not sure how many other shows they do it for, put the Comcast theater in Hartford has a "pit" section up front at Mayhem festivals (this year was Motorhead/Slayer/Slipknot headlining)that is GA that takes up maybe 10 rows. I don't remember hearing about many injuries and my son and friends daughter came out of there fine.
It was fine there that night. I'm 50 and I was right up front that night... One of the dudes from Slipknot stage dove and landed on my son right next to me. I
was also at Randall's Island back in the day and that was GA. Long Road for starters was fine, but when they started Hail Hail second, all hell broke loose... We had girls with us, so you just adjust and find someplace calm to stand, then move forward if you can...
Saw U2 Elevation tour fron "in the heart" and that was great...
GA can be hit or miss...
1996: Randall's Island I, Hartford
1998: MSG I, Hartford
2000: Jones Beach I
2003: Albany, MSG II, Mansfield II & III, Homdel
2004: Boston (VFC) I & II
2006: Albany, Hartford, Boston I and E. Rutherford I
2008: MSG I & II, Hartford, Mansfield II (saw BostonLou in the FRONT ROW!!) EV-NYC II
2010: Hartford
2013 Worcester II, Hartford
2016 Fenway I 2018 Wrigley II, Fenway II
While I don't think that it would be practical or even a good idea to have GA at all shows, I think that a handful of GA shows here and there are a nice way to give the fans without the super low 10c numbers a way to get to be as close to the stage as they want to be. I was pretty close to the stage (about 5 people back when PJ started) last night, and it got a little tight before the band came on, but once the music started, everyone was able to have a good time and I didn't see anyone getting carried away or overwhelmed. Hopefully the rest of the festival shows this year and in the future have as good of an experience.
not sure how many other shows they do it for, put the Comcast theater in Hartford has a "pit" section up front at Mayhem festivals (this year was Motorhead/Slayer/Slipknot headlining)that is GA that takes up maybe 10 rows. I don't remember hearing about many injuries and my son and friends daughter came out of there fine.
It was fine there that night. I'm 50 and I was right up front that night... One of the dudes from Slipknot stage dove and landed on my son right next to me. I
was also at Randall's Island back in the day and that was GA. Long Road for starters was fine, but when they started Hail Hail second, all hell broke loose... We had girls with us, so you just adjust and find someplace calm to stand, then move forward if you can...
Saw U2 Elevation tour fron "in the heart" and that was great...
GA can be hit or miss...
I was up front for Anthrax which was great but it's a long day and wanted to be able to sit...hindsight is 20/20 as i should have got pit tickets. My son was right next to the clown when he jumped in, too....cool)
I got seats for mayhem as I didnt want to deal with GA( I swear every time i get seats for that place it is section 500, row nn somehow)
ironic how i took my 17 year old son to 2 hardcore metal fests in Worcester this year which is all GA and he was in the pit for Slayer/Slipknot without any issues, but i read about people getting hurt at some PJ and dave mathews..hit or miss for sure
If a man speaks in a forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
not sure how many other shows they do it for, put the Comcast theater in Hartford has a "pit" section up front at Mayhem festivals (this year was Motorhead/Slayer/Slipknot headlining)that is GA that takes up maybe 10 rows. I don't remember hearing about many injuries and my son and friends daughter came out of there fine.
It was fine there that night. I'm 50 and I was right up front that night... One of the dudes from Slipknot stage dove and landed on my son right next to me. I
was also at Randall's Island back in the day and that was GA. Long Road for starters was fine, but when they started Hail Hail second, all hell broke loose... We had girls with us, so you just adjust and find someplace calm to stand, then move forward if you can...
Saw U2 Elevation tour fron "in the heart" and that was great...
GA can be hit or miss...
I was up front for Anthrax which was great but it's a long day and wanted to be able to sit...hindsight is 20/20 as i should have got pit tickets. My son was right next to the clown when he jumped in, too....cool)
I got seats for mayhem as I didnt want to deal with GA( I swear every time i get seats for that place it is section 500, row nn somehow)
ironic how i took my 17 year old son to 2 hardcore metal fests in Worcester this year which is all GA and he was in the pit for Slayer/Slipknot without any issues, but i read about people getting hurt at some PJ and dave mathews..hit or miss for sure
I think the hardcore/metal folks have more experience with the GA thing... They did watch out for each other and if someone goes down they all jump to help em up...
