the cloakroom of Universe (in Bow 1992) to get my coat and leave, following a mate's serious OD and subsequent removal to A&E. Usually pans out to be a totally unexceptional night, rammed with far too many people trying far too hard to have fun (and usually failing).

Most fun I've had on NYE was laffing at the comically, spectacularly unimpressive fireworks in London on Millenium Eve from the top of Primrose Hill with some mates. Last year had a surprisingly good time staying in, eating nice food and watching Jools Holland with the wife.

Having said that... if anyone's throwing a party, let me know... ;-)
posted by bifter at 4:59 AM on November 28, 2001

I worked for 2000 Eve. Spent 2001 Eve sleeping. It's just another day. Pick a different day to celebrate. You'll avoid a lot of traffic.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:11 AM on November 28, 2001

I love you guys - even your cynicism is cynical! Just another day? Hmm. The fact that there's lots of traffic at night signals to me that it's not just another day. And do people hug and sing 'Auld Lang Syne' on just any day? Or have a rave in the Dome on any day? And do pubs charge £10 just to get in on just any day? ;)
posted by skylar at 6:26 AM on November 28, 2001

The best NYE events are the ones you do yourselves, with your mates at someones house.
There is no forced good cheer, no queuing for the bar/toilet/cloakroom and nobody feels they have to have a good time because they paid a fortune to get in.
Everyone chips in a bit towards the costs too.
This year my girlfriend is taking me to Barcelona for Christmas (no relatives, queens speech etc. - so cool!) and we're having a big house party for new years eve (bifter, if you're in Wiltshire around Dec. 31st......).

Oh, and I worked Millenium eve, got paid a fortune and fell asleep under my desk after drinking all the free champagne, we had a better party at work (with no actual work to do) than most of my friends who went to London.

Skylar - there are spontaneous outbursts of Auld Lang Syne in all the £10 pubs I go into almost every day of the year, don't you know anything about the UK?
posted by Markb at 6:34 AM on November 28, 2001

Don't even talk to me about pubs charging £10 on New Year's Eve. I remember that special time, was it 1998?, when I spent New Year in a hospital with a Kiwi victim of a stabbing. He'd got into a fight over my friend in the Nag's Head, Islington.
posted by Summer at 6:34 AM on November 28, 2001

I think Skylar is a UK person, Markb. British, as it's called.
posted by Summer at 6:36 AM on November 28, 2001

Gee. I thought you were talking about the Golden Dome.
posted by MeetMegan at 6:58 AM on November 28, 2001

Markb

bifter, if you're in Wiltshire around Dec. 31st......

Mate - I'm there... ;-)
posted by bifter at 7:02 AM on November 28, 2001

they got any diamonds there?
posted by clavdivs at 7:46 AM on November 28, 2001

Not after last time, clav.
posted by dlewis at 8:02 AM on November 28, 2001

Along with plenty of other party promoters... it's standard practice.

And the reason is that the promoters, and everyone else involved, need to plan. If people decided to buy their tickets at the last moment and the promoters thought the event was dead they may not hire enough security, or they may not order enough food or drink. All of these things can produce many many problems—some of which can be disastrous.

By providing an incentive for people to purchase their tickets early they hope to get a better idea of the size of the crowd.

I will be in the UK for New Years, but I will be spending it in a lovely cottage in Wales with friends. But I will be in London for Xmas etc, so if there are any MeFi folks who want to treat me at their local pub, I won't mind ;)
posted by terrapin at 8:10 AM on November 28, 2001

New Year's eve is like going to an Irish bar on St. Pat's day, amatuer hour.
posted by chrismc at 10:02 AM on November 28, 2001

I thought I was the only one who hated NYE...

