Sneaking Up at Ohana Encore - Not Cute

JH6056

When I was a young'un I was pretty good at defending my space. Funniest was me (I'm very short) refusing to let some big guy go by who said he was working, but had nothing to show for it or say who he worked for, and he was the 8,000th person trying to move up for that particular set (not a PJ show) & it was already super crowded, so there was a unified human wall saying no to him. And then right behind him as he tried another way was Paris Hilton & her sis so he was really just their personal bulldozer and they had to find another way through/around.

But now I'm older and like others I like being able to walk around, get a drink, go visit friends somewhere else, and get back and not have to fight for my seat, so I'm with everyone saying "That's why seats are great".  I don't think I've been GA in front for PJ since '95 actually, now that I think of it...  But I stand in solidarity with those who wait their time, don't try to hold an acre of space, just their own space to at least breathe & see, and then resist when someone tries to push their way right in front of them at the last minute. Oh hell to the no.

2-feign-reluctance

Hope some fun was had despite the situation OP! 

OceansJenny

F Me In The Brain said:

Agree, this is why GA sucks.  Some drunken dickhead elbowing me every other song gets old and makes me want to punch up some idiots. 

To be fair this still happens in seats. And can be worse because you can’t move away from them.

superfuzz30

There’s a respect for people who have put the work in that should be there. People who don’t or say “it’s GA soooo” have never lined up at 6am. And that’s cool, not everyone wants to do that, but once you have you have an understanding about the code. 

Come up earlier. I was row 2/3 each night and went down about 4pm. You can make friends and take bathroom and drink breaks when needed. It’s not even that long of a wait.

Where the problem happens is shorter people want to leave room between them and the next person when we get to the timeframe when everyone stands up. It’s because they wanna be able to see and use that gap, and I get it, but it also leaves a big person sized gap and the snakes who run up find those.

F Me In The Brain

OceansJenny said:

F Me In The Brain said:

Agree, this is why GA sucks.  Some drunken dickhead elbowing me every other song gets old and makes me want to punch up some idiots. 

To be fair this still happens in seats. And can be worse because you can’t move away from them.

That could be true.
I've had people barf behind me, the people in the row in front of us smoke weed nonstop when my wife was pregnant, all sorts of things.  I guess I just accept that they paid for the seats and even if they are total assfuckingholes at least they aren't touching me in any way.  (Or, they are getting a fist to the jaw.)
I don't feel the same way about GA.
That is ok - generally when I go to places for GA I either go to the very front (nobody is getting in front)or to the back/far enough when I can just chill and enjoy things.

mace1229

mcgruff10 said:

I know you lined up and all but it is General Admission, they had the same right to be in that spot as you.  Just my humble opinion.
That's why seats are better. 

I guess it depends. If the spot the OP staked out left a foot between them and the person in front so they could be more comfortable, then yeah expect that to get filled by someone else.
But people nudging themselves in front of people where there isn’t a space, that’s not what Ga means and they don’t have the same right to push someone away.
I see both scenarios play out all the time in GA, and why I agree seats are usually better.

RatherStarved

Seats are definitely better.

In terms of this topic, I think it’s fair to fill in a gap if there is truly a gap, but not cool to force your way up when there isn’t space.

JeBurkhardt

Something that I saw that was sort of crazy was people putting down 2 or more blankets, taking up a lot of ground for only two or three people, and then leaving them spread out after dark. I saw one group laying down on them after dark between Beck and PJ almost get run over multiple times due to people not seeing them laying there.  

OceansJenny

People who are saying seats are better must have good 10c #s!

Loujoe

tschav said:

I’m just gonna say that the amount of drunk people claiming to be looking for someone and pushing through 15 minutes before Pearl Jam took the stage was obnoxious (all five nights). I’m a tall guy, and asking nicely doesn’t bother me, but disrespecting others by pushing through and inviting conflict just makes for a tense crowd around you - especially if people have been in the sun all day.

I mean, who doesn’t want to hear Eddie talk about the great crowd and play I Am Mine while two people are ready to throw down over getting 2 feet closer?

Was in telluride and people were trying to get past me 'looking for their friends' I told them have their friends come back and meet you behind me. 
Told the dude next to me let's not let anyone by. Buzzed dancer dude came jumping by, before pj came on, dude beat him down. I was like that was not what I meant, to beat on people...
But
It does get tense.
Wait if you want a choice spot.
Don't squeeze past me.

Remember it's only rock and roll

Please and thanks

Gern Blansten

Attaway77 said:

mcgruff10 said:

That's why seats are better. 

