GA has become nothing but over entitled rail hogs who feel they are owed something by the band. we are talking about the NEED GA or I AM NOT GOING TO THE SHOW crowd. the crowd that won't accept anything less than GA, because you know... they are there obviously there for a couple of picks and not the music.
i get why the band brought back GA, yeah, they feed off the "energy", but checking some youtube videos from this tour, GA shows no sign of life until the second encore when ed tosses some tambourines into the crowd.
bring back the seats and 10c can get more creative with who/what #'s are chosen to sit in those seats during the lottery process so the band sees different faces every night and not the same ones pre-2010ish?
GA has become nothing but over entitled rail hogs who feel they are owed something by the band. we are talking about the NEED GA or I AM NOT GOING TO THE SHOW crowd. the crowd that won't accept anything less than GA, because you know... they are there obviously there for a couple of picks and not the music.
i get why the band brought back GA, yeah, they feed off the "energy", but checking some youtube videos from this tour, GA shows no sign of life until the second encore when ed tosses some tambourines into the crowd.
bring back the seats and 10c can get more creative with who/what #'s are chosen to sit in those seats during the lottery process so the band sees different faces every night and not the same ones pre-2010ish?
I can't comment since I haven't had GA since the first tour with it (Vancouver 2013).
OK maybe I can. Wouldn't it be the rail people causing those issues? There's a whole chunk of GA that doesn't wait in line all day that also attends? Are the pits really that bad now (outside of the front row of overnighters?).
I liked the idea of the pit in Vancouver because my 10c seats kept getting further back and I've been in the 10c member for a while. It was pretty obvious that you don't really gain seniority in the 10c, so I was close with GA (even showing up at doors and being 6 people back) than I had with an shows that had seniority based seating.
I guess people have figured out how to game GA now (which was a concern of mine). Are there alot of familiar faces in the front few rows of the pit? That was kind of an issue. The first the pit thing caught people off guard so you couldn't prepare. Now that it's been around a while people know how to game in it a bit.
I guess I'll find out at Wrigley, but I really enjoyed the Vancouver '13 pit... really really enjoyed it.
I can't comment since I haven't had GA since the first tour with it (Vancouver 2013).
OK maybe I can. Wouldn't it be the rail people causing those issues? There's a whole chunk of GA that doesn't wait in line all day that also attends? Are the pits really that bad now (outside of the front row of overnighters?).
I liked the idea of the pit in Vancouver because my 10c seats kept getting further back and I've been in the 10c member for a while. It was pretty obvious that you don't really gain seniority in the 10c, so I was close with GA (even showing up at doors and being 6 people back) than I had with an shows that had seniority based seating.
I guess people have figured out how to game GA now (which was a concern of mine). Are there alot of familiar faces in the front few rows of the pit? That was kind of an issue. The first the pit thing caught people off guard so you couldn't prepare. Now that it's been around a while people know how to game in it a bit.
I guess I'll find out at Wrigley, but I really enjoyed the Vancouver '13 pit... really really enjoyed it.
I did GA for the only time this tour. Saw some faces behind me in line who I recognized the night before on the rail (I was behind the stage). Later, looking at pics from the show, those people had cut in front of others in line (I ended up going for the other side so I was separated from people near me in line). I also saw these same people recently at a Canadian show! Also, when we were walking up and I got to the rail, this girl came out of nowhere and grabbed the rail/wedged between to me and the guy who was in front of me in line. Literally never saw her in line and she had 3 or 4 GA wrist bands on from different shows already.
How the hell do these people get GA for numerous in-demand shows? I'm talking Philly/MSG/Toronto
As far as being on the rail. It was fine. Nobody was trying to push up to the front. It was crazy enough and I felt everyone was energetic and all that without any real 'problems'
One of my favourite shows over the past 10 years was Calgary in 2009. They played the old olympic grounds (they had a stage setup at the bottom of the old ski hill). There were no other good bands on the bill. It was basically indiefest, a hip hope artist and Pearl Jam. It was all GA. That pit was crazy. I didn't have the energy to stay in it but I enjoyed the hellout of the energy the crowd was exuding. It made me feel like it was the 90s again. PJ played a setlist with favoured older songs from their catalog. The pit was ferocious. The weather was perfect. It felt old school epic.