As an aside, I'll be vacationing to London over NYE this year, is there anything that you do recommend?
posted by esch at 10:58 AM on November 28, 2001

Heh. I'll be MOVING over NYE.
posted by SpecialK at 11:34 AM on November 28, 2001

Esch, one of my main reasons for thinking the Dome idea is interesting is based on my experiences last year. The police basically closed the centre of London down, they told people not to enter, they blockaded roads, the proposed fireworks were cancelled etc etc. For whatever reason (funding?) the authorities didn't make it easy to party and the atmosphere was dampened although not completely snuffed out. At least people at the Dome ought to be left a little more to their own devices.

At the risk of completely exposing my own (abysmal) taste in pop culture, I'd recommend the aforementioned Dome event, Plastic People at Planit2000 and for easy listening vibes Club Montepulciano at the Blackheath Halls. Failing that the tradition is for people to get drunk and go to Trafalgar Square blowing loud hooters (so to speak).
posted by skylar at 1:37 PM on November 28, 2001

I'm in Hampshire! Hooray!
posted by davidgentle at 10:57 PM on November 28, 2001

The thing is, I'm only over for a week, and I don't know if I'd like to be hazy for the rest of the trip just for one night's party...
posted by esch at 11:05 PM on November 28, 2001

bifter, gotta disagree with you about the fireworks on millenium eve. i was outside The Aquarium. Superb spot, fireworks were superb. All in sync, repeated at intervals down the river. Really cool.
posted by Frasermoo at 1:00 AM on November 29, 2001

Skylar

I'd recommend the aforementioned Dome event, Plastic People at Planit2000

Yes, yes, YES - seconded Skylar. Plastic People is about the only decent club night in London at the mo (apart from when Floppy Disco are in town...)
posted by bifter at 1:57 AM on November 29, 2001

Frasermoo

bifter, gotta disagree with you about the fireworks on millenium eve. i was outside The Aquarium. Superb spot, fireworks were superb. All in sync, repeated at intervals down the river. Really cool.

Fair play - Primrose Hill *is* at least 2.5 miles away... could have dampened the effect somewhat ;-)

I just remember it seemed like a bit of a comedy vibe, with everywhere else in the World seemingly really pushing the boat out (watched the *amazing* fireworks in, I think, Sydney on TV...), while London ended up with a Millenium Wheel that wasn't wheelin', a dome that was a laughing-stock and what seemed like much less impressive sparks than anywhere else. Still enjoyed myself though...

Anyone ever actually done the Trafalgar Square thing on NYE?
posted by bifter at 2:02 AM on November 29, 2001

not a chance mate.

never appealed.
posted by Frasermoo at 8:18 AM on November 29, 2001

Is this thread dead? Oh well. I was in the centre of London on Millennium Eve as well and I thought the fireworks were fantastic. The 'river of fire' thing never really materialised but it didn't matter by then. The best thing about the whole night was wandering around London with no traffic to get in the way, everyone just swigging out of bottles but not getting rowdy or violent. No toilets though and few pubs open. River of piss, more like.
posted by Summer at 2:43 AM on November 30, 2001

Nah - I'm still here... resting my eyes *koff*. I think I'm just so much of a curmudgeon that I wanted it to be crappy old Trafalgar Square *1,000,000. Quite glad I've been shown the error of my ways... ;-) You must admit that the tubes *were* a complete nightmare on the way home though - 'specially the Central Line :-s
posted by bifter at 4:12 AM on November 30, 2001

Welcome to the dead thread. I'm still here Summer.... sent you an e-mail the other day actually. Keep those New Year's Eve ideas coming in everyone. Exciting ideas so far include: sitting in watching Clive James, going to the pub, moving house and working.
posted by skylar at 7:39 AM on November 30, 2001

You lie Skylar - this thread will never die!