Actually the craziest pit I've been in, and it scared me, was a few years back, Dropkick Murphy's,at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA Holy Crap!!! That was nuts and it was an Saturday afternoon show St Pat's weekend.
1996: Randall's Island I, Hartford
1998: MSG I, Hartford
2000: Jones Beach I
2003: Albany, MSG II, Mansfield II & III, Homdel
2004: Boston (VFC) I & II
2006: Albany, Hartford, Boston I and E. Rutherford I
2008: MSG I & II, Hartford, Mansfield II (saw BostonLou in the FRONT ROW!!) EV-NYC II
2010: Hartford
2013 Worcester II, Hartford
2016 Fenway I 2018 Wrigley II, Fenway II
We get good enough seats from 10C that the difference in getting closer by means of GA is negligible. Not all 10,000 of us can be on the rail. Getting a good spot for GA means taking the day off from work and getting there however early. I like being able to go down to the show at a leisurely pace, being able to walk in whenever and knowing my spot is there, and that some d-bags won't show up just as PJ come on to stand right in front of me, when I've already been there for an hour or so.
Aside from concerns about being crushed or trampled in huge crowds (which I assume isn't normal), what is bad about GA?? I've never a really had GA tix to any concert outside of festivals (where there were never probs, but I avoid the pit), or large clubs, which don't count. So I'll be experiencing it for the first time in MT. What are people's complaints?? Are people so awful that you spend three hours being pushed around so that you fall right to the back if you don't participate in the struggle or something???
this conversation happens alot here..
i get the thing with the low numbers and seniority and people arent tall and want seated..
its normal to think and want this..
i dont care where ill be in the venue,i went 8 europe GA show at 2012 and got rail 2 of them and i get in at both 5 min before general admition gets in..
with the early entrance ,all 10c members was at first 5 rows,aka,in a seated venue like be in first 2 rows ,the distance is like that..
ill leave to American friends than did the tour this year to explain you why GA is away different experience,about the feeling of the energy and how the band fells it..
ill say only this..i want to go to the show,with my friends..
and with Seated i cant..i stack with one only friend or with someone i sell or buy the spare ticket..
sorry,but when i go to a party,i wanna go with my friends,and not with strangers.
i want to give a hug,dance ,talk,sing,cry,laugh,smile with the people i choose to have around me..
i have better time with MY people..
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
-See the waves on distant shores, awaiting your arrival...
Stanhope, New Jersey 08-12-1992
Randall's Island, New York 09-28-1996
E. Rutherford, New Jersey 09-08-1998
Wantagh, New York 08-24-2000
New York, New York 07-09-2003
E. Rutherford, New Jersey 06-03-2006
New York, New York 05-21-2010
Brooklyn, New York 10-19-2013
New York, New York 05-01-2016 New York, New York 09-11-2022
Let there be lots & lots of USA PJ festival show's with general admission galore.
But for indoor shows, for the love of GOD, please don't change the reserved seating.
Agreed
“This is a ah another request fulfillment. If none of the other of you like it at least one guy does. Actually it’s a girl, she’s right back there.”
SMILE Eddie Vedder Cleveland 06.....
i read a lot of bad things about berlin this past summer. none of it was positive. even ed was worried.
SO, NO THANKS
=bad idea
I went to 6 shows in Europe. Berlin shows were the only ones that were an issue for me so I don't think that should be used as the benchmark for GA shows. Prague, Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen GA crowds were amazing, no pushing and shoving, and no need for Ed to ask people to take steps back. Security was a huge factor, they were great except for Berlin so it was no surprise to me that the Berlin crowd was out of control. There was a douchey guy behind me in Stockholm, security immediately told him to chill out and he was no longer an issue for me.
