My story dealing with several horrible entitled “railbirds” in GA at Wrigley 2

mace1229

JH6056 said:

Even though the unfortunate Milwaukee poster who was new to the rail and felt like the band (or at least Ed) played to the familiar faces, let's also remember the band/TenClub started the policy of - for all reserved shows like Fenway - having first 2 rows and rows 8 & 9 be lottery.  I think for the most part that WAS to give new people the chance for front row/rail experiences. There's still a rail at reserved seat shows, and it's a lot more comfy and easier to enjoy because you can come and go and you don't have to sleep out for them.  You just have to be insanely lucky LOL!

But main point being, pretty sure the band got sick of the exact same faces every show in front and wanted to equalize the opportunity a bit.  Hopefully Fenway will have lots of new faces... not that I'll be up there to see them, dagnabbit!

Never scored 1 and 2, but got 8 a few times. I have a fairly good number though. Did they have 10c seats between 2 and 8? Joined in 1998 and always felt like getting row 8 several times was due to a good number and not just keep getting lucky in the lottery.

BCBA

Imo, its a matter of time before ga has a really ugly incident(s)  having a highly fanatical base and pitting everyone against one another to preserve "reserved spots" on the floor with little rules, structure, and oversight is asking for trouble

Also, how do you get GA tix for every show?  Im like 2 for 14

PJ_Soul

Go Beavers said:

This is a good moral question. I would think returning to the previous spot is the right thing to do. Because of the rain delay, you waived this obligation combined with the herd mentality where you see all these others stealing spots. That still shouldn’t change your own rules though. Sometimes the group rules work well for everyone  E.g. allowing people to return to their spot after going to the john and getting beers. 

It's not stealing spots. It's standing in GA. Nobody has a "spot" unless they are already standing in it. If they leave that spot, it's not theirs anymore.

pjl44

mace1229 said:

JH6056 said:

Even though the unfortunate Milwaukee poster who was new to the rail and felt like the band (or at least Ed) played to the familiar faces, let's also remember the band/TenClub started the policy of - for all reserved shows like Fenway - having first 2 rows and rows 8 & 9 be lottery.  I think for the most part that WAS to give new people the chance for front row/rail experiences. There's still a rail at reserved seat shows, and it's a lot more comfy and easier to enjoy because you can come and go and you don't have to sleep out for them.  You just have to be insanely lucky LOL!

But main point being, pretty sure the band got sick of the exact same faces every show in front and wanted to equalize the opportunity a bit.  Hopefully Fenway will have lots of new faces... not that I'll be up there to see them, dagnabbit!

Never scored 1 and 2, but got 8 a few times. I have a fairly good number though. Did they have 10c seats between 2 and 8? Joined in 1998 and always felt like getting row 8 several times was due to a good number and not just keep getting lucky in the lottery.

8 is definitely due to your number. Lottery rows are 1, 2, 9, & 10.

PJ_Soul

BCBA said:

bbiggs said:

MayDay10 said:

I see the same (several) people on rail at most/every show.  Its a sickness

Wonder if the band gets tired of seeing the same faces. I would. 

I believe this is why they chose to go with a lottery based ga system in the first place.  

I recognize several of their faces when i see the screen video and also social media posts by members.  There is one girl in particular who is front and center every single show.  No clue how these people can procure ga/euro tix for every single show on the up and up.  

Unfortunately, the rail rats always finagle their way into GA tix whether they win them in the lottery or not.

PJ_Soul

Big Bank Hank said:

For some people Eddie tossing them a tambourine or giving them some wine or touching them, is like the biggest deal ever, and they will still be telling stories about it 25 years from now. I don't care about any of that, more power to them if they are willingto invest all that time & energy. I am totally cool with lower reserve side stage, plus it's really nice having a seat & cupholder  plus easy bathroom access once Even Flow starts playing. Pearl Jam catching a shot of me on the rail during a show & posting the video later really won't make any difference in my life. Now if I happen to run into one of them in some random place & just be able to hang out & talk about ways to make the world a better place, real deep shit, that would be meaningful. Icon worship is a illusion, human to human interaction & finding ways to become better humans is where it's at. Besides Eddie has already played 3 requests for me from this board over the past 5 years, so I already feel kinda guilty about that, so I figure it's better to let others go up front with their signs & maybe they can get a song played or a shoutout & that will be a much more meaningful experience than it would be for me. I see the world through a rocking horse of time. Those people up front at the Seattle show earned it, lining up 4 days before in 90 degree heat, it's totally not worth it for me, plus when you get douche bags trying to muscle themselves in & cutting in front & just being down right disrespectful it can make for a really long night. I do have one question: If you are center rail, how in the hell do you take a piss? Empty bottle? Port a Potty? It seems like it would be really hard to get back the where you were before.

