Chicago: is it really a pit?

wimfun

I have never been to UC. Need someone to explain to me what the pit is like. Polite responses only….

apirk72

there are just no seats in that area, a small general admission area in front of the stage

wimfun

I am fine with small. I was in Berlin last summer in a large pit and almost got crushed. So if it’s a reasonable sized space, and I can slither to Mike’s side, I will be happy. 

mattcoz

It's about half the floor.

TheKricket

mattcoz said:

It's about half the floor.

Yeah it's much larger this go around.

JC29866

wimfun said:

I am fine with small. I was in Berlin last summer in a large pit and almost got crushed. So if it’s a reasonable sized space, and I can slither to Mike’s side, I will be happy. 

In Chicago it will be mostly middle aged white men trying not to spill their $20 Bud Light, so probably not as crazy as a Berlin pit

23scidoo

JC29866 said:

wimfun said:

I am fine with small. I was in Berlin last summer in a large pit and almost got crushed. So if it’s a reasonable sized space, and I can slither to Mike’s side, I will be happy. 

In Chicago it will be mostly middle aged white men trying not to spill their $20 Bud Light, so probably not as crazy as a Berlin pit

Like night and day..

PJNB

wimfun said:

I am fine with small. I was in Berlin last summer in a large pit and almost got crushed. So if it’s a reasonable sized space, and I can slither to Mike’s side, I will be happy. 

Berlin is a smaller pit though. Good luck slithering. 

Go Beavers

Chicago pit when Given to Fly drops:

wimfun

Thanks for all the fun comments. As long as the crowd is beer balancing middle aged white men and non-airborne Farleys, I will enjoy the experience. It’s a birthday celebration, so I want to savor the songs. 

Bentleyspop

wimfun said:

I am fine with small. I was in Berlin last summer in a large pit and almost got crushed. So if it’s a reasonable sized space, and I can slither to Mike’s side, I will be happy. 

90%  of the pit will be in front of Mike
Good luck with the slither

wimfun

Thanks for the heads up. I guess this is the show I lean to Boom and hope Mike repeats his Zurich performance, face to face with Boom on Mary. Best version ever. 

reedrothchild

wimfun said:

Thanks for the heads up. I guess this is the show I lean to Boom and hope Mike repeats his Zurich performance, face to face with Boom on Mary. Best version ever. 

Indeed a great version.  But Dallas and Boston ‘03 say hold my beer.  Seriously if you have not listened to these Mary’s then now is the time!

wimfun

Thanks Reed, going to the vault now to taste those brews. But doesn’t beer always taste better when you are at the brewery? 

wimfun

Respectfully, Reed, I am going to disagree. Both of these are great versions, but for me lack the extraordinary intensity of Zurich. Maybe I can’t separate the visual from the visceral, but Mike was so close to Boom he was riding cowgirl on Boom’s organ, but Boom did not want to give up control. It was a powerful, exhausting embrace. 

wimfun

Reed, one other note. When Mike played Boston and Dallas, he was 37 years old, and he was able to stroll into Mary after Soldier of Love and an encore break. In Zurich, at age 56, he played Mary after torching Why Go and then followed up by burning down Porch. Imagine Michael Jordan, at 56, dunking repeatedly for an entire second half. ASTONISHING!!

RatherStarved

There won’t be any crowd surfing.  Unless you consider the crowd surfing on their phones.  

Eddieshometown

Anyone else read the subject title as "Pit" meaning POS 

Loujoe

wimfun said:

I have never been to UC. Need someone to explain to me what the pit is like. Polite responses only….

Mosh pit
Peach pit


Have fun!

locked

reedrothchild said:

wimfun said:

Thanks for the heads up. I guess this is the show I lean to Boom and hope Mike repeats his Zurich performance, face to face with Boom on Mary. Best version ever. 

Indeed a great version.  But Dallas and Boston ‘03 say hold my beer.  Seriously if you have not listened to these Mary’s then now is the time!

100% truth!
mike practically spontaneously combusted during the 07/03/03 Crazy Mary solo in Mansfield !

wimfun

Now that’s the visual I was looking for! Isn’t Mike nearly always on the edge of self-immolation?

mattsavard

How is transport getting out of the United center? Taxi/Uber/subway?  Insane or pretty easy? 

Any cool bars nearby to wait for the crowds to die down? 

May be booking lodging downtown. 

mattcoz

mattsavard said:

How is transport getting out of the United center? Taxi/Uber/subway?  Insane or pretty easy? 

Any cool bars nearby to wait for the crowds to die down? 

May be booking lodging downtown. 

Busses line up along the north side of the stadium that go downtown. Lots of bars on Madison if you walk down that way, but they're not super close.

JBob87

mattsavard said:

How is transport getting out of the United center? Taxi/Uber/subway?  Insane or pretty easy? 

Any cool bars nearby to wait for the crowds to die down? 

May be booking lodging downtown. 

There’s several buses that run right there in Madison and the Uber situation is actually pretty decent and organized. Obviously when the entire crowd is leaving it can still be a wait.

If you walk east on Madison you have a bunch of bar options. I live about a 20 min walk east so I usually just walk after shows and games. The Billy Goat tavern is a <10 min walk. Ranalli’s West Loop is a little farther (12-15 min walk) but worth it to me, it’s a great approachable sports bar with good pizza and burgers and beer on draft. Ranalli’s and Crossroads are 2 bars on Madison that should be running free shuttles to the show. So I will probably be posting up for a few beers at one of them beforehand.

The heart of the West Loop is 2 blocks north on Randolph St. There are a lot of other great bars and restaurants on that street. Kaiser Tiger is a favorite in the summer, probably a 10-15 min walk from the United Center and has a great outdoor space with some yard games (in the winter they have curling set up). 

Randolph is also home to Au Cheval which is a famous burger spot but usually comes with a multi-hour wait. They just opened a Small Cheval on Lake and Ada which is the fast casual spin off of Au Cheval. So if you want to get 90% of the same burger for moderate prices and no wait I’d recommend heading there. 

Fulton Market is nearby (30 min walk from the United Center or a 5-10 min Uber) and is yet again home to many fun bars and restaurants. Emporium is an arcade bar with ski ball and vintage arcade games. Time Out Market is a great spot for a casual bite, it is a food hall with stands from around the city (as well as a full bar). Good place to go if you’re with a big group as the seating area is huge and first come first served. They also have a large number of picnic tables on the sidewalk. 

If you want to really do it up big can recommend many of the restaurants in the area but they can be pricey. Monteverde (Italian) is my favorite, Momotaro (Japanese), El Che (Argentinian Steak House), Loyalist (French), Aba (Mediterranean), Green Street Meats (BBQ) are my favorites. 

Will be posting more as we get closer if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

mattsavard

This is fantastic info, thank you!!