Dear Pearl Jam, let's re-think this whole GA thing..

shortstack

WMAmorican wrote:

While there are certainly some aspects of GA that are cool, I personally would prefer they go back to seats. I've been in 10c since 1995 and have only had two chances that whole time to get actual fan-club seats in the first few rows.

Sorry, I value my time way too much; I shouldn't have to waste an entire day (or even worse, camp the night before) in a line to be in the first few rows. I was able to enjoy my two days in L.A., instead of sitting next to a chain-link fence with a bunch of freaks who want to pontificate over the best live version of "Pilate" or the time Eddie gave them a pick because he could tell they knew all the words to "God's Dice."

I lined up for shows (or tickets) enough when I was younger...with my seniority in this club, I shouldn't have to do that anymore. Or be packed in like sardines, and not be able to get a drink or have a smoke or take a piss for several hours.

Here's an idea (perhaps somewhat impractical, but it would satisfy both camps - or piss both off a little, which means it's actually a reasonable and fair compromise): Split the floor down the MIDDLE and have one half be GA and one half seats. Why should 10c members with high seniority who don't want people laying on them for three hours be relegated to the sides? And, to be fair, by the same token, you can still reward the freaks who have nothing better to do for 12 hours than hang out in line so they can give Eddie a high five and maybe get a slug off his wine bottle?

Now THAT I would love to see them do!

you should have stopped at the first paragraph and not went into the childish finger pointing. of course now the new members who love GA will then go on with their entitlement digs. it'll never end...

PJ_Soul

WMAmorican wrote:

While there are certainly some aspects of GA that are cool, I personally would prefer they go back to seats. I've been in 10c since 1995 and have only had two chances that whole time to get actual fan-club seats in the first few rows.

Sorry, I value my time way too much; I shouldn't have to waste an entire day (or even worse, camp the night before) in a line to be in the first few rows. I was able to enjoy my two days in L.A., instead of sitting next to a chain-link fence with a bunch of freaks who want to pontificate over the best live version of "Pilate" or the time Eddie gave them a pick because he could tell they knew all the words to "God's Dice."

I lined up for shows (or tickets) enough when I was younger...with my seniority in this club, I shouldn't have to do that anymore. Or be packed in like sardines, and not be able to get a drink or have a smoke or take a piss for several hours.

Here's an idea (perhaps somewhat impractical, but it would satisfy both camps - or piss both off a little, which means it's actually a reasonable and fair compromise): Split the floor down the MIDDLE and have one half be GA and one half seats. Why should 10c members with high seniority who don't want people laying on them for three hours be relegated to the sides? And, to be fair, by the same token, you can still reward the freaks who have nothing better to do for 12 hours than hang out in line so they can give Eddie a high five and maybe get a slug off his wine bottle?

Now THAT I would love to see them do!

Why would you waste your entire day? Why is it such a difficult concept for some one you to grasp that you don't have to wait in line for GA unless you have OCD?

Isoworld13

I like the idea of GA, just have it BEHIND the seats. Make the first 15 rows seats, RANDOM 10c distribution for first 2 rows, high seniority for rows 3-15, then a free for all GA pit for the rest of the floor. EVERYONE gets a chance at the "rail" with absolutely no waiting or camping out. Long time senior members don't get penalized. Those who enjoy the "group" experience of being shoulder to shoulder with no personal space still get that as well. I like having a seat. I never actually SIT, but I like that it defines my AREA. I also would like to grab a beer and take a piss from time to time knowing that when I come back my area is still there waiting for me. 10c members from #1 to #900,000 would ALL have an EQUAL opportunity to get up close and personal in the first couple of rows. The next FEW (and we're only talking 10 or 12 more rows) would go to the senior members who've been LOYALLY PAYING DUES for 20 YEARS. There's got to be SOME sort of reward for being so faithful for such a long time. This isn't just some club, it's a PAYING MEMBERSHIP, and those that have paid the MOST for the LONGEST amount of time should be rewarded for doing so. Don't worry, when we DIE, you all get to move up a slot.

Lost In Ohio

PJ_Soul wrote:

WMAmorican wrote:

While there are certainly some aspects of GA that are cool, I personally would prefer they go back to seats. I've been in 10c since 1995 and have only had two chances that whole time to get actual fan-club seats in the first few rows.