You don't go to the washroom. You stop drinking liquids in the afternoon and get it all out before you enter.
I have heard of guys actually doing the pee in a bottle thing though.... If someone peed in a bottle next to me I'd call security over and get them booted under the accusation of indecent exposure (I wouldn't actually care about the exposure part, but that's what would get them kicked out for being disgusting animals).

vest71

And those people standing in line made there own self proclaimed "police" ... was standing in line for the Barcelona show and we were let in a small area and given a number ( from security guy ) and that was all ok, until we found out that we couldn't use those small toilet standing out there... and when a girl from the back of the line asked the security guys in the door, she was allowed in to get to the toilet inside, and then hell broke loose from some of the people standing in the front, and they started yelling at her and being a little threatening, they wouldn't let her in to pee.... and when she "gave up" they applauded her "decision".... it was so stupid and frightening that a group of people could be so intimidating and acting like bullies... what did they think the girl would do ? run in and chain herself to the rail after she had bought all the posters ? they acted like the didn't knew how thinks was working... that was when i changed my view on those people from shaking my head in disbelieve over the fact they stay in line for days in cities they haven't see and wasting there time ensuring each other that what they are doing is cool and the best thing in the world, i changed my view into some mild form of hate ( i'm not proud of that ) hoping they would dehydrate and faint in the moment ED tossed them a tambourine and they would miss it, or hoping PJ would read this and never again encourage that kind of behavior, which i think they do giving them stuff ( picks, wine etc )
BTW we went in stood way back with lots of space around us having a blast.... 

Vedd Hedd

Count me in for floor seats, 1-2 and 9-10 lottery. Id much rather be able to sit down for a moment, run to the bathroom, and not get constantly shoved. Most fans are great. The assholes kind of ruin it. 

Go back to seats.

pearldavidson

I’m all for ending GA. For some of the “rail rats” it’s hardly about the music anymore.

blackhawks

I also would prefer going back to seats.  And I don’t want/‘need’ to be that close to enjoy the show.  I don’t want a pick or tambourine....I just want to enjoy the show.  U2 has the same problem.  Heck, I saw Tool reserved second row and that was extremely enjoyable.  I see no fun in GA at my age.

PJ_Soul

PB11041 said:

pjl44 said:

Team All Reserved Seating 2019

Same.  The GA thing is stupid. I don't get it.  I watched the rush ensue on video live from a phone the other night and thought man someone is going to get badly hurt in this nonsense to get a "rail".

GA brings more energy to the show - that's why PJ isn't going to drop it. The older their main fanbase gets, the more they need to try and keep the energy in front of the stage up, because it keeps them in it too. Yes, I know people can name all reserved shows that had energy, but that's the exception, not the norm, and as people age, that would become more and more rare - soon enough most of the old fogies up front will be sitting for half the show, lol. Also, they sell more tickets with a pit, which is pretty important I'm sure. Finally, having all reserved seating based on seniority, besides 4 lottery rows, is very off-putting to newer members. If they want to keep attracting new 10C members, then all reserved seating isn't the best method. GA is better business, basically.

I personally love GA because it's fucking fun, and yes, it definitely brings more energy to the show. I just hang back 6 deep and avoid all these fuckers on the rail as much as possible. I feel like getting rid of GA isn't even really fair - as it is, those who prefer reserved seats get reserved seats, and those who prefer GA get GA.... Without GA, there is only one option, and that sucks for a whole group of people.

Vedd Hedd

The great thing about seats....the first row usually stands up along the rail anyway, but that gives the 2nd row more room to actually see, so they dont have to shove everyone up in front of them. 2nd row is just as good as first row.

And the space where the seats are....that gives everyone a better angle to actually see the band.  5th row seating is way better than 5th row GA. And you can get back to your seat if you are one of those strange people that...you know....may have to use the bathroom every 4 hours.

blackhawks

I see the GA and quite honestly there isn’t some Gaga amount of energy at the shows I attend.  It looks rather tame to be honest so I call BS on that.  

PJ_Soul

blackhawks said:

I also would prefer going back to seats.  And I don’t want/‘need’ to be that close to enjoy the show.  I don’t want a pick or tambourine....I just want to enjoy the show.  U2 has the same problem.  Heck, I saw Tool reserved second row and that was extremely enjoyable.  I see no fun in GA at my age.

