Showbiz411

Well, everyone who works at the Barclay Arena in Brooklyn knows the Rolling Stones are coming. They’re just sure when. Everyone I spoke to said the same thing: the dates are not firm. Even with tickets going on sale soon for London and Newark, the Brooklyn arrangements have not been finalized.

So what’s the Barclay like? It’s beautiful. The staff could not be nicer. So nice, too nice. You know you’ve left New York. There’s a great vibe. People are happy to be there. They have excellent free WiFi, and have deals in place with all the major phone carriers. The food is good, too.

You can go there by subway. Many trains arrive underneath the Barclay. I took the B train from 42nd St. and Sixth Avenue. It was a 22 minute ride.

But going home is another story. After the initial rush, the trains back to Planet Earth–aka Manhattan–do not come often. There was a long, long wait. And no guarantee of getting the train that brought you there. The Barclay-Atlantic Ave subway station could also use some more escalators.

All in all, though, the Nets fans will be happy. And the Rolling Stones will find no doom or gloom there. Book it already!

PS Sound was excellent. Bands will be very happy. Even Rush.

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.