We played in a curtained-off area of a floor in the new convention center. The entire room is the size of an airplane hangar; massive black curtains hang from the ceiling to define a smaller section, where chairs, risers and a stage have been arranged. It works as a venue, at least technically (the sound isn’t as bad as one would think), but it’s about as inconducive to conviviality as anything one could devise. It has all the elements needed to present a show, but some critical part of the experience is missing.
The convention center has a number of these massive, hangar-sized spaces, filled with trade fairs much of the time — they’ve been so successful that an addition’s being built onto the back of the center. Bamboo scaffolding around the construction covers the exterior of the addition, and is even used to create a false ceiling for the workers building the interior.
