The beauty of unofficial lines is if you can beat them to the gate you win.
Except the official venue security will honor the unofficial line based on unofficial instructions from the band, or the line will browbeat those who follow the rules about how unfair it would be for the line members not to be first after camping out for two days
I've never heard about security honoring an unofficial line. But I have seen the band post in the past that there is no such thing as a pre-line and no pre-line ups will be honored at GA.
You've never heard about it because it's unofficial. You'd have to have been there and seen it, which you say you've never done. The official rule and policy is that no camping is allowed before a certain time and no pre-lines will be honored. That's not how it works in practice
I'm not willing to camp for that long, so wont impact me. But if I was, I'd be pissed. If I followed the written rules, hung out somwhere near by so I could be near the front when it was allowed, only to be told there was a pre-line that was enforced somewhere else, I'd be pissed. Kind of a lose-lose. If I stand my ground and say forget you, I followed the rules, then I'm pissing everyone off who I'm going ot be standing next to for the next 16 hours and rely on when I need a pee break. Or just say okay I'll go to the back, then I stayed up all night for nothing. I think random numbers is the better way to go. Especially since I've seen the band post there is no such thing as a preline and pre-lines wil not be enforced, and if there really is, then that kinds sucks. And I totally understand the people who do that and feel bad when they unknowingly "cut" in line.
The beauty of unofficial lines is if you can beat them to the gate you win.
Except the official venue security will honor the unofficial line based on unofficial instructions from the band, or the line will browbeat those who follow the rules about how unfair it would be for the line members not to be first after camping out for two days
I've never heard about security honoring an unofficial line. But I have seen the band post in the past that there is no such thing as a pre-line and no pre-line ups will be honored at GA.
You've never heard about it because it's unofficial. You'd have to have been there and seen it, which you say you've never done. The official rule and policy is that no camping is allowed before a certain time and no pre-lines will be honored. That's not how it works in practice
I'm not willing to camp for that long, so wont impact me. But if I was, I'd be pissed. If I followed the written rules, hung out somwhere near by so I could be near the front when it was allowed, only to be told there was a pre-line that was enforced somewhere else, I'd be pissed. Kind of a lose-lose. If I stand my ground and say forget you, I followed the rules, then I'm pissing everyone off who I'm going ot be standing next to for the next 16 hours and rely on when I need a pee break. Or just say okay I'll go to the back, then I stayed up all night for nothing. I think random numbers is the better way to go. Especially since I've seen the band post there is no such thing as a preline and pre-lines wil not be enforced, and if there really is, then that kinds sucks. And I totally understand the people who do that and feel bad when they unknowingly "cut" in line.
It’s way less obscure than you think it is, there are enough people to where the line is pretty obvious. There are also people who make rounds around the venue to find anyone who might be in the wrong spot. And finally if you are in the wrong spot venue security usually shoos you away.
I thought the main issue before was with lists and people writing numbers on your hand. It’s not like that anymore, there’s no list you just sit there in line with everyone else. Idk I think it’s been awesome and the people I’ve met makes it even better. For my boyfriend’s 70th show he had never done GA so we figured we’d try it and it turned out to be the best experience we’ve ever had and now it’s just part of the fun of it all.
The beauty of unofficial lines is if you can beat them to the gate you win.
Except the official venue security will honor the unofficial line based on unofficial instructions from the band, or the line will browbeat those who follow the rules about how unfair it would be for the line members not to be first after camping out for two days
I've never heard about security honoring an unofficial line. But I have seen the band post in the past that there is no such thing as a pre-line and no pre-line ups will be honored at GA.
You've never heard about it because it's unofficial. You'd have to have been there and seen it, which you say you've never done. The official rule and policy is that no camping is allowed before a certain time and no pre-lines will be honored. That's not how it works in practice
I'm not willing to camp for that long, so wont impact me. But if I was, I'd be pissed. If I followed the written rules, hung out somwhere near by so I could be near the front when it was allowed, only to be told there was a pre-line that was enforced somewhere else, I'd be pissed. Kind of a lose-lose. If I stand my ground and say forget you, I followed the rules, then I'm pissing everyone off who I'm going ot be standing next to for the next 16 hours and rely on when I need a pee break. Or just say okay I'll go to the back, then I stayed up all night for nothing. I think random numbers is the better way to go. Especially since I've seen the band post there is no such thing as a preline and pre-lines wil not be enforced, and if there really is, then that kinds sucks. And I totally understand the people who do that and feel bad when they unknowingly "cut" in line.
💯 The official instructions should mean something or why send them out in the first place? But if you're one or a couple of people facing off with a group of 50 or whatever, it would take some intestinal fortitude to stand your ground. And ultimately the venue personnel who has to make the call about who's first would face the same dynamic.