I agree GA shows are scary, I had a bad experience at Manchester 2000 but after this past Europe tour, I think it's time to bring it back to the US. After having been within first 3 rows of the stage, settling back into my 10c seat is going to be rough
:wave:
Still can't believe I met Mike Mccready at the Guggenheim and got a pic with him!!!!!
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
I'm with Dimitris on this one, I much much prefer GA.
GA you can find your own place and space, if you want to queue or go down the front where it will no doubt be busier then go right ahead. If you want a bit more space then head towards the sound engineering desk etc. The stages seem a bit higher for GA shows (maybe?) very rarely have I had no view, I may've had to weave around somebody or ask to stand in front of somebody but it's not a usual occurance.
You get to feel the atmosphere and energy in the room, and most importantly share that with friends. Groups of say 20 friends together, smiling, singing, dancing, knowing others reactions to certain songs (my mates know if Light Years is played, I'm gonna cry...if a song from my list is played I'm going to be overjoyed, if SOLAT is played I'm going to go mad). Being able to share the experience is a massive part of the whole gig for me.
I like the 'freeness' of it, why be so regimented, what's rock and roll about that? Standing in line/row infront of a folding chair with a square of space, a really tall bloke in front of you that you can't move to avoid. If you don't want to mingle and mix, then buy seated in the balcony or on the sides, win win.
... and where does the risk averse myth around GA come from? Yes, I recognise that there have been incidents and tragedies in the past, but we still do GA for almost every gig in Europe.Maybe becuase there aren't many GA shows in North America people use it as an excuse to be daft and disrespectful, when it's the norm then there is some unwritten rules and you look out for ea ch other. I think there is a perception of GA shows which actually comes from the risk averse nature, and the perception will rarely be the actuality in my experience. Maybe our insurers are gig goers too?
If you've read of bad experiences then you need to acknowledge that that might be 10 people in a building of 20,000. Hell, I went to GA in stockholm with a dislocated elbow and on morphine, and I wasn't in the 'controlled pit' area. I was absolutely fine!
I guess the 'I want to leave from work and go knowing I've a seat to' thing is one way of looking at it, it's understandable if you live in a city and you're lucky. I live in a rural part of the UK, I have to travel at least 5 hours to basically every gig I go to thus going to a gig almost always means time off work (usually two days to cover going up, the gig, coming home the next day). I just build it in to the gig, for me they always equal at least 5 - 8 hours travel each way, and a night in a hotel, totalling around £200 or so.
(apologies for the typos!!)
2009 - Manchester. 2010 - Dublin, Belfast, London, Berlin, Arras, Werchter. 2011 - PJ20 i & ii, Montreal, Toronto i & ii, Ottawa, Hamilton. 2012 - Manchester i & ii, Berlin i & ii, Stockholm. 2014 - Amsterdam i & ii, Trieste, Vienna, Berlin, Leeds, Milton Keynes. 2016 - Boston Fenway i & ii, 2018 - Amsterdam i & ii, Pinkpop, London i & ii, Padova, Krakow, Barcelona, Seattle i & ii.
I generally love GA. Like Dimi said, I can spend time with my friends, and share experiences with them. Been in enough crowds and I can hold my own.
The only thing I don't like about the pit, is at some shows there is a certain 'group' (or type)of people who ruin it. The ones who pull off their shirts and go in the pit with their arms swinging around like propellers and trying to punch everybody in the pit. The pit is for fun, not injuring everybody.
I'll wear my Docs in Missoula.
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
I generally love GA. Like Dimi said, I can spend time with my friends, and share experiences with them. Been in enough crowds and I can hold my own.
The only thing I don't like about the pit, is at some shows there is a certain 'group' (or type)of people who ruin it. The ones who pull off their shirts and go in the pit with their arms swinging around like propellers and trying to punch everybody in the pit. The pit is for fun, not injuring everybody.
I'll wear my Docs in Missoula.
haha..ok,pj fans dont have this type of groups..its rare....
i try not to say old.. :fp:
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
i read a lot of bad things about berlin this past summer. none of it was positive. even ed was worried.
