Why Seats??

emeraldkity

that reminds me of this
read the 2nd post

The way I see it, the propensity of some male rock fans to act out in this loud, animalistic, macho manner is rooted in male-defined expectations of how one is ‘expected’ to behave at a rock concert (male-defined because men dominate rock music spaces- I was surrounded by men at this concert and wasn’t aware of another woman in my immediate vicinity- and therefore set the standard for ‘rock’ rituals and behaviour). I heard one of the men near me say he hadn’t been to a rock concert before, but from the looks of it he still had an idea of how he was ‘supposed’ to behave at a concert. Hence, the getting drunk, swaying around obtrusively into others’ space, hollering in a hyper-masculine way (this in particular not being in keeping with the band’s performance, this was Pearl Jam, but the way these blokes were going on you’d think it was Slayer or some such…) not to mention spilling your beer over everyone. The expression of this type of masculinity, seems to act as a marker of how good a time one is having. The male-defined standards for behaviour at rock concerts, lead you to believe the louder, more intimidating and obstructive you can get, the better your concert experience will be.

Sexy2aFault

rockadoc wrote:

I posted this in another thread but no one seems to be answering it soooo

I want to get VA beach tickets this week. It is an outdoor venue, yet there is supposedly reserved seating with lawn tix behind it.

I saw them in Albany at the Pepsi Arena a couple years ago and I couldn't believe how we had to stand in place at our seats on the FLOOR.
Whyyyyyyyy are they doing this now when other bands are still allowing general admission? If it is because of rowdiness and safety, why aren't bands like Nine Inch Nails doing it too? NIN at VA beach about 2 years ago was standing general admission with an option for cheaper lawn tickets behind the amphitheatre.

Why are the kids not free to rock out!? I'm not trying to see an opera or symphony....I'm trying to see PEARL JAM.
Thanks for any info/insight.

I agree, I am disspointed after their 2007 Euro tour that was GA, I thought they would head back in that direction. Shows have a better energy with GA. With seats, it gives the crowd an excuse to get restless. I take PJ personally, and I want all 15,000 folks to have the best show experience of their life, it is tougher to make the case that PJ is the best live act around with the seat burden. However, it is not impossible to make the argument with seats, as some casual "Alive" fans I brought with me thought Grand Rapids 06 was the best show they had ever seen.

Bring back GA, let the old folks buy a seat. Of course it is not like the entire floor in GA shows are rowdy, you can find safe spots close to the stage, those who complain about elbows are just making excuses so they can be the only ones to enjoy being toward the front. Selfish bastards!...who probably have had front row since 98.

DPrival78

any "rocking out" that you can't do without being in a GA environment is excessive and likely to annoy other people. the seat work fine, and aren't restraining at all.

its_ok

Wow....i'm sorry, but i see alot of old lazy people who's lost all sense of rock n' roll in this thread. Soon you'll want intermission to go take a piss and buy a hot dog too. May this attitude never make it's way overseas to europe. I have no idea how to behave this summer when im going to MSG2...WTF am i going to do if they play, i dont know, lets say Lukin. Sit on my ass?? Cant do it. Its all about respecting your fellow fan, looking out for eachother and not waving your elbows all around.

Ill be honest though, never seen a rock concert sitting down, cause it doesnt happen in europe. GA is the only way to watch a rock concert. But im not worse than ill admit if it was good after this summer, but i doubt it.

The security reasons for not having GA don't hold, you just need to have different sections and not put in to many people in each one...just as they have in roskilde and other big arena shows that ive been to.

For me, PJ is not about sitting on my ass...

DPrival78

its_ok wrote:

For me, PJ is not about sitting on my ass...

just because there are seats, it doesn't mean there will be any sitting going on..

no self-respecting pj fan would sit down at a show. there are the elitest, i'm-too-cool-to-get-into-betterman-or-jeremy types who will sit and mope until something more rare gets played, but thats about it.

Its Evolution Baby

DPrival78 wrote:

any "rocking out" that you can't do without being in a GA environment is excessive and likely to annoy other people. the seat work fine, and aren't restraining at all.

I'm 6'3 250 so seats don't work fine thank you very much. All I want to do is jump straight up and down "pogoing" on fast songs. I don't want to Mosh, I don't like to be shoved. I went to GA shows at the Forum for Muse and I was at 2 RATM shows last year and had no problem finding a close spot away from the crazy's that also allowed me room to "rock out" and not disturb anyone else. I don't necessarily mind PJ having seats @ Arenas but it seems overkill at places like Albany and Santa Barbara Bowl where there are only 500 or so standing spots in front of the stage anyways.

Being on the rail at the Beastie Boys and at the Velvet Revolver AIC shows last summer was a thrill of a life time and I left with no bruises or being squished, other then during Sabotage but even that was fun. I just don't see the big hassle with GA shows.

Motown322

Sexy2aFault wrote:

those who complain about elbows are just making excuses so they can be the only ones to enjoy being toward the front. Selfish bastards!...who probably have had front row since 98.