I've changed my mind, and plan to spend NYE perfecting my egg-poaching technique. :-p
posted by bifter at 8:15 AM on November 30, 2001

I didn't get it Skylar. Either that or I accidentally deleted it along with loads of press releases. Sorry. Or maybe Yahoo has put it somewhere obscure.
posted by Summer at 9:51 AM on November 30, 2001

I think I got home at 4am bifter. I remember being a sobbing, drunken mess at 2am after it had become apparent there was no way of getting home, and telling a poor young woman with children where she could stick her happy new year.
posted by Summer at 9:53 AM on November 30, 2001

Hey is this thread still alive? I aint giving up on it. Had an awesome 2 day bender at the weekend, FingerLickin tour Finale on Friday was 'The Lick' and one of the best house party's for ages on Saturday + I got to play + a bird just wrote me who I had given my email to.

Life is good. (Even if it took a couple of years off my life).
posted by Frasermoo at 9:02 AM on December 4, 2001

and telling a poor young woman with children where she could stick her happy new year

Class.
posted by Frasermoo at 9:03 AM on December 4, 2001

I'll be here until New Year. Come on kids, someone must want to come to the Dome!
posted by skylar at 4:53 PM on December 4, 2001

I was with a friend last night, he nearly sold it to me. He pointed out that getting home would not be a problem, because it would probably go on until February. However I am scared of the potential cash outlay.
posted by Frasermoo at 3:47 AM on December 5, 2001

I think Skylar is a UK person, Markb. British, as it's called.

Skylar - I apologise, I think it was the use of 'you guys'.
Summer - quite.

Dome is sort of tempting, it would be the first time I've been to anything like that since I gave it all up in 1996 ([relative]old age, cynicsm and a frightening tolerance to MDMA) - my girlfriend never really got involved in the club scene and keeps asking me to show her what she missed.....
However price is not tempting ::starts on about how he remembers when it was all in a field for free etc....::
posted by Markb at 8:03 AM on December 5, 2001

Markb, I'll show your girlfriend what she missed.... no, erm, seriously: I'm too young to remember journeys around the London Orbital road to some field or warehouse, but even I can tell that the music back then was much better.

Frasermoo: I believe that the Dome event finishes in April 2006, actually. But if you want to arrive when it starts at 7pm and then go home early, the Tube's running until 1am and it's less than staggering distance from the Dome. £45 a ticket is a rip-off but not much more so than other events, plus the Dome is architecturally and culturally an amazing space, there are two funfairs there, and... well... whatever.
posted by skylar at 2:32 AM on December 6, 2001

Have you been watching the 'Pump up the Volume' series on Ch4 recently? Really good series, it managed to capture the feeling of the times and have some interesting interviews with the people making the music at the time. Plus of course some of the best tunes of the day ('History of House' the CD from the series is excellent).

The Orbital parties were by no means the first though, we were dancing in the north long before those southern softies knew what house music was...;-)
posted by Markb at 2:45 AM on December 7, 2001

I remember going to my first warehouse in 1987.

Unfortunately I was loading Mars Bars on trucks for £2.31 an hour.
posted by Frasermoo at 7:18 AM on December 7, 2001

Boom and... (seeing as we're clearly on a nostalgia trip here: did you know they're bringing Basil Brush back next year?) .... Boom! Boom!
posted by skylar at 2:49 PM on December 7, 2001

Basil Brush is D - hombre.
posted by Frasermoo at 5:01 AM on December 12, 2001

posted by Frasermoo at 5:19 AM on December 12, 2001

His yellow teeth used to scare me back when I was a whippersnapper. His and Hartley the Hare's from Pipkins.

::shudder::
posted by Markb at 5:24 AM on December 13, 2001

Ok, this thread shall not die as NYE has not arrived yet. I have opted for my local pub, which has sold 600 tickets, 4 rooms, 3 bars and DJ's til 6. It means a 50 yard stumble home at the end of the session with 2 house parties to choose from.
(side note: if you are in the UK, pick up this months Ministry magazine for 2 CD's of reasonable house)
posted by Frasermoo at 1:27 AM on December 30, 2001

Still at the Dome... then all back to mine in London!
posted by skylar at 6:04 AM on December 30, 2001