That show was the one and only time I've ever bailed out of a pit by going over the rail. It was fucking brutal down front.
Casual music fans don't tend to respect a pit's dynamics nearly as well as seasoned concertgoers, especially if they're trying to replicate a music video they saw when they were younger. The best pits I've been in have tended to be hard or heavy metal pits, where people know how to take care of one another.
Minneapolis 1998 | Jones Beach I & II, Montreal, and Toronto 2000 | Buffalo, State College, Toronto, Montreal and Hershey 2003 | Boston I & II 2004 | Thunder Bay, Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto 2005 | Toronto I & II 2006 | The Vic and Lollapalooza 2007 | Calgary and Toronto 2009 | PJ20 I & II, Toronto I & II, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton 2011 | London, Chicago, Spokane, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle 2013 | Ottawa and Toronto I & II 2016 | Chicago I & II 2018 | Ottawa, Hamilton and Toronto 2022
For the most part, PJ pits have been soft (in the U.S.) since '96.
The '98 Tour had some good Pits. It was the last NA tour with GA floor (and some venues entirely GA). The Seattle II '98 pit was one of the most insane PJ pit's I've ever seen (The whole stadium was GA, not just the floor... that big of a GA event.. it creates pandamonium!).
Haha, that was my last PJ pit experience. At one point everything just crushed forward, and I swam to the side and bailed before I got killed. Found a nice little spot in the seats and chilled the rest of the show. It was madness but a fun adrenaline rush.
"I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
Casual music fans don't tend to respect a pit's dynamics nearly as well as seasoned concertgoers, especially if they're trying to replicate a music video they saw when they were younger. The best pits I've been in have tended to be hard or heavy metal pits, where people know how to take care of one another.
Yah the most perfect pit I ever remember was Soundgarden at the PNE Forum in '96... It was a great pit. Plenty of room, plent of moshing, everytime someone fell a dozen hands reached down to pull the person up. I remember a dude lost his contacts, and we formed a circle to make room, and we actually found them!
One thing was never sure of was Canadian vs. American mosh pits. Most of the shows I've seen have been in Vancouver, but I do tend to head to Seattle/Gorge to see shows too. The two most insane pits I've seen were in Seattle. Tool playing lolla '97 at the Gorge, and the aformentioned PJ show. I've never seen anything like that up here. Not even at one our lolla's, edgefests, ozzfests in their hey dey.
Then again I was in Portland for Tatoo the Earth in '00, and even the pits for Sepultura, Slayer etc.. weren't anything like those two shows. Maybe it's a Seattle thing
One of my favourite shows over the past 10 years was Calgary in 2009. They played the old olympic grounds (they had a stage setup at the bottom of the old ski hill). There were no other good bands on the bill. It was basically indiefest, a hip hope artist and Pearl Jam. It was all GA. That pit was crazy. I didn't have the energy to stay in it but I enjoyed the hellout of the energy the crowd was exuding. It made me feel like it was the 90s again. PJ played a setlist with favoured older songs from their catalog. The pit was ferocious. The weather was perfect. It felt old school epic.
Casual music fans don't tend to respect a pit's dynamics nearly as well as seasoned concertgoers, especially if they're trying to replicate a music video they saw when they were younger. The best pits I've been in have tended to be hard or heavy metal pits, where people know how to take care of one another.
Agreed 100%. I went to a local metal show and after a few beers thought "What the hell?!?""and hopped into the pit. One of those spinning type pits. Within 5 feet I got my ass handed to me by some leather clad, long haired, headbanger, and was staring at the ceiling. That guy and someone else behind me picked me up, asked if I was cool, and sent me on my way. I hung out in there a good part of the rest of the show. People knew how to look out for each other, get a little rough, but no one got a bloody nose or all fucked up. If someone acted the fool they got straightened out real quick. It was cool.
What's stupid are the meatheads and #evenbros that have to push and start shit no matter what. I've seen these idiots try to start this shit at a bluegrass show once. Bluegrass... fiddles, mandolins, banjos, and mosh pit?!?