SO, NO THANKS
=bad idea
I went to 6 shows in Europe. Berlin shows were the only ones that were an issue for me so I don't think that should be used as the benchmark for GA shows. Prague, Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen GA crowds were amazing, no pushing and shoving, and no need for Ed to ask people to take steps back. Security was a huge factor, they were great except for Berlin so it was no surprise to me that the Berlin crowd was out of control. There was a douchey guy behind me in Stockholm, security immediately told him to chill out and he was no longer an issue for me.
I agree GA shows are scary, I had a bad experience at Manchester 2000 but after this past Europe tour, I think it's time to bring it back to the US. After having been within first 3 rows of the stage, settling back into my 10c seat is going to be rough
I generally love GA. Like Dimi said, I can spend time with my friends, and share experiences with them. Been in enough crowds and I can hold my own.
The only thing I don't like about the pit, is at some shows there is a certain 'group' (or type)of people who ruin it. The ones who pull off their shirts and go in the pit with their arms swinging around like propellers and trying to punch everybody in the pit. The pit is for fun, not injuring everybody.
I'll wear my Docs in Missoula.
haha..ok,pj fans dont have this type of groups..its rare....
i try not to say old.. :fp:
Manchester in 2009 was pretty rough, but that's nothing unusual for there!
GA shows are far more fun, and people do look out for each other pretty well. There's always going to be the odd drunken moron, but if you get stuck next to that person in your seat/allocated personal space you can't move away from them, with GA you can. It's great to be able to experience a show from several different places too, normally I tend to hang back by the mixing desk but ended up down the front in Oslo and (albeit extremely off to one side) on the rail at Copenhagen. Different experiences you can't have that often with reserved seating, and reserved seating often seems to mean a reserved crowd too IMO.
Post edited by ilockyer on
The secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits
I generally love GA. Like Dimi said, I can spend time with my friends, and share experiences with them. Been in enough crowds and I can hold my own.
The only thing I don't like about the pit, is at some shows there is a certain 'group' (or type)of people who ruin it. The ones who pull off their shirts and go in the pit with their arms swinging around like propellers and trying to punch everybody in the pit. The pit is for fun, not injuring everybody.
I'll wear my Docs in Missoula.
haha..ok,pj fans dont have this type of groups..its rare....
i try not to say old.. :fp:
Manchester in 2009 was pretty rough, but that's nothing unusual for there!
yeah,Amsterdam 1 for a few songs,from 6-7 people..is not even a thing to mention..
shows was safe,Berlin is anoother story,+was one of the shows with not 10c area..
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Berlin is anoother story,+was one of the shows with not 10c area..
Which of the Berlin shows was rough, night 1?
Germany and Poland has more rough crowds in general....
all was safe..no problem..
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Berlin is anoother story,+was one of the shows with not 10c area..
Which of the Berlin shows was rough, night 1?
Night 2 seemed rougher, given that within the first 10 minutes of PJ's set, like 10 people had to be pulled out of the pit and I thought Ed asked people to take a few steps back more than on night 1. However, I was up on the rail night 2 and didn't feel a thing because Rafie was standing right behind me and shielding me Night 1 I was 2 or 3 rows deep from the stage and definitely got some bruises, but like I said in an earlier post, I wasn't fearful for my life the way I was 12 years ago in Manchester!
The 20 year old me loved GA and given the choice would always choose GA. I think my main reasoning was that its next to impossible to get tickets in the front 10 rows. The only way to watch the band up close is on a GA floor. And it can get compacted so tight at the front, that you sort of earn it, by get squished/stepped on/elbowed etc....
The mid 30's version of myself is reluctant to go that close in a pit. In '05 I walked out of a NIN pit with some pretty bad bruises on my pack. Dark purple bruises. There was a guy behind me in the pit that was digging his elbows into my back. I understand its hard to keep balance in a pit. The compacted crowd sways in all sorts of directions and you need to keep balance. Any experienced mosher knows when you lean on the people in front of you to use your forearms. Their long, their flat, they don't hurt. Don't use elbows! Anyways it was that concert that made me wary of pits.
