Fans deserve warning of Madonna's tardiness

I went to the Madonna concert at HP Pavilion this past weekend, taking a 5 p.m. train, to a

6 p.m. dinner and at 7:50 p.m. I was in my seat for an 8 p.m. start.

At no time did I hear anything about a late start, from the promotions on the radio, newspaper or HP Pavilion. The ushers just took my ticket and showed me where the seat was located.

At 8:45, an HP Pavilion usher came by to tell the audience members in my area that they would be having a DJ play music soon, for 45 minutes, there would then be a 45 minute intermission, and then, Madonna would come on at 10:30! Oh and don't worry about her going over the San Jose curfew law of concerts ending at 11:30, she was going to pay the $25,000 fine!

There were no in-and-out privileges at HP Pavilion, so basically, Madonna, or her production people, figured a fan of 20-plus years, would be interested in sitting in a seat, or eating and drinking pavilion fare, or buying Madonna keepsakes, for 2 1/2 hours, while they got around to putting on the show.

Not if Bill Graham were alive! His shows always started on time, ended on time, AND you got an apple on the way out the door.

I went to the HP Pavilion ticket office, which is managed by Ticketmaster, and they would not issue a refund, as the tickets were purchased via StubHub. If I do not receive a refund, I may have to initiate a concertgoers bill of rights; as another woman did with the airlines, for being stuck on an airplane for hours on end.

The worst part of the situation was that no one apologized.

Thank you for your consideration and attention to this opinion of a lover of Madonna music, but no longer a fan.

Karen Johnson, San Carlos

'Difficult to follow'

I attended the Oct. 5 San Francisco Symphony concert with a fellow musician. Contrary to Joshua Kosman's review of Vasily Petrenko's conducting, we both found him extremely self-conscious, self-centered and extraordinarily difficult to follow.

As a subscriber, it is my pleasure to sit in the side terrace so I can watch the conductors and see the orchestra musicians' responses to the conducting itself. From my perspective, Petrenko's movements are overblown, far too fancy, with superfluous body language that is more confusing than informative.

Occasionally from my perch at the Symphony, I have to look away from a conductor whose body language disturbs me - Petrenko being one - so that I can enjoy the music being made by the incredible S.F. Symphony musicians. Last night was one of those occasions.

Laurie Cohen, director of

Mill Valley Philharmonic

A bus rider's tale

Regarding "The real reason some won't take the bus" (Oct. 6):

In general the bus is a good thing except when its air conditioning mimics the inside of an oven or a freezer.

The bus is a good thing for the fine natural pill - the nod off; a good thing for letting someone else do the driving and the best - reading time.

The bus is a bad thing when the law of averages kicks in. Virtually no problems in 16 years of taking the bus to work and back. Then Nov. 30, 2007. Cased on the bus by a hoodie-wearing thug. Followed several blocks down a dark street. Then provocations. "This is it," I thought. I had to bolt. Two days later bought a car.

The bus is a jungle. A good one most of the time until ...

I still take it but it will never be the same.

Charles Birimisa, Watsonville