This is a bunch of horseshit... it has nothing to do with anyone being "selfish" :rolleyes:. If I'm there to see a show and enjoy the band, why should I (or anyone else) have to be preoccupied with flying elbows and assfaces trying to push people out of their way so the can get to the rail? I've been to a lot of GA shows for a lot of different bands (PJ included)... people are flat-out disrespectful and shitty, because they think that no seats = no rules. Ever had your face smashed on a barricade in front of the stage (breaking your nose) because someone thought the easiest way to get to the front was to have his dipshit buddy vault him from 10 feet behind you, landing on the back of your head? Fuck that shit.

And what is the deal with all the bitching lately about the 10C seniority? I'm sorry if you're only 15 or just found out about the club last fall... it doesn't make you any more of a fan or a person like me who's been in for 10+ years any less of one. Hell, I wanted to see Cream and the MC5 play together at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit like my uncle did 40 years ago... I'm too young. Life sucks.

EDIT: It was Cream... not The Who. brain fart...

gtrplyr

Its Evolution Baby wrote:

I'm 6'3 250 so seats don't work fine thank you very much. All I want to do is jump straight up and down "pogoing" on fast songs. I don't want to Mosh, I don't like to be shoved. I went to GA shows at the Forum for Muse and I was at 2 RATM shows last year and had no problem finding a close spot away from the crazy's that also allowed me room to "rock out" and not disturb anyone else. I don't necessarily mind PJ having seats @ Arenas but it seems overkill at places like Albany and Santa Barbara Bowl where there are only 500 or so standing spots in front of the stage anyways.

Being on the rail at the Beastie Boys and at the Velvet Revolver AIC shows last summer was a thrill of a life time and I left with no bruises or being squished, other then during Sabotage but even that was fun. I just don't see the big hassle with GA shows.

You're not that much bigger than me and seats are fine for me. Can't you "pogo" (what is this, 1984?) in front of your seat?

DPrival78

gtrplyr wrote:

You're not that much bigger than me and seats are fine for me. Can't you "pogo" (what is this, 1984?) in front of your seat?

i've always had plenty of room near my seat to do the mashed potato and the twist, my two dances of choice, without any problem.

gtrplyr

Motown322 wrote:

This is a bunch of horseshit... it has nothing to do with anyone being "selfish" :rolleyes:. If I'm there to see a show and enjoy the band, why should I (or anyone else) have to be preoccupied with flying elbows and assfaces trying to push people out of their way so the can get to the rail? I've been to a lot of GA shows for a lot of different bands (PJ included)... people are flat-out disrespectful and shitty, because they think that no seats = no rules. Ever had your face smashed on a barricade in front of the stage (breaking your nose) because someone thought the easiest way to get to the front was to have his dipshit buddy vault him from 10 feet behind you, landing on the back of your head? Fuck that shit.

And what is the deal with all the bitching lately about the 10C seniority? I'm sorry if you're only 15 or just found out about the club last fall... it doesn't make you any more of a fan or a person like me who's been in for 10+ years any less of one. Hell, I wanted to see The Who and the MC5 play together at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit like my uncle did 40 years ago... I'm too young. Life sucks.

Agreed. I was out of the fan club for several years...my seats would be crap anyway. I still prefer seats to GA. When I was 16 I was all about the GA shows...now I rarely go if they are GA (I'm 25).

I have no desire to fight for my position all night only to be covered in other peoples' sweat in the process. I don't want to deal with the jerk who decides he needs to plow through everyone to get 10 feet closer. I don't want to jump up and down the whole show.

I want to enjoy the show without some clown rubbing up against me all night.

It has nothing to do with selfishness. It has more to do with people who cannot control themselves.

Also, from the band's perspective, they don't want people to get hurt. It doesn't matter what NIN or Primus does. Its what Pearl Jam does, and I appreciate the fact that they care.

merlin2600

Here's the thing:

In theory GA would be cool. We show up and whoever gets there earliest gets the best spots, people can move around, dance, whatever.

The problem is there are too many asshats out there who are drunk or whatever and decide its cool to muscle people out of the way and throw a few elbows to get to the front. I don't want to spend the whole show fighting for my piece of the floor. People have said that GA provides more "energy" and makes for a better show. To me, it's simply not worth it. Maybe you can dance more or move more, but there's always gonna be at least a few idiots pissing people off, pushing and shoving and elbowing.

If it makes me lame to not want a broken nose, beer-stained clothes or a torn shirt, then so be it.

its_ok

merlin2600 wrote:

If it makes me lame to not want a broken nose, beer-stained clothes or a torn shirt, then so be it.

Ive been to so many GA shows, from big arena ones to small club shows...and a couple of roskilde festivals too. I have never been hurt during one of them. Of course ive got my toes steped on, and the ocasional elbow...but nothing serious.

Its not the jumping and dancing thats dangerous, its when you shove too many people into too little space it gets scarey...and that really has more to do with security arangements than GA in general.

Sexy2aFault

merlin2600 wrote:

Here's the thing:

In theory GA would be cool. We show up and whoever gets there earliest gets the best spots, people can move around, dance, whatever.