I guess I'm on the fence still because my PJ tickets seem to get worse in quality every tour. I was row 8 in Vancouver in '03 and the past few vancouver shows I've been around row 14 or 15.
Now given a GA floor. You have different layers. There's the compact squished people right up front which is maybe 3 or 4 layers of people. Behind there is a bit looser so you have alot more movement, redneck circles and craziness. Behind that layer its not too bad. The people density is still there, but its more the mellow people who don't want to deal with being closer. I estimate that area starts at equivalent of row 10 at a seated event.
So if I'm getting row 15 seated, when I could stand in the equivalent of row 10, and the band feeds off the energy of the crowd a lot more. GA still wins.
The show I saw in Calgary in '09 was just like that. We stood a little back. The crowd was insane with energy. It felt like a throwback show to the 90s. I hadn't seen a PJ crowd like that in a long time. You just don't get it at seated concerts. I saw three shows in '09. I'll take the Calgary one over the two Seattle shows any day.
this conversation happens alot here..
i get the thing with the low numbers and seniority and people arent tall and want seated..
its normal to think and want this..
i dont care where ill be in the venue,i went 8 europe GA show at 2012 and got rail 2 of them and i get in at both 5 min before general admition gets in..
with the early entrance ,all 10c members was at first 5 rows,aka,in a seated venue like be in first 2 rows ,the distance is like that..
ill leave to American friends than did the tour this year to explain you why GA is away different experience,about the feeling of the energy and how the band fells it..
ill say only this..i want to go to the show,with my friends..
and with Seated i cant..i stack with one only friend or with someone i sell or buy the spare ticket..
sorry,but when i go to a party,i wanna go with my friends,and not with strangers.
i want to give a hug,dance ,talk,sing,cry,laugh,smile with the people i choose to have around me..
i have better time with MY people..
I will take this comment as the best for me. I expected that GA would just be more FUN, more of a party, and that's what I am looking for at a concert for it to be really memorable and exciting, so this sounds good to me!
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
These threads allways pop up after a Festival here in the States you know what we need ? we need for Pearl Jam to actually do a tour ......
sure buddy,tour is what usa fans need,and a big one!!!
,but from the moment people got this chance ,see the band in festival,,need to have fun!!!
u can always have fun..its music,party,festival..you dont go to work,or to a hospital
just have fun.what ever and where ever you can!!
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
These threads allways pop up after a Festival here in the States you know what we need ? we need for Pearl Jam to actually do a tour ......
sure buddy,tour is what usa fans need,and a big one!!!
,but from the moment people got this chance ,see the band in festival,,need to have fun!!!
u can always have fun..its music,party,festival..you dont go to work,or to a hospital
just have fun.what ever and where ever you can!!
I agree i like having fun at the shows but you know what i enjoy meeting with friends more than the actual show these days , sure i like the music but enjoy the company way better ....
These threads allways pop up after a Festival here in the States you know what we need ? we need for Pearl Jam to actually do a tour ......
sure buddy,tour is what usa fans need,and a big one!!!
,but from the moment people got this chance ,see the band in festival,,need to have fun!!!
u can always have fun..its music,party,festival..you dont go to work,or to a hospital
just have fun.what ever and where ever you can!!
I agree i like having fun at the shows but you know what i enjoy meeting with friends more than the actual show these days , sure i like the music but enjoy the company way better ....
thats why i like GA..cos we are all together at the show..
ill see u next year
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Ga shows can be rough, Berlin 1-2 for sure from this year. But it can be fun too!
I flew from Chicago to Berlin to see the Berlin - Copenhagen shows. I've been to other ga shows in the states (bonnaroo, ACL) but once song two started in Berlin I knew I made the right choice and finally felt "home"
Look how fun it was up close plus all the energy and singing.. It was what I imagined it could be.
These aren't my videos and aren't the best quality, but you can see the pit and hear the singing really loud. I love these two clips I was a little closer and to the right than what these show.
Ga shows can be rough, Berlin 1-2 for sure from this year. But it can be fun too!