So why would you prefer no GA if you don't care if you're close? Just get reserved seats and let the GA people have their fun (or not, lol).

twmills

Wow, very interesting. My buddy and I got GA tickets to the second show, and it was our first time in the GA level. We showed up at about 6:45 and we were blown away with how close we were able to get. We were maybe 12-15 people off from the rail in front of McCready (hard to tell exactly). Since we refused to wait in line we assumed we would be towards the back. But that wasn't the case at all....we were VERY happy with where we were. In fact, I remember telling my friend that some fans are idiots getting in line 10 hours before the show only to be a few rows a head of us.

Then the rain came, and when we got back on the field we surprisingly got right back to the same location. So we assumed everyone just went back to their previous spots, because I saw many familiar faces all around me from before the rain.

However, I was curious how it worked with those we were along the rail. Did they get screwed? Were they able to get back? I assumed it was tough luck and many didn't get back, but it's a shame people got back to their spots by being complete assholes about it. During the show people were trying to get closer, complaining to be looking for their friends/family. I let them through without making a big deal about it

My buddy and I loved our first GA experience. I got some awesome pictures that will forever be priceless to me. Also being a huge Cubs fan, I got goosebumps being able to walk on the field, get my picture by the ivy and being able to look up into the stands. Such an unforgettable experience. I'll definitely be shooting for GA again next time even though there will be assholes around me doing whatever it takes to be by the rail.

jtgreen

PJ-Cubs said:

100% agree.  The dude in Let’s Play Two earned his spot (both on the rail and in the movie) by waiting 4 days.  Not sure how he got the rail again with an 8am day of show lineup on Saturday.

He came over to the left field entrance 10C line around 3:30-4 to talk to someone. She asked if he had camped out for days again. He claimed he showed up that morning (I don't remember the exact time he mentioned) and was "only" 4 or 5 back in the line. He was walking around at the time because he had to use the bathroom and the port-a-potties were "bad" and he wanted a real bathroom. 


The worst rail rat I've dealt with was when I took my girlfriend to Fall Out Boy's house of blues show in Chicago last year. We got in line at like 3-ish and were maybe 80 people back. The girl in spot 1 was there since 5AM. Once we got inside the HOB, they made us go to alphabetical tables for our tickets/wristbands. Our letter was basically empty so we managed to get a spot one person off the rail. The girl who had camped all night had her name reversed on her tickets so there was a huge hassle for her. By the time she got to the floor, it was half full. She shoved her way through the crowd and got about 4 people back demanding everyone move for her since she "earned it." I know for most of the show she spent the night trying to push through at various spots. She punched me in the ribs when I wouldn't let her through. She eventually got through other people who were tired of her screaming all night.

blackhawks

PJ_Soul said:

blackhawks said:

I also would prefer going back to seats.  And I don’t want/‘need’ to be that close to enjoy the show.  I don’t want a pick or tambourine....I just want to enjoy the show.  U2 has the same problem.  Heck, I saw Tool reserved second row and that was extremely enjoyable.  I see no fun in GA at my age.

So why would you prefer no GA if you don't care if you're close? Just get reserved seats and let the GA people have their fun.

I would like to be on the floor with a seat not so far back if that makes sense.  And the aisle between GA and seated becomes GA so it is a bit of a pain.  

Why do you want GA to be close instead of seated close?

PJ_Soul

blackhawks said:

I see the GA and quite honestly there isn’t some Gaga amount of energy at the shows I attend.  It looks rather tame to be honest so I call BS on that.  

Not as tame as it would be with all seats.

But again, GA sells more tickets, and gets a way bigger buzz. I can't think of a single reason why PJ would want to get rid of it. There is no reason they should give a shit about full grown adults acting like children down in the pit if it means they can sell a thousand extra tickets.

faithful2you

BCBA said:

Imo, its a matter of time before ga has a really ugly incident(s)  having a highly fanatical base and pitting everyone against one another to preserve "reserved spots" on the floor with little rules, structure, and oversight is asking for trouble

Also, how do you get GA tix for every show?  Im like 2 for 14

Same way you see the same people on the rail every show.   Secret deals and handshakes.   There's a small number of people that work together.  Which I assume are the same group of people that make GA lists and complained that they didn't get their spots back because....they are entitled to the rail.   
I don't want them to go back to seats just because of a few people, 98% of the people I was around in GA Monday night were cool as hell with everything.   Again....going into Monday everyone knew there was a good chance of 2013 happening all over again but they chose to sit in line all day knowing there is no possible way when people are let back in to GA that they would get their exact spots back.   Exactly why I didn't bother waiting in line.   
   

PJNB

Wow lots of hateful and nasty posts here today. Thought we were better than this to be honest.