100%. I stopped caring about GA/ up front many years ago for any concert. Having a seat is perfect, got my space, place to set my beer, rock a little, go piss and come back when I need, etc, etc, etc... Fun easy night for enjoying music.

Same...we were either going to hang out near the back of the GA crowd or grab the bleachers and we opted for the bleachers. I imagine it wasn't too bad near the back but I don't like having to search for my wife (or her for me) after I grab a beer or go to the bathroom. 

We grabbed aisle seats on the bleachers about 6 rows up both night for encore weekend and it was great.  Sounded great, screens made everything close and I could jump up, grab a beer, and be right back in my same spot in about two minutes. The Fri night bleacher crowd around us was kind of lame but Sat night was awesome.

PJNB

Gern Blansten said:

Attaway77 said:

mcgruff10 said:

That's why seats are better. 

100%. I stopped caring about GA/ up front many years ago for any concert. Having a seat is perfect, got my space, place to set my beer, rock a little, go piss and come back when I need, etc, etc, etc... Fun easy night for enjoying music.

Same...we were either going to hang out near the back of the GA crowd or grab the bleachers and we opted for the bleachers. I imagine it wasn't too bad near the back but I don't like having to search for my wife (or her for me) after I grab a beer or go to the bathroom. 

We grabbed aisle seats on the bleachers about 6 rows up both night for encore weekend and it was great.  Sounded great, screens made everything close and I could jump up, grab a beer, and be right back in my same spot in about two minutes. The Fri night bleacher crowd around us was kind of lame but Sat night was awesome.

We were in the bleachers too Saturday night. Had a great group around us. 4 rows back on the mid-left side of the bleachers facing the stage. The bleachers were bouncing and it was a lot of fun.

jimjam1982

I am not one to push my way to the front, I find it rude. That being said it's GA and unless you are on the rail or right behind the rail where u can lock in, don't expect much at a festival.

Maybe it's better at US shows with GA where it's all 10c? I always go seats.

hihobibo

I think the civilized way to go about it (and not that most people are civilized 8 drinks in on a hot day) is that you can walk to any space in GA as long as you don't need to touch someone or say excuse me on your way to that space. I'll usually walk through a random path to find a decent spot, and that's where I'll be. No need to be close to others or the band, and once I'm there, that is where I'll remain for the show. 

HughFreakingDillon

occasionally if in GA and there's enough room to squeeze by easily without pissing people off I'll do it. but I'm not shouldering people to get by. Sometimes I'll ask, and if they say no, I just leave it and enjoy where I'm at. 

mcatake

The amount of people "looking for friends" Friday night (and I'm sure every night) was ridiculous.  We went to main stage around 5:00 and were probably 40-50 feet back. Half way through Beck It was a constant barrage of those claiming to be finding their friends and shoving their way through.  Funny how many quickly gave up "finding their friends" and stopped somewhere in front of us.  Some friends!!  lol  The bad acting is what made it actually kind of funny.  Saturday we choose the bleachers so we didn't have to deal with that.  The sound was awesome from the bleachers and a bit more relaxed atmosphere.  

Get_Right

I think it is a combination of west coast attitude and inexperience. Love the folks that show up at 8pm with five plates of nachos and beers trying to find their friends.I honestly think many of those folks have never been to a GA festival before and mistook this for the Catalina Wine Mixer. We had a few of those guys show up and try to stand in front of us, we just politely said, "VIP is that way keep moving please!"

tempo_n_groove

If I want to get close at an all GA event I'm either all the way in the back or on a side rail.  It's great when you have a rail and no one is trying to get in front of you because people do suck, lol.

Gern Blansten

Reminds me of the people disembarking an airplane that ignore the exit by row rule.  Some people are just stupid as hell.

curmudgeoness

OceansJenny said:

People who are saying seats are better must have good 10c #s!

I sure don't have a great number. But people who act like entitled jackasses really get me agitated, and I admit I have a hard time letting go of that irritation. That would ruin my enjoyment of the show, so I'd rather just have my little assigned spot in the seats. We tried GA for the 2018 Europe shows: it worked out well once (Prague), was pointless once (Krakow, where there seemed to be no 10C "pit" and lots of really tall people, LOL), and was annoying AF in Berlin, where we put in the time in line, chose seats that we liked, then had to deal with latecomers who were certain that if they shoved hard enough they could fit three or eight more people into our row (maybe if we all turned sideways?), force us off the aisle, etc. I'll stick with reserved seating from now on.