I mean, last night I got into the pit around 7:15 or so, waiting for a few friends who were coming later (they arrived by 8). We're standing there, fairly cramped but enjoying the hell out of the show. There was enough space for me to raise my arms in the air but not much more. Maybe 6 or 7 songs into the set, these two guys (probably each 6'3" or so - one wearing a Durant Sonics jersey) just barrel forward from the back (one beer in each hand) and squeeze their way into the miniscule space in front of us, without saying a word. I mean, we've been standing there for a while, there's barely any room and suddenly there are two giant guys in front of us and now we can't see and are all on top of each other. As it happens they were also now standing in front of a guy and his wife, who said something to them before I could - they basically rolled their eyes and just took two steps to the right until they found a place to stand where nobody said anything to them. But not cool, man!
'96: Toronto / '00: Toronto, Montreal / '03: Buffalo, State College, Toronto, Montreal, NYC I & II, Hershey / '04: Toledo, Grand Rapids / '05: Kitchener, London, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto / '06: Toronto I & II / '07: Chicago (The Vic), Lolla / '09: Toronto / '11: PJ20 I & II, Montreal, Toronto I & II / '13: London ON, Wrigley, Buffalo, Brooklyn I & II / '16: Toronto I & II, Fenway I & II / '18: London UK I, Wrigley I & II, Fenway I
I mean, last night I got into the pit around 7:15 or so, waiting for a few friends who were coming later (they arrived by 8). We're standing there, fairly cramped but enjoying the hell out of the show. There was enough space for me to raise my arms in the air but not much more. Maybe 6 or 7 songs into the set, these two guys (probably each 6'3" or so - one wearing a Durant Sonics jersey) just barrel forward from the back (one beer in each hand) and squeeze their way into the miniscule space in front of us, without saying a word. I mean, we've been standing there for a while, there's barely any room and suddenly there are two giant guys in front of us and now we can't see and are all on top of each other. As it happens they were also now standing in front of a guy and his wife, who said something to them before I could - they basically rolled their eyes and just took two steps to the right until they found a place to stand where nobody said anything to them. But not cool, man!
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
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2010- Bristow, VA
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2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
GA has become nothing but over entitled rail hogs who feel they are owed something by the band. we are talking about the NEED GA or I AM NOT GOING TO THE SHOW crowd. the crowd that won't accept anything less than GA, because you know... they are there obviously there for a couple of picks and not the music.
i get why the band brought back GA, yeah, they feed off the "energy", but checking some youtube videos from this tour, GA shows no sign of life until the second encore when ed tosses some tambourines into the crowd.
bring back the seats and 10c can get more creative with who/what #'s are chosen to sit in those seats during the lottery process so the band sees different faces every night and not the same ones pre-2010ish?
100000000% agree
100000000% disagree. lol I love GA.
I was lucky enough to get into GA for 4 of the 7 shows I went to and all of them were filled with lots of energy, I guess the shows I wasn't at lacked it. Maybe I need to get into more. haha
Randall's Island night 2 was a great pit (well sort of pit as it was too tight to really go nuts) but the craziest I was ever in was at Slayer. I was probably 15 years old and thought I could hang in there. I had my ass handed to me. It did get me ready for the next few years, but pits are no longer my thing .
GA has become nothing but over entitled rail hogs who feel they are owed something by the band. we are talking about the NEED GA or I AM NOT GOING TO THE SHOW crowd. the crowd that won't accept anything less than GA, because you know... they are there obviously there for a couple of picks and not the music.
i get why the band brought back GA, yeah, they feed off the "energy", but checking some youtube videos from this tour, GA shows no sign of life until the second encore when ed tosses some tambourines into the crowd.
bring back the seats and 10c can get more creative with who/what #'s are chosen to sit in those seats during the lottery process so the band sees different faces every night and not the same ones pre-2010ish?
100000000% agree
100000000% disagree. lol I love GA.