I think the random number system would be fine. Bruce did that in the past. But I've heard mostly negative reactions from the PJ crowd
So you can either try for a rail spot and give up on buying merch or decide that the rail isn't that important and line up early for the merch line instead
Cleveland 03', Cincinnati 03' (Flooded), Cincinnati 06', Cincinnati 14', Chicago N2 23', Indy 23' (Cancelled), Vegas N2 24', Seattle N1 24', Indy 24', Chicago N2 24' __________ Boston N1 24'
The beauty of unofficial lines is if you can beat them to the gate you win.
Except the official venue security will honor the unofficial line based on unofficial instructions from the band, or the line will browbeat those who follow the rules about how unfair it would be for the line members not to be first after camping out for two days
I've never heard about security honoring an unofficial line. But I have seen the band post in the past that there is no such thing as a pre-line and no pre-line ups will be honored at GA.
You've never heard about it because it's unofficial. You'd have to have been there and seen it, which you say you've never done. The official rule and policy is that no camping is allowed before a certain time and no pre-lines will be honored. That's not how it works in practice
I'm not willing to camp for that long, so wont impact me. But if I was, I'd be pissed. If I followed the written rules, hung out somwhere near by so I could be near the front when it was allowed, only to be told there was a pre-line that was enforced somewhere else, I'd be pissed. Kind of a lose-lose. If I stand my ground and say forget you, I followed the rules, then I'm pissing everyone off who I'm going ot be standing next to for the next 16 hours and rely on when I need a pee break. Or just say okay I'll go to the back, then I stayed up all night for nothing. I think random numbers is the better way to go. Especially since I've seen the band post there is no such thing as a preline and pre-lines wil not be enforced, and if there really is, then that kinds sucks. And I totally understand the people who do that and feel bad when they unknowingly "cut" in line.
💯 The official instructions should mean something or why send them out in the first place? But if you're one or a couple of people facing off with a group of 50 or whatever, it would take some intestinal fortitude to stand your ground. And ultimately the venue personnel who has to make the call about who's first would face the same dynamic.
I think the random number system would be fine. Bruce did that in the past. But I've heard mostly negative reactions from the PJ crowd
I mean no one is making anyone camp out. There are plenty of people who say they prefer walking in at doors and going to the back of the pit, or 10 rows out from Mike or whatever. If you want to be in the first row of people go pitch a tent with everyone else who wants it just as bad.
I mean no one is making anyone camp out. There are plenty of people who say they prefer walking in at doors and going to the back of the pit, or 10 rows out from Mike or whatever. If you want to be in the first row of people go pitch a tent with everyone else who wants it just as bad.
No one is saying that. Just discussing if there are official rules posted, then those should be the same rules for everyone. Or make it clear that there are exceptions and talk to security.
The random number isnt for convenience on those who don't want to camp. Its to enforce the no camping rules and avoid confusion when the band says there are no pre lines and pre-lines will not be honored, but if you talk the Security Guard Steve he shows you the secret line and enforces it.
Its just kind of funny reading some other threads. People harping on others for not reading the rules for the lottery and understanding them correctly or making proper selections. But when it comes to GA, the clearly written rules don't matter and you're supposed to know all the inside information and ignore the information given to us.
I'm sure everyone would be upset if they followed the written rules as it was given to them for the lottery, but then later found out if you enter up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start when making your selection, you're guaranteed a GA win.
So you can either try for a rail spot and give up on buying merch or decide that the rail isn't that important and line up early for the merch line instead
Nope. You can line up for GA and plant a chair in the merch line to hold your spot there too. No joke
Last year, Pearl Jam did not address the formation of unofficial GA lines, camping, or when you could begin lining up in the email they sent to ticket holders.
The specific venues will send something out with more information and sometimes the venue will say camping is not allowed and you can begin lining up on their property at whatever time. I understand that some people will read that and show up at the time stated in the email and be disappointed to see a lot of people already there. I am not trying to express my opinion on whether or not that’s “fair”, I’m just letting people know that’s how it plays out in reality. But like with anything that a lot of people want, you have to determine if it’s worth it to you now that you know it won’t be a show up in the morning for rail kind of situation for an arena let alone a stadium. The first time I did this was San Diego in 2022 and I didn’t know anyone or have an in with the social media groups. SDSU’s website also said no camping was allowed, but knowing that other fan bases also still camp we showed up the night before, immediately saw the line and joined the end of it. Oakland and Camden didn’t have camping because the venues are in some rougher areas but people slept in their cars nearby and got in line first thing in the morning. So you’ll have to take each venue as its own thing because it’s not going to be the same at each one. Since Wrigley happened not too long ago it should be pretty easy to figure out where you need to go and when.
I mean no one is making anyone camp out. There are plenty of people who say they prefer walking in at doors and going to the back of the pit, or 10 rows out from Mike or whatever. If you want to be in the first row of people go pitch a tent with everyone else who wants it just as bad.
No one is saying that. Just discussing if there are official rules posted, then those should be the same rules for everyone. Or make it clear that there are exceptions and talk to security.