The problem is there are too many asshats out there who are drunk or whatever and decide its cool to muscle people out of the way and throw a few elbows to get to the front. I don't want to spend the whole show fighting for my piece of the floor. People have said that GA provides more "energy" and makes for a better show. To me, it's simply not worth it. Maybe you can dance more or move more, but there's always gonna be at least a few idiots pissing people off, pushing and shoving and elbowing.

If it makes me lame to not want a broken nose, beer-stained clothes or a torn shirt, then so be it.

Wow enough irrational fear mongering for a Fox News editorial. GA does not equal broken nose. . There is plenty of room for everyone to enjoy a rock show safely. You old guys just want to sit in etween encores and the opneing act, so you can have your seats (actually there are plent of assinged seats at GA shows) while everybody else gets to rave about how great Arcade Fire was and talk about how lame the PJ crowd was. No Thanks!

Get_Right

cant be said enough


there was a time when GA worked and people were respectful

but that time has come and gone

now, people are rude, disrespectfull and aggresive

and all those damn phones, I hope the same policy is in place for the PJ tour

leave the phones and cameras at home please

and listen to the live music being played for you

Stephen Flow

Get_Right wrote:

cant be said enough


there was a time when GA worked and people were respectful

but that time has come and gone

now, people are rude, disrespectfull and aggresive

and all those damn phones, I hope the same policy is in place for the PJ tour

leave the phones and cameras at home please

and listen to the live music being played for you

I hate when people hold their phones up to let someone listen at home... I've been called before during shows and it sounds like trash.

Get_Right

Stephen Flow wrote:

I hate when people hold their phones up to let someone listen at home... I've been called before during shows and it sounds like trash.

it has ruined a few experiences for me
namely, being in the mess at lolla the damn phones kept blocking my view and peope were assholes about it

Purchase? Chappaqua here.

Cosmo

rockadoc wrote:

Yeah so all the rich f*cks who can afford to pay 1500/ticket on stubhub get to be up front. Or the people with some computer hacking skills that buy 20 tickets and sell 19 of them.

I was in the front of the 2nd section in albany and I could barely see anything and couldn't distinguish half the notes slurring out of the speakers from that far back. And those were "mid-grade" seats. Such a diminished concert experience.

I understand that 9 people died but the point is, NIN is waaaay rowdier... I was at a primus show too and that was fine. It's just a matter of security controlling the crowds. It hasn't been a problem elsewhere. That was an isolated event and I'm sure there were factors other than the show just being "general admission" that led to it.

Since when did pearl jam fans turn into a bunch of yuppies?
You may get old but that doesn't mean you should lose your soul.

Sorry if you spilled your starbucks low-fat mocha latte venti in the pit or you can't chance ruining your favorite prada sling-backs.
LET THE KIDS ROCK.

...
1992. You shoulda been there.

JaneNY

Get_Right wrote:

and all those damn phones, I hope the same policy is in place for the PJ tour

leave the phones and cameras at home please

and listen to the live music being played for you

Oh god yes. But it is a symptom of modern life, not only shows. People wanting to record the moment, rather than experience it.

I've done GA for some bands, and reserved. Both are fine. But I wouldn't try for the front in a GA Pearl Jam show. I've observed way too much unchivalrous behavior. There are some large guys who don't care that you are a slight female if you are standing between them and Ed. Granted you can still experience this with reserved seat shows, when people try to cram their way into your row.

I'm fine with PJ having reserved seats. Then I have the luxury of not having to show up at noon in the hopes of getting a place where I can see.

callen

its_ok wrote:

Wow....i'm sorry, but i see alot of old lazy people who's lost all sense of rock n' roll in this thread. Soon you'll want intermission to go take a piss and buy a hot dog too. May this attitude never make it's way overseas to europe. I have no idea how to behave this summer when im going to MSG2...WTF am i going to do if they play, i dont know, lets say Lukin. Sit on my ass?? Cant do it. Its all about respecting your fellow fan, looking out for eachother and not waving your elbows all around.

Ill be honest though, never seen a rock concert sitting down, cause it doesnt happen in europe. GA is the only way to watch a rock concert. But im not worse than ill admit if it was good after this summer, but i doubt it.

The security reasons for not having GA don't hold, you just need to have different sections and not put in to many people in each one...just as they have in roskilde and other big arena shows that ive been to.

For me, PJ is not about sitting on my ass...

Nobody sits...chairs are simply device to define your space.

GA sucks for sooo many reasons with no benefits.

Age has nothing to do with it...has to do with wanting to be in a civilized space...and as many humans aren't civilized....

Its Evolution Baby

I guess I view seated floor seats the trademark of older not in there prime bands like The Stones, Who, Police etc.

I still think PJ can reach a younger fan base that like the energy of GA shows. I do see everyone's point about having your own personal space that you can count on if you get a beer or take a piss.

I always viewed it as RNR and you should take care of that stuff before the headliner comes on. Once PJ comes on I don't move for 3 hours because I don't want to miss a moment.