GA Advice: Rail
Hey PJ Faithful - So I scored a GA ticket for the 4/9 show at Denver and this will be my first PJ show, can't even begin to express how stoked I am for this. With that said, I need any and all advice or tips for how to secure a spot on the rail: e.g. when to line up, any process for admitting GA'ers (if there is one so I'm aware in advance), rush when they open doors or if its an organized process, suggestions waiting in line solo since I'll be going by myself, etc. Yes, I've read a million posts about people securing a few rows back from rail or even in the back of the pit and saying it's a blast since it's still close. But as a first-time-goer I've got to do it big and get the full PJ effect and shoot for the rail.
Has anyone done GA at Denver in the past for a show? Let me know, thanks in advance!
Has anyone done GA at Denver in the past for a show? Let me know, thanks in advance!
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Get there early...like the day before. Make friends with people around you. You're allowed QUICK breaks for food/bathroom. Get food "to go" or even delivered. If you leave the line for a quick break, your neighbors will let you back in, the same as you'd allow them.
This "quick break" thing seems to be disagreed on. This doesn't mean 2-3 hours to the hotel to nap/shower. It means 15-20 minutes every few hours. Yes, if your accommodations are close, as could be done. Don't be that person who disappears at 1pm and comes back at 4pm.
Get a hotel or park a car very close to the venue so you can dump your chairs and blankets before the doors open.
I'd highly suggest a bathroom break 1-2 hours before the doors open. Try to avoid that bathroom break during the show. The fans are supposed to let you back to your spot, but it's not guaranteed.
Once the doors open, it's a peaceful walk to the front. No running. In 2014, an email was sent to warn runners they'd be pulled to the back of the line.
If you have a portable battery charger for your phone, good idea. If not, I'd recommend turning the phone on quick every few hours for emergency purposes. But again, if you can do that 15-20 minute break with a plug, so be it.
The Denver 2014 pit seemed pretty mellow, I got packed in pretty tight near the front as the night progressed. About halfway through the show I relocated towards the back of the pit for more room and fresher air, but the view was still great even in the back of the pit.
Floor entry paths are between sec's 124 & 126, 102 & 148, and the ground level hallway between 108 &106.
Venue entry doors are roughly ground level below sec's 310 & 312.
Which entry path is quickest may entirely be a crap shoot, the hallway is the least distance, but may in fact be the most crowded, Idk! Also the floor reserved folks will be in these lines as well. Do the floor reserved folks line up with the GA folks, or do they wait with the rest of the reserved to enter at the same time as them upon venue entry?
That is how I've seen it the few times I've tried to get near front. Usually one or two paths to get down to the floor.
avoid the concessions and restrooms near the main stairs and escalators, typically much longer lines and bottlenecks, walk another 100 feet or so down the concourse and you will typically find much shorter lines, if any lines at all. The merch stands are near the escalators as well, so it is a high traffic area to avoid if possible.
Also there is another not quite so obvious elevator in the sec 376 area of the building with the quickest access to the outdoor smoking area should you need it.
There may be multiple ways down to the floor once the main doors open, but I'd expect there to be one line of people all following the same path for the early entry.
And yes, 10C says "no early entry" but it's usually that the "pit line" does get to go in a bit before main doors.
As far as smoking in Pepsi, while it is illegal, weed is generally accepted, and it does become a really clam baked oversized Pepsi Can when Pearl Jam plays. Just be courteous of your non approving neighbors and health conscious, and be on the lookout for the occasional authoritarian event staff on a power trip, keep it on the down low, and with the lights down you should be alright. Don't even try to light a cigarette in there though, go outside in the corral or you will likely get tossed. Haha! Have fun all!