Sorry, I value my time way too much; I shouldn't have to waste an entire day (or even worse, camp the night before) in a line to be in the first few rows. I was able to enjoy my two days in L.A., instead of sitting next to a chain-link fence with a bunch of freaks who want to pontificate over the best live version of "Pilate" or the time Eddie gave them a pick because he could tell they knew all the words to "God's Dice."

I lined up for shows (or tickets) enough when I was younger...with my seniority in this club, I shouldn't have to do that anymore. Or be packed in like sardines, and not be able to get a drink or have a smoke or take a piss for several hours.

Here's an idea (perhaps somewhat impractical, but it would satisfy both camps - or piss both off a little, which means it's actually a reasonable and fair compromise): Split the floor down the MIDDLE and have one half be GA and one half seats. Why should 10c members with high seniority who don't want people laying on them for three hours be relegated to the sides? And, to be fair, by the same token, you can still reward the freaks who have nothing better to do for 12 hours than hang out in line so they can give Eddie a high five and maybe get a slug off his wine bottle?

Now THAT I would love to see them do!

Why would you waste your entire day? Why is it such a difficult concept for some one you to grasp that you don't have to wait in line for GA unless you have OCD?

The idea of a split floor is interesting, but it might be too hard to do. I agree though...this way (or even an "in the round" show) would please both groups.

However, PJ_Soul is also right. In a lot of cases, if you walked in 30ish minutes before showtime, you could easily get to somewhere around the sixth row...no need to line up at crazy hours if you didn't want a souvenir or the "McCready Death Stare."

PJ_Soul

Isoworld13 wrote:

I like the idea of GA, just have it BEHIND the seats. Make the first 15 rows seats, RANDOM 10c distribution for first 2 rows, high seniority for rows 3-15, then a free for all GA pit for the rest of the floor. EVERYONE gets a chance at the "rail" with absolutely no waiting or camping out. Long time senior members don't get penalized. Those who enjoy the "group" experience of being shoulder to shoulder with no personal space still get that as well. I like having a seat. I never actually SIT, but I like that it defines my AREA. I also would like to grab a beer and take a piss from time to time knowing that when I come back my area is still there waiting for me. 10c members from #1 to #900,000 would ALL have an EQUAL opportunity to get up close and personal in the first couple of rows. The next FEW (and we're only talking 10 or 12 more rows) would go to the senior members who've been LOYALLY PAYING DUES for 20 YEARS. There's got to be SOME sort of reward for being so faithful for such a long time. This isn't just some club, it's a PAYING MEMBERSHIP, and those that have paid the MOST for the LONGEST amount of time should be rewarded for doing so. Don't worry, when we DIE, you all get to move up a slot.

Totally defeats the purpose for the band to have GA behind seats. They want the action up front. That's the POINT.

For god's sake people. What happened to you??? Did age seriously get the best of you? I can't believe there is a debate about having a GA pit in front of the stage at a fucking rock concert. :fp:

Suziemay

Lost In Ohio wrote:

However, PJ_Soul is also right. In a lot of cases, if you walked in 30ish minutes before showtime, you could easily get to somewhere around the sixth row...no need to line up at crazy hours if you didn't want a souvenir or the "McCready Death Stare."

:evil: Those aren't the only 2 reasons for wanting to be up close but I agree, if you just want to be within the first 10 rows, you really don't have to wait in line all day, just walk in when the doors open.

ScReaMing LunGs

Go for reserved seats next time. Let those who enjoy the GA section enjoy it.

For me, I hate being in the seated area. I want to dance and move around. I feel like i'm annoying people in the seated area.

PJ_Soul

Suziemay wrote:

Lost In Ohio wrote:

However, PJ_Soul is also right. In a lot of cases, if you walked in 30ish minutes before showtime, you could easily get to somewhere around the sixth row...no need to line up at crazy hours if you didn't want a souvenir or the "McCready Death Stare."

:evil: Those aren't the only 2 reasons for wanting to be up close but I agree, if you just want to be within the first 10 rows, you really don't have to wait in line all day, just walk in when the doors open.