I flew from Chicago to Berlin to see the Berlin - Copenhagen shows. I've been to other ga shows in the states (bonnaroo, ACL) but once song two started in Berlin I knew I made the right choice and finally felt "home"
Look how fun it was up close plus all the energy and singing.. It was what I imagined it could be.
These aren't my videos and aren't the best quality, but you can see the pit and hear the singing really loud. I love these two clips I was a little closer and to the right than what these show.
the link of why go,is the breath solo at oslo..
btw the guy shoot the video og given to fly,has a great one of Alive and keep on rockin together..
"...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Ga shows can be rough, Berlin 1-2 for sure from this year. But it can be fun too!
I flew from Chicago to Berlin to see the Berlin - Copenhagen shows. I've been to other ga shows in the states (bonnaroo, ACL) but once song two started in Berlin I knew I made the right choice and finally felt "home"
Look how fun it was up close plus all the energy and singing.. It was what I imagined it could be.
These aren't my videos and aren't the best quality, but you can see the pit and hear the singing really loud. I love these two clips I was a little closer and to the right than what these show.
the link of why go,is the breath solo at oslo..
btw the guy shoot the video og given to fly,has a great one of Alive and keep on rockin together..
I would really REALLY love to try out GA. I've generally just always been sort of..scared but I think it would be worth it, as long as I don't get thrown around all over the place. :nono:
7/15/2011 - Benoroya Hall - (Eddie Vedder Solo) - Seattle, WA
4/2/2008 - The Center in Vancouver for Performing Arts (Eddie Vedder Solo) - Vancouver, WA
9/21/2009 Key Arena - Seattle, WA
7/22/2006 - Gorge Ampitheater - George, WA
9/1/2005 - Gorge Ampitheater - George, WA
Comments
It was fine there that night. I'm 50 and I was right up front that night... One of the dudes from Slipknot stage dove and landed on my son right next to me. I
was also at Randall's Island back in the day and that was GA. Long Road for starters was fine, but when they started Hail Hail second, all hell broke loose... We had girls with us, so you just adjust and find someplace calm to stand, then move forward if you can...
Saw U2 Elevation tour fron "in the heart" and that was great...
GA can be hit or miss...
1998: MSG I, Hartford
2000: Jones Beach I
2003: Albany, MSG II, Mansfield II & III, Homdel
2004: Boston (VFC) I & II
2006: Albany, Hartford, Boston I and E. Rutherford I
2008: MSG I & II, Hartford, Mansfield II (saw BostonLou in the FRONT ROW!!) EV-NYC II
2010: Hartford
2013 Worcester II, Hartford
2016 Fenway I
2018 Wrigley II, Fenway II
I was up front for Anthrax which was great but it's a long day and wanted to be able to sit...hindsight is 20/20 as i should have got pit tickets. My son was right next to the clown when he jumped in, too....cool)
I got seats for mayhem as I didnt want to deal with GA( I swear every time i get seats for that place it is section 500, row nn somehow)
ironic how i took my 17 year old son to 2 hardcore metal fests in Worcester this year which is all GA and he was in the pit for Slayer/Slipknot without any issues, but i read about people getting hurt at some PJ and dave mathews..hit or miss for sure
I think the hardcore/metal folks have more experience with the GA thing... They did watch out for each other and if someone goes down they all jump to help em up...
Actually the craziest pit I've been in, and it scared me, was a few years back, Dropkick Murphy's,at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA Holy Crap!!! That was nuts and it was an Saturday afternoon show St Pat's weekend.
1998: MSG I, Hartford
2000: Jones Beach I
2003: Albany, MSG II, Mansfield II & III, Homdel
2004: Boston (VFC) I & II
2006: Albany, Hartford, Boston I and E. Rutherford I
2008: MSG I & II, Hartford, Mansfield II (saw BostonLou in the FRONT ROW!!) EV-NYC II
2010: Hartford
2013 Worcester II, Hartford
2016 Fenway I
2018 Wrigley II, Fenway II
i get the thing with the low numbers and seniority and people arent tall and want seated..
its normal to think and want this..
i dont care where ill be in the venue,i went 8 europe GA show at 2012 and got rail 2 of them and i get in at both 5 min before general admition gets in..
