Tonight’s the night, the final stop on the Hollywood Vampires European Tour and we will be testing Łódź Atlas Arena accessibility (sort of). Because she gets over-excited, Linda is going to have to spend much of the day resting, conserving her energy for the show.
(Un)fortunately, I have a ton of work to do too, so we spend most of the day in our apartment. The lack of TV means we’re reliant on the rumbling of nearby trams for audio entertainment – but it’s actually a novelty, so we don’t mind.
A quick wander
Around lunch time I venture out to buy cakes (obviously). It’s a half mile walk each way to the nearest Cukienia Sowa café, so I take the opportunity to have a look at a little more of the centre of Łódź.
As you can see, there is a faded grandeur to this city. There are several large “palaces” which once housed the fabric merchants who enriched Łódź in the 1800s. At the time, Łódź was second only to Manchester in importance in the fabric trade.
Sadly, the intervening years (and 40-odd years of Communism) have not treated these beautiful structures well. The city is (allegedly) quite prosperous thanks to the booming software and BPO market, but the number of long-empty shopfronts and crumbling tenements tells a different story.
At the gig
Departure time rolls around and we get a cab for the short ride over to the Łódź Atlas Arena. It is a concrete dome, vaguely reminiscent of Katowice’s Spodek, plonked down next to the shiny-but-compact Władysław Król Municipal Stadium, home to ŁKS Łódź football club.
The queue to enter stretches out through the gates of the entertainment complex. Thankfully it is quite fast moving, although we are turned away from the first door which is reserved for the general admission crowd. Annoyingly, the second door is accessible only by stairs which wasn’t great for Linda.
Inside, we realise our seats are at the opposite side of the arena. This means we have to jostle our way all the way around the outer concourse to find ‘Sector O’ where we will be sitting.
It’s a long flight of stairs down, but we are sat in the front row which is rather exciting.
Atlas Arena accessibility notes
Linda insisted that we leave the wheelchair in our apartment, so we did not fully test the Atlas Arena accessibility facilities. Instead, here are a few of my observations.
- The easiest way to access the Arena in a wheelchair is via the main entrance where there is a slope up the door.
- Toilets are located at the lower concourse level – there is a small disabled lift at each.
- There are dedicated accessible toilet cubicles.
Uber and FreeNow vehicles do not stop at Arena entrance. You will need to walk several hundred metres to one of the two designated meeting points. You will probably find that many of the passing taxis have been pre-booked, so be prepared to wait a while after your gig.
Other observations
When the house lights go down, so too do the lights in the concourse area. This means you will find yourself milling around in the semi-darkness if you leave your seat during the show.
Food and drink options are meagre. Beer, soft drinks and coffee are sold from mobile stalls on the concourse. Food (hotdogs and toasted cheese sandwiches) are available from a dedicated counter. Expect to pay 20zl (£4) for a beer.
Polish audiences are brilliant at behaving well. Like any venue in the world, gangways are to be kept clear at all times in case of emergency. British crowds like to disobey these rules and create aggro, arguing with the stewards charged with keeping routes free – which is why we need so many of them. In Łódź there was just one very young steward for the entire sector – and people follow his instructions without question.
The Hollywood Vampires were great, enjoying themselves as much as the crowd. This is a much better gig than their London date where the sound was terrible.
Would we come to the Atlas Arena again? If the right act was performing, we would definitely consider it. Unfortunately the gig was far from sold out, so it seems unlikely that gig will be the Hollywood Vampires again.
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