From hockey games (Go Habs Go) to concerts (too many to name), my Montrealer self loves the Bell…read moreCentre. The atmosphere and energy of the crowd is always on a whole other level.
With that being said, I think one of my only more "important" comments, is that if you're a female going to attend a concert that you know is more of a "sold out" kind of situation in terms of attendance, plan your washroom breaks ahead of time as best as possible. I tried my best not to need to use the facilities during our last visit for the Tame Impala concert but when you gotta go, you gotta go! Before I continue, I understand that there are a lot of people and there's only so much the venue could do but I almost wish they had replaced their popcorn stands with extra porta-potties or something.
I was in line for the entire intermission of roughly 40-50 minutes and I almost thought the woman ahead of me in line wasn't going to make it based on how she was hopping in place. Meanwhile, our long line went past the men's washroom and we saw them going in and out in two seconds with zero line to wait. A lady who was desperate tried sneaking in to the men's washroom but they had a guard ensuring this wouldn't happen. For safety reasons, I'm glad they do this but it just shows how desperate some people were. So, ladies- let's maybe make a point of going as fast as we can for the sake of others waiting?
As I stood in line, my partner was able to go to the washroom, get food, and come find me to wait with me for the remainder of my line time. I ate my hot dogs before I even got to the door opening for the washrooms (where the bathroom line continued with another 30 people that had been hidden from the hallway view). So if you think you're close to having your turn soon as you turn the corner into the hallway from the main area, think again.
Besides this, watching a hockey game anywhere else does not compare. The prices for refreshments, food, souvenirs, etc are expensive but that's just the norm these days. I also recommend buying merch as soon as you get there rather than waiting during the intermission of afterwards. As long as you prepare yourself to spend a bit of money, and possibly wait in lines (which are not uncommon at big events), then I promise you, the memories are worth every second.