with the early entrance ,all 10c members was at first 5 rows,aka,in a seated venue like be in first 2 rows ,the distance is like that..
ill leave to American friends than did the tour this year to explain you why GA is away different experience,about the feeling of the energy and how the band fells it..
ill say only this..i want to go to the show,with my friends..
and with Seated i cant..i stack with one only friend or with someone i sell or buy the spare ticket..
sorry,but when i go to a party,i wanna go with my friends,and not with strangers.
i want to give a hug,dance ,talk,sing,cry,laugh,smile with the people i choose to have around me..
i have better time with MY people..
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Ditto!!
Stanhope, New Jersey 08-12-1992
Randall's Island, New York 09-28-1996
E. Rutherford, New Jersey 09-08-1998
Wantagh, New York 08-24-2000
New York, New York 07-09-2003
E. Rutherford, New Jersey 06-03-2006
New York, New York 05-21-2010
Brooklyn, New York 10-19-2013
New York, New York 05-01-2016
New York, New York 09-11-2022
Agreed
SMILE Eddie Vedder Cleveland 06.....
2010: 9/7/10 - Bilbao
2012: 26-27/6/12 - Amsterdam ~~ 29/6/12 - Werchter ~~ 4-5/7/12 - Berlin
2014: 25/6/14 - Vienna ~~ 26/6/14 - Berlin
GA you can find your own place and space, if you want to queue or go down the front where it will no doubt be busier then go right ahead. If you want a bit more space then head towards the sound engineering desk etc. The stages seem a bit higher for GA shows (maybe?) very rarely have I had no view, I may've had to weave around somebody or ask to stand in front of somebody but it's not a usual occurance.
You get to feel the atmosphere and energy in the room, and most importantly share that with friends. Groups of say 20 friends together, smiling, singing, dancing, knowing others reactions to certain songs (my mates know if Light Years is played, I'm gonna cry...if a song from my list is played I'm going to be overjoyed, if SOLAT is played I'm going to go mad). Being able to share the experience is a massive part of the whole gig for me.
I like the 'freeness' of it, why be so regimented, what's rock and roll about that? Standing in line/row infront of a folding chair with a square of space, a really tall bloke in front of you that you can't move to avoid. If you don't want to mingle and mix, then buy seated in the balcony or on the sides, win win.
... and where does the risk averse myth around GA come from? Yes, I recognise that there have been incidents and tragedies in the past, but we still do GA for almost every gig in Europe.Maybe becuase there aren't many GA shows in North America people use it as an excuse to be daft and disrespectful, when it's the norm then there is some unwritten rules and you look out for ea ch other. I think there is a perception of GA shows which actually comes from the risk averse nature, and the perception will rarely be the actuality in my experience. Maybe our insurers are gig goers too?
If you've read of bad experiences then you need to acknowledge that that might be 10 people in a building of 20,000. Hell, I went to GA in stockholm with a dislocated elbow and on morphine, and I wasn't in the 'controlled pit' area. I was absolutely fine!
I guess the 'I want to leave from work and go knowing I've a seat to' thing is one way of looking at it, it's understandable if you live in a city and you're lucky. I live in a rural part of the UK, I have to travel at least 5 hours to basically every gig I go to thus going to a gig almost always means time off work (usually two days to cover going up, the gig, coming home the next day). I just build it in to the gig, for me they always equal at least 5 - 8 hours travel each way, and a night in a hotel, totalling around £200 or so.
(apologies for the typos!!)
2012 - Manchester i & ii, Berlin i & ii, Stockholm. 2014 - Amsterdam i & ii, Trieste, Vienna, Berlin, Leeds, Milton Keynes.
2016 - Boston Fenway i & ii, 2018 - Amsterdam i & ii, Pinkpop, London i & ii, Padova, Krakow, Barcelona, Seattle i & ii.
The only thing I don't like about the pit, is at some shows there is a certain 'group' (or type)of people who ruin it. The ones who pull off their shirts and go in the pit with their arms swinging around like propellers and trying to punch everybody in the pit. The pit is for fun, not injuring everybody.