Right, and honestly, being a few rows back is preferable IMO. I was third row, and even then I found that my neck got really stiff and sore from looking up at the stage for that long. Being right on the rail must make that part even worse. I'd say that for ideal viewing with ideal GA comfort, being maybe 5 or 6 deep is the best place to be (so a difference of about what from the rail? 7 feet??). And I'm pretty sure most people who just arrived when doors opened are at least that close.

shortstack

PJ_Soul wrote:

Totally defeats the purpose for the band to have GA behind seats. They want the action up front. That's the POINT.

it is insulting for ten club to let everyone think that they changed it up because people with seniority weren't rocking out hard enough.

i think they changed it to GA because they want to fit more people in a smaller area and to get more people to join the ten club.


but you already know i feel this way, so... :geek: < me

Yefa

I had GA for two shows on this tour...Worcester 2 and Seattle.

At Worcester 2 I went to the preparty and lined up at 5:45 or so. I ended up 10 people back in front of Jeff.

At Seattle I lined up all day and got the rail. It was my first time being rail/1st row for Pearl Jam.

I had a great time for both shows. I met awesome people at the preparty in Worcester and in the GA line in Seattle.

GA worked great for this tour and I hope they continue it for the next USA/Canada tour.

callen

All fine and dandy if your 6' but if not GA can be a b#tch. Done GA and been on rail few times and take seats any day. Past the point of wanting sweaty humans rubbing up against me for 6 hours. Do though appreciate those that like GA and will go with what PJ decides as long as I get to see them. For those that have had room to move around 6 rows back, try a GA show in Europe or SA.

Suziemay

shortstack wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

Totally defeats the purpose for the band to have GA behind seats. They want the action up front. That's the POINT.

it is insulting for ten club to let everyone think that they changed it up because people with seniority weren't rocking out hard enough.

i think they changed it to GA because they want to fit more people in a smaller area and to get more people to join the ten club.


but you already know i feel this way, so... :geek: < me

Regardless of seniority, I personally think they reinstated GA because GA = higher energy levels, with or without seniority. There were plenty of people with seniority camping out along side people who just joined 10c.

Seems like the people who want GA are focusing on the positives of GA, while the people who don't want it are focusing on the negatives. I said this about another topic, we may have to agree to disagree. The band will do what they think is best and we will mostly still be here

Yefa

shortstack wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

Totally defeats the purpose for the band to have GA behind seats. They want the action up front. That's the POINT.

it is insulting for ten club to let everyone think that they changed it up because people with seniority weren't rocking out hard enough.

At MSG 2 in 2010, my seat buddy won the 10c ticket lottery. We were 2nd row in front of Mike. It was amazing.
During Alive I happened to notice a woman in the 3rd row who was standing with her arms folded and a bored expression on her face. She must have had a tremendous 10c number to have that seat at that show...and she was acting like Alive was the dullest thing in the world. Do you really think the band never noticed things like this and it perhaps played a part in them changing to GA for this year's tour? :fp:

PJ_Soul

callen wrote:

All fine and dandy if your 6' but if not GA can be a b#tch. Done GA and been on rail few times and take seats any day. Past the point of wanting sweaty humans rubbing up against me for 6 hours. Do though appreciate those that like GA and will go with what PJ decides as long as I get to see them. For those that have had room to move around 6 rows back, try a GA show in Europe or SA.

Yeah, I don't think I'd go for GA in SA. That's too much for me - just looks insane, and not just up front really ... Would definitely give it a whirl in Europe though - I could always move back if it got too tight up front.

PJ_Soul

Yefa wrote:

shortstack wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

Totally defeats the purpose for the band to have GA behind seats. They want the action up front. That's the POINT.

it is insulting for ten club to let everyone think that they changed it up because people with seniority weren't rocking out hard enough.

At MSG 2 in 2010, my seat buddy won the 10c ticket lottery. We were 2nd row in front of Mike. It was amazing.
During Alive I happened to notice a woman in the 3rd row who was standing with her arms folded and a bored expression on her face. She must have had a tremendous 10c number to have that seat at that show...and she was acting like Alive was the dullest thing in the world. Do you really think the band never noticed things like this and it perhaps played a part in them changing to GA for this year's tour? :fp:

Well I know there were serious problems in the front rows in Vancouver in 2011. Practically everyone was just standing there looking bored, and Eddie got pissed off. Fast-forward to 2013, and the GA pit was rocking and Eddie went off about how awesome the crowd was making the band feel.

callen

PJ_Soul wrote:

callen wrote:

All fine and dandy if your 6' but if not GA can be a b#tch. Done GA and been on rail few times and take seats any day. Past the point of wanting sweaty humans rubbing up against me for 6 hours. Do though appreciate those that like GA and will go with what PJ decides as long as I get to see them. For those that have had room to move around 6 rows back, try a GA show in Europe or SA.

