Vanessa Carlton did not walk 1,000 miles to be cold on stage in Northampton.
The singer-songwriter launched a social media campaign to pressure the management of the city's Iron Horse Music Hall to improve conditions following her show on March 7, writing on Twitter that temperatures on stage were uncomfortably cold and furniture in the dressing room was in disrepair.
In an interview, IHEG marketing director Jim Neill questioned why Carlton took to Twitter with the issues. Carlton never reached out privately to management and had previously performed twice at the Iron Horse without complaint, he said.
Iron Horse responds to Vanessa Carlton's complaints about venue conditions
Iron Horse Entertainment Group owner Eric Suher denied that the temperature was a problem in an email to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
"Much of what you are reading on social media is false," Suher wrote in the email. "The performer was cold on the stage. The venue temp was 70 degrees."
Carlton encouraged fans on Twitter to voice complaints to management, urging the club to "treat its artists better" and clean its dressing room. The Iron Horse's Twitter account struck a more conciliatory tone than Suher, apologizing for the temperature and dressing room conditions. Carlton responded by describing the situation as a "slap in the face."
It is not the first temperature-related complaint at IHEG venues. Last summer, concert-goers at a Pearl Street show featuring the metal band Baroness reported extremely hot conditions with little ventilation. Suher attributed the incident to a temporary air conditioning failure.