I was lucky enough to get into GA for 4 of the 7 shows I went to and all of them were filled with lots of energy, I guess the shows I wasn't at lacked it. Maybe I need to get into more. haha
Randall's Island night 2 was a great pit (well sort of pit as it was too tight to really go nuts) but the craziest I was ever in was at Slayer. I was probably 15 years old and thought I could hang in there. I had my ass handed to me. It did get me ready for the next few years, but pits are no longer my thing .
my problem with ga is the same people get up front all the time. like I've said before I don't have the luxury of an extra 48 hours to line up in a line for GA. but that's just me.
and that randall's island show was intense!!! some how I ended up on the rail between mike and ed. That is still my favorite show ever.
GA has become nothing but over entitled rail hogs who feel they are owed something by the band. we are talking about the NEED GA or I AM NOT GOING TO THE SHOW crowd. the crowd that won't accept anything less than GA, because you know... they are there obviously there for a couple of picks and not the music.
i get why the band brought back GA, yeah, they feed off the "energy", but checking some youtube videos from this tour, GA shows no sign of life until the second encore when ed tosses some tambourines into the crowd.
bring back the seats and 10c can get more creative with who/what #'s are chosen to sit in those seats during the lottery process so the band sees different faces every night and not the same ones pre-2010ish?
100000000% agree
100000000% disagree. lol I love GA.
I was lucky enough to get into GA for 4 of the 7 shows I went to and all of them were filled with lots of energy, I guess the shows I wasn't at lacked it. Maybe I need to get into more. haha
Randall's Island night 2 was a great pit (well sort of pit as it was too tight to really go nuts) but the craziest I was ever in was at Slayer. I was probably 15 years old and thought I could hang in there. I had my ass handed to me. It did get me ready for the next few years, but pits are no longer my thing .
my problem with ga is the same people get up front all the time. like I've said before I don't have the luxury of an extra 48 hours to line up in a line for GA. but that's just me.
and that randall's island show was intense!!! some how I ended up on the rail between mike and ed. That is still my favorite show ever.
Randall's was my first PJ show and will always be my favorite. I have a decent boot of it but would love for this to be a vault.
I can't comment since I haven't had GA since the first tour with it (Vancouver 2013). ..... I guess I'll find out at Wrigley, but I really enjoyed the Vancouver '13 pit... really really enjoyed it.
I was in GA last night and at the Vancouver '13 show. The Vancouver one was amazing, last night - meh. I enjoyed my seats for Tuesday more than the GA Thursday. Maybe it's because it wasn't a tenclub GA last night, but we had the combination of campers on the rail defending their 3'x3' and the drunk evenbros coming up from behind, putting us in an awkward position in between. I found it more difficult to just let loose and enjoy myself. Instead of just watching the band, and singing along, I had to shimmy around to make sure buddy wasn't going to dart in front of me like the last few (don't get me wrong, still had a great time).
It's tricky and I get both sides of the argument. We're all older, but it isn't assigned seating/space. I'm fine with incidental contact or being up against people, but not the "strongest gets the front". I just want to jump up and down and sing and dance for 3 hours.
I'm probably in the minority, but I would like to see some disincentive to the camping out. We spent way too much time in line this week between yesterday's GA line and the merch lines (different issue). Maybe you stop the camping out and get some fresh energy by assigning numbers to those in line. I know I would have had even more in the tank to give yesterday if I hadn't had to stand in lines for 9 hours to be that close. Optionally you could even randomize what number the line starts at like ticketbastard used to do with the old mall lineups.
Vancouver 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013 Ottawa, Toronto 1 & 2 2016 Seattle 1 & 2 2018
I was GA toronto 2. I showed up 20 minutes before show time and by end of 10 songs was second off the rail in front of Mike. The energy was fantastic and other then the people who were right on the rail nobody cared if you moved up, back, to the side, danced etc. It was rocking and friendly in the pit the entire time and they should absolutely never do away with it. No better way to see a show.
I was GA toronto 2. I showed up 20 minutes before show time and by end of 10 songs was second off the rail in front of Mike. The energy was fantastic and other then the people who were right on the rail nobody cared if you moved up, back, to the side, danced etc. It was rocking and friendly in the pit the entire time and they should absolutely never do away with it. No better way to see a show.