Yeah, I don't think I'd go for GA in SA. That's too much for me - just looks insane, and not just up front really ... Would definitely give it a whirl in Europe though - I could always move back if it got too tight up front.

Even in EU it can get rough. Saw em in Switzerland and as polite as they may seem to be had to do battle to keep my spot. But it's all good just prefer seats.

shortstack

PJ_Soul wrote:

Well I know there were serious problems in the front rows in Vancouver in 2011. Practically everyone was just standing there looking bored, and Eddie got pissed off.

the GAers will eventually get like that too :P

PJ_Soul

callen wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

callen wrote:

All fine and dandy if your 6' but if not GA can be a b#tch. Done GA and been on rail few times and take seats any day. Past the point of wanting sweaty humans rubbing up against me for 6 hours. Do though appreciate those that like GA and will go with what PJ decides as long as I get to see them. For those that have had room to move around 6 rows back, try a GA show in Europe or SA.

Yeah, I don't think I'd go for GA in SA. That's too much for me - just looks insane, and not just up front really ... Would definitely give it a whirl in Europe though - I could always move back if it got too tight up front.

Even in EU it can get rough. Saw em in Switzerland and as polite as they may seem to be had to do battle to keep my spot. But it's all good just prefer seats.

I can take it to a certain point. I don't mind doing battle necessarily, plus it looks like in EU it gets better farther back. But fuck, the SA floors look like hell on Earth from front to back IMO (I am just going off the many, many videos I have seen of GA from both places of course, and testimony - I haven't actually experienced a Pearl Jam show in either place... yet. But I think someone who has done GA for any band several times can understand what the deal is by seeing enough footage of it. South Americans are nuts.

Isoworld13

I don't know where this notion of "the reserved seats" people just sit down the whole time. I've been to 23 shows. 21 in the seats and 2 in GA (Amsterdam '12 and Worcester '13). Never ONCE did I nor ANYONE in my section ever SIT. EVERY seated section I have EVER been a part of has stood, danced, and rocked JUST as hard as ANY GA I have ever been a part of or have witnessed. The only difference I have found in the 2 areas is that with seats you at least get some personal space and a reserved spot that you can come and go to freely allowing you to drink and use the bathroom whenever you feel like it. You are not also all mashed in and have space to drink your beer, dance, or just jam out without having some dope bashing into you every 30 seconds. Virtually EVERY "shed" amphitheater has the GA BEHIND the seats. It's called the LAWN. If you want to move wherever you want to move or be as close to one another as possible, it's the perfect place for you. Having the GA in the front just promotes pushing & shoving and a "survival of the fittest" type atmosphere with a certain group of people with the mentality of "hey it's GA, I have just as much right to that spot as you do, so I'm going to fight for what I feel is just as much mine as it is yours". If you want that sort of attitude, take it to the BACK. The truly FAIR way to do things is by making the front rows a LOTTERY just like getting the tickets is. No pushing, no shoving, no showing up 12 hours early to stand in line, no "marker" situation where you write a number on your hand and "declare" your spot, then go off to enjoy your day. Some people can't get to the show at 9AM. Some people have to travel. Some people have....don't say it...JOBS! Some have to actually WORK during the day before getting to enjoy a concert at night. Some people might want to actually ENJOY the city that they are in rather than stand in a line for 12 hours. Bottom line is that I'm SURE there will be PLENTY of ENERGY in the first 15 rows full of 10c members. It's just that having them in "reserved seats" is just a much safer and more enjoyable option. Nobody getting crushed, no stampedes, no mad rush when the doors open, and EVERY SINGLE MEMBER would have a shot at the RAIL REGARDLESS of their 10c #, WITHOUT having to sacrifice your entire day, OR having to fight 20 other people for your spot.

PJ_Soul

shortstack wrote:

PJ_Soul wrote:

Well I know there were serious problems in the front rows in Vancouver in 2011. Practically everyone was just standing there looking bored, and Eddie got pissed off.

the GAers will eventually get like that too :P

How so? The age range in the pit I was in was from 6 - 50+. There were tons of younger people at that show. Hell, I'm 37, and I've got at least another 10 years in me to totally rock out in the pit.