I'll wear my Docs in Missoula.
- Christopher McCandless
i try not to say old.. :fp:
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Manchester in 2009 was pretty rough, but that's nothing unusual for there!
GA shows are far more fun, and people do look out for each other pretty well. There's always going to be the odd drunken moron, but if you get stuck next to that person in your seat/allocated personal space you can't move away from them, with GA you can. It's great to be able to experience a show from several different places too, normally I tend to hang back by the mixing desk but ended up down the front in Oslo and (albeit extremely off to one side) on the rail at Copenhagen. Different experiences you can't have that often with reserved seating, and reserved seating often seems to mean a reserved crowd too IMO.
shows was safe,Berlin is anoother story,+was one of the shows with not 10c area..
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Which of the Berlin shows was rough, night 1?
all was safe..no problem..
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
The 20 year old me loved GA and given the choice would always choose GA. I think my main reasoning was that its next to impossible to get tickets in the front 10 rows. The only way to watch the band up close is on a GA floor. And it can get compacted so tight at the front, that you sort of earn it, by get squished/stepped on/elbowed etc....
The mid 30's version of myself is reluctant to go that close in a pit. In '05 I walked out of a NIN pit with some pretty bad bruises on my pack. Dark purple bruises. There was a guy behind me in the pit that was digging his elbows into my back. I understand its hard to keep balance in a pit. The compacted crowd sways in all sorts of directions and you need to keep balance. Any experienced mosher knows when you lean on the people in front of you to use your forearms. Their long, their flat, they don't hurt. Don't use elbows! Anyways it was that concert that made me wary of pits.
I guess I'm on the fence still because my PJ tickets seem to get worse in quality every tour. I was row 8 in Vancouver in '03 and the past few vancouver shows I've been around row 14 or 15.
Now given a GA floor. You have different layers. There's the compact squished people right up front which is maybe 3 or 4 layers of people. Behind there is a bit looser so you have alot more movement, redneck circles and craziness. Behind that layer its not too bad. The people density is still there, but its more the mellow people who don't want to deal with being closer. I estimate that area starts at equivalent of row 10 at a seated event.
So if I'm getting row 15 seated, when I could stand in the equivalent of row 10, and the band feeds off the energy of the crowd a lot more. GA still wins.
The show I saw in Calgary in '09 was just like that. We stood a little back. The crowd was insane with energy. It felt like a throwback show to the 90s. I hadn't seen a PJ crowd like that in a long time. You just don't get it at seated concerts. I saw three shows in '09. I'll take the Calgary one over the two Seattle shows any day.
I guess I still choose GA even in my 30s
,but from the moment people got this chance ,see the band in festival,,need to have fun!!!
u can always have fun..its music,party,festival..you dont go to work,or to a hospital
just have fun.what ever and where ever you can!!
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
I agree i like having fun at the shows but you know what i enjoy meeting with friends more than the actual show these days , sure i like the music but enjoy the company way better ....
ill see u next year
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
I flew from Chicago to Berlin to see the Berlin - Copenhagen shows. I've been to other ga shows in the states (bonnaroo, ACL) but once song two started in Berlin I knew I made the right choice and finally felt "home"
Second song - Why go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFC0zWwHR0M
Third Song - given to fly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYVU19XMM4Q
Look how fun it was up close plus all the energy and singing.. It was what I imagined it could be.
These aren't my videos and aren't the best quality, but you can see the pit and hear the singing really loud. I love these two clips
btw the guy shoot the video og given to fly,has a great one of Alive and keep on rockin together..
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Fixed the link! It was very late lol...
Why go berlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFC0zWwHR0M
Yep. I'm not really interested in having to wait in line outside the venue and then run in when the doors open to get a good spot.
4/2/2008 - The Center in Vancouver for Performing Arts (Eddie Vedder Solo) - Vancouver, WA
9/21/2009 Key Arena - Seattle, WA
7/22/2006 - Gorge Ampitheater - George, WA
9/1/2005 - Gorge Ampitheater - George, WA