I was GA toronto 2. I showed up 20 minutes before show time and by end of 10 songs was second off the rail in front of Mike. The energy was fantastic and other then the people who were right on the rail nobody cared if you moved up, back, to the side, danced etc. It was rocking and friendly in the pit the entire time and they should absolutely never do away with it. No better way to see a show.
i sooooo fucking hate ga... hopefully PJ does away with it again soon.
You know, I typically HATE GA crowds in general (I'm only 5'5 and really don't like being in large crowds), so I have to say that I easily assumed I would hate it in Toronto, but it was a blast. I just hung out at the back rail the whole time, still had a perfect view, perfect sound, got to rock out and had nobody whatsoever in my personal space. It's unfortunate how seemingly difficult it is to get GA for a PJ show, but taking the pit out and putting seats in isn't automatically going to make it any easier for people to suddenly get better seats. Maybe the system could stand to be tweaked a bit, but the actual GA experience was surprisingly fine for me.
2003 Clarkston MI #2 | 2004 Grand Rapids MI | 2013 London ON | 2014 Detroit MI | 2016 Toronto ON #1
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hedonist
standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
i sooooo fucking hate ga... hopefully PJ does away with it again soon.
You know, I typically HATE GA crowds in general (I'm only 5'5 and really don't like being in large crowds), so I have to say that I easily assumed I would hate it in Toronto, but it was a blast. I just hung out at the back rail the whole time, still had a perfect view, perfect sound, got to rock out and had nobody whatsoever in my personal space. It's unfortunate how seemingly difficult it is to get GA for a PJ show, but taking the pit out and putting seats in isn't automatically going to make it any easier for people to suddenly get better seats. Maybe the system could stand to be tweaked a bit, but the actual GA experience was surprisingly fine for me.
Bolded part, yes, I can so relate! Though you have a couple of inches on me
I had mild anxiety for days before seeing Tool for the first time, GA - what I pictured it would be. So wrong I was. Turned out it was a HUGE area and we could dig on the whole scene from the back. And those up front had the best time - as did we.
i sooooo fucking hate ga... hopefully PJ does away with it again soon.
You know, I typically HATE GA crowds in general (I'm only 5'5 and really don't like being in large crowds), so I have to say that I easily assumed I would hate it in Toronto, but it was a blast. I just hung out at the back rail the whole time, still had a perfect view, perfect sound, got to rock out and had nobody whatsoever in my personal space. It's unfortunate how seemingly difficult it is to get GA for a PJ show, but taking the pit out and putting seats in isn't automatically going to make it any easier for people to suddenly get better seats. Maybe the system could stand to be tweaked a bit, but the actual GA experience was surprisingly fine for me.
ah, i was kidding. i love ga. my antagonism got the best of that post... hard for me to read the complaints and not reply sometimes. i had an awesome time in NY, and i'd do all over again exactly the same way. i want ga in south america next...
I prefer GA, I'm over 50....I hang on the sides or near the back....the drunks are the ones that flail and push/shove. There were a couple of bozos in Ottawa that couldn't stop pointing up to their friends in the seats at every chance/every song, between 4 trips to get more beer.
I'm sure it's already been said many times on here, but expecting pits like the 90s is just unrealistic. We're all 20 years older than that... you just can't have the same kind of unrestrained insanity now.
There are times where it seems like the GA section is a bit dead, but what can you do? Everyone enjoys shows in their own way. Some people jump, some dance, and some like to just stand there and soak it in.
And some are so tired from camping for 36 hours that they can't keep it up all show...
GA has become nothing but over entitled rail hogs who feel they are owed something by the band. we are talking about the NEED GA or I AM NOT GOING TO THE SHOW crowd. the crowd that won't accept anything less than GA, because you know... they are there obviously there for a couple of picks and not the music.
i get why the band brought back GA, yeah, they feed off the "energy", but checking some youtube videos from this tour, GA shows no sign of life until the second encore when ed tosses some tambourines into the crowd.
bring back the seats and 10c can get more creative with who/what #'s are chosen to sit in those seats during the lottery process so the band sees different faces every night and not the same ones pre-2010ish?
100000000% agree
100000000% disagree. lol I love GA.
I was lucky enough to get into GA for 4 of the 7 shows I went to and all of them were filled with lots of energy, I guess the shows I wasn't at lacked it. Maybe I need to get into more. haha
Randall's Island night 2 was a great pit (well sort of pit as it was too tight to really go nuts) but the craziest I was ever in was at Slayer. I was probably 15 years old and thought I could hang in there. I had my ass handed to me. It did get me ready for the next few years, but pits are no longer my thing .
my problem with ga is the same people get up front all the time. like I've said before I don't have the luxury of an extra 48 hours to line up in a line for GA. but that's just me.
and that randall's island show was intense!!! some how I ended up on the rail between mike and ed. That is still my favorite show ever.
With reserved seating, pretty much the same people are always up front; minus the first two lottery rows. I'll take GA everytime. I've never waited in line and have just walked in between 7:00-8:00 each of the 5 GA's I've attended. I've been as close as second from the rail stones side and never been further back than about 4-5 on mikes side. I love the energy in GA. If you want the rail; then everyone has a chance if they are willing to get there really early. If you prefer to walk in an hour before the show, you can still get as close as 2-5 from the rail. I hope GA is here for good. Just my opinion.
It did bring a big smile to my face seeing the (brief) appearance of a crowd surfer during Alive at Toronto 1. Brought back fond memories of Ed having his "favourite Butthole Surfers" t-shirt ripped off him by the crowd during Alive the last time I saw them (waaaay back in 91, lol).
Did crowd surfers make a regular appearance at the other shows this tour? The one I saw was quickly pulled over the rail by security (not sure if the crowd helped propel him on his way, hope not, lol).
"The world is full of idiots and I am but one of them."
10-30-1991 Toronto, Toronto 1 & 2 2016, Toronto 2022
Problem seems to be a difference in opinion of what GA should be, plus the odd idiot people encounter.
From my experience (all my shows have been GA in Europe). If your right in front of Ed it is going to be lively down there. Expect lots of contact with others but it's great fun if you like to get involved in the action. If you want a bit more freedom to move, go to the sides a bit, particularly Stone's side. If you like a lot more space go further back.
Problems arise when people try to be close to the front but think they can preserve their personal space. It isn't going to happen. But don't get annoyed, the good thing about GA is that you can move to a spot that suits you.
2010: London 2012: Manchester I, Manchester II, Manchester (EV) 2014: Milan, Leeds, Milton Keynes 2017: London II (EV) 2018: Amsterdam I, London I, Prague, London II 2019: London (EV) 2022: London I, London II, Budapest, Krakow, Amsterdam
Comments
i get why the band brought back GA, yeah, they feed off the "energy", but checking some youtube videos from this tour, GA shows no sign of life until the second encore when ed tosses some tambourines into the crowd.
bring back the seats and 10c can get more creative with who/what #'s are chosen to sit in those seats during the lottery process so the band sees different faces every night and not the same ones pre-2010ish?
OK maybe I can. Wouldn't it be the rail people causing those issues? There's a whole chunk of GA that doesn't wait in line all day that also attends? Are the pits really that bad now (outside of the front row of overnighters?).
I liked the idea of the pit in Vancouver because my 10c seats kept getting further back and I've been in the 10c member for a while. It was pretty obvious that you don't really gain seniority in the 10c, so I was close with GA (even showing up at doors and being 6 people back) than I had with an shows that had seniority based seating.
I guess people have figured out how to game GA now (which was a concern of mine). Are there alot of familiar faces in the front few rows of the pit? That was kind of an issue. The first the pit thing caught people off guard so you couldn't prepare. Now that it's been around a while people know how to game in it a bit.
I guess I'll find out at Wrigley, but I really enjoyed the Vancouver '13 pit... really really enjoyed it.
Also, when we were walking up and I got to the rail, this girl came out of nowhere and grabbed the rail/wedged between to me and the guy who was in front of me in line. Literally never saw her in line and she had 3 or 4 GA wrist bands on from different shows already.
How the hell do these people get GA for numerous in-demand shows? I'm talking Philly/MSG/Toronto
As far as being on the rail. It was fine. Nobody was trying to push up to the front. It was crazy enough and I felt everyone was energetic and all that without any real 'problems'
Casual music fans don't tend to respect a pit's dynamics nearly as well as seasoned concertgoers, especially if they're trying to replicate a music video they saw when they were younger. The best pits I've been in have tended to be hard or heavy metal pits, where people know how to take care of one another.
One thing was never sure of was Canadian vs. American mosh pits. Most of the shows I've seen have been in Vancouver, but I do tend to head to Seattle/Gorge to see shows too. The two most insane pits I've seen were in Seattle. Tool playing lolla '97 at the Gorge, and the aformentioned PJ show. I've never seen anything like that up here. Not even at one our lolla's, edgefests, ozzfests in their hey dey.
Then again I was in Portland for Tatoo the Earth in '00, and even the pits for Sepultura, Slayer etc.. weren't anything like those two shows. Maybe it's a Seattle thing
What's stupid are the meatheads and #evenbros that have to push and start shit no matter what. I've seen these idiots try to start this shit at a bluegrass show once. Bluegrass... fiddles, mandolins, banjos, and mosh pit?!?
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1995- New Orleans, LA : New Orleans, LA
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2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
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2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
2017- ED VED- Louisville, KY
2018- Chicago, IL x2, Boston, MA x2
2020- Nashville, TN
2022- Smashville
2023- Austin, TX x2
2024- Baltimore
I was lucky enough to get into GA for 4 of the 7 shows I went to and all of them were filled with lots of energy, I guess the shows I wasn't at lacked it. Maybe I need to get into more. haha
Randall's Island night 2 was a great pit (well sort of pit as it was too tight to really go nuts) but the craziest I was ever in was at Slayer. I was probably 15 years old and thought I could hang in there. I had my ass handed to me. It did get me ready for the next few years, but pits are no longer my thing
.
and that randall's island show was intense!!! some how I ended up on the rail between mike and ed. That is still my favorite show ever.
It's tricky and I get both sides of the argument. We're all older, but it isn't assigned seating/space. I'm fine with incidental contact or being up against people, but not the "strongest gets the front". I just want to jump up and down and sing and dance for 3 hours.
I'm probably in the minority, but I would like to see some disincentive to the camping out. We spent way too much time in line this week between yesterday's GA line and the merch lines (different issue). Maybe you stop the camping out and get some fresh energy by assigning numbers to those in line. I know I would have had even more in the tank to give yesterday if I hadn't had to stand in lines for 9 hours to be that close. Optionally you could even randomize what number the line starts at like ticketbastard used to do with the old mall lineups.
Ottawa, Toronto 1 & 2 2016
Seattle 1 & 2 2018
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“I think you won, but I enjoyed the fight” - EV
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you.
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I had mild anxiety for days before seeing Tool for the first time, GA - what I pictured it would be. So wrong I was. Turned out it was a HUGE area and we could dig on the whole scene from the back. And those up front had the best time - as did we.
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There are times where it seems like the GA section is a bit dead, but what can you do? Everyone enjoys shows in their own way. Some people jump, some dance, and some like to just stand there and soak it in.
And some are so tired from camping for 36 hours that they can't keep it up all show...
Did crowd surfers make a regular appearance at the other shows this tour? The one I saw was quickly pulled over the rail by security (not sure if the crowd helped propel him on his way, hope not, lol).
10-30-1991 Toronto, Toronto 1 & 2 2016, Toronto 2022
From my experience (all my shows have been GA in Europe). If your right in front of Ed it is going to be lively down there. Expect lots of contact with others but it's great fun if you like to get involved in the action. If you want a bit more freedom to move, go to the sides a bit, particularly Stone's side. If you like a lot more space go further back.
Problems arise when people try to be close to the front but think they can preserve their personal space. It isn't going to happen. But don't get annoyed, the good thing about GA is that you can move to a spot that suits you.
2012: Manchester I, Manchester II, Manchester (EV)
2014: Milan, Leeds, Milton Keynes
2017: London II (EV)
2018: Amsterdam I, London I, Prague, London II
2019: London (EV)
2022: London I, London II, Budapest, Krakow, Amsterdam