The random number isnt for convenience on those who don't want to camp. Its to enforce the no camping rules and avoid confusion when the band says there are no pre lines and pre-lines will not be honored, but if you talk the Security Guard Steve he shows you the secret line and enforces it.
Its just kind of funny reading some other threads. People harping on others for not reading the rules for the lottery and understanding them correctly or making proper selections. But when it comes to GA, the clearly written rules don't matter and you're supposed to know all the inside information and ignore the information given to us.
I'm sure everyone would be upset if they followed the written rules as it was given to them for the lottery, but then later found out if you enter up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start when making your selection, you're guaranteed a GA win.
Again it’s not PJ communicating rules here, it’s dependent on the venue and not every venue says you can’t camp there. But regardless if you’re a GA ticket holder I have a hard time believing you wouldn’t want to experience front center rail at least once. I mean SHZA has been commenting on this and he’s the reason Ft. Worth got Undone because Ed was like you look like a cool person what song would you like to hear? How awesome is that? A lot of people want it and are willing to “break the rules” which the venue doesn’t even end up enforcing anyway. Again, I get that it could be disappointing if you’re one of the people showing up in the morning but there’s gotta be like a little common sense knowing that you’re not the only person who would be willing to wait in line for 8 hours.
I know this isn't the subject of this thread so apologies for asking here if it's out of its jurisdiction, but for concerts at Wrigley when you're not in GA - Does anyone have any insight on if you're better off being in the seated sections behind the pit? Or just grabbing actual seats in the lower levels instead? Thanks in advance!!
This was the sign across from Murphy’s in 2018 and some of the people who started an unofficial line the night before. Like I said I got there around 6-6:30AM on the the day of the concert (Night 1) and I was rail about 10 feet away from them
So you can either try for a rail spot and give up on buying merch or decide that the rail isn't that important and line up early for the merch line instead
Nope. You can line up for GA and plant a chair in the merch line to hold your spot there too. No joke
Thats amazing
Cleveland 03', Cincinnati 03' (Flooded), Cincinnati 06', Cincinnati 14', Chicago N2 23', Indy 23' (Cancelled), Vegas N2 24', Seattle N1 24', Indy 24', Chicago N2 24' __________ Boston N1 24'
'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 no one is making anyone camp out. There are plenty of people who say they prefer walking in at doors and going to the back of the pit, or 10 rows out from Mike or whatever. If you want to be in the first row of people go pitch a tent with everyone else who wants it just as bad.
No one is saying that. Just discussing if there are official rules posted, then those should be the same rules for everyone. Or make it clear that there are exceptions and talk to security.
The random number isnt for convenience on those who don't want to camp. Its to enforce the no camping rules and avoid confusion when the band says there are no pre lines and pre-lines will not be honored, but if you talk the Security Guard Steve he shows you the secret line and enforces it.
Its just kind of funny reading some other threads. People harping on others for not reading the rules for the lottery and understanding them correctly or making proper selections. But when it comes to GA, the clearly written rules don't matter and you're supposed to know all the inside information and ignore the information given to us.
I'm sure everyone would be upset if they followed the written rules as it was given to them for the lottery, but then later found out if you enter up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start when making your selection, you're guaranteed a GA win.
Again it’s not PJ communicating rules here, it’s dependent on the venue and not every venue says you can’t camp there. But regardless if you’re a GA ticket holder I have a hard time believing you wouldn’t want to experience front center rail at least once. I mean SHZA has been commenting on this and he’s the reason Ft. Worth got Undone because Ed was like you look like a cool person what song would you like to hear? How awesome is that? A lot of people want it and are willing to “break the rules” which the venue doesn’t even end up enforcing anyway. Again, I get that it could be disappointing if you’re one of the people showing up in the morning but there’s gotta be like a little common sense knowing that you’re not the only person who would be willing to wait in line for 8 hours.
They have before. I know previously they've made announcements that state there are no pre-lines and pre-lines will not be honored. Maybe not at all shows and maybe not in the last couple tours, but they definitely have in the past.
I think they did it for the one off shows or maybe the stadium 2016 or 2018 tour, I can't remember for sure when.
This was the sign across from Murphy’s in 2018 and some of the people who started an unofficial line the night before. Like I said I got there around 6-6:30AM on the the day of the concert (Night 1) and I was rail about 10 feet away from them
15 years ago I would have been for that. But they didn't have GA for the shows I went to then. Now days I just don't want to be exhausted before the show even begins, or spend my day in a line if I traveled to a city. Was that line visible from the sign? Makes sense if it was across the street. But If not, what happens when. second line forms down the street and they both show up at 8?
Our Euro friends are the ones you are contending with! There are some stories out there...I've never seen PJ in a baseball stadium, and won't. Just too big. But bring on the bootlegs afterwards!
This was the sign across from Murphy’s in 2018 and some of the people who started an unofficial line the night before. Like I said I got there around 6-6:30AM on the the day of the concert (Night 1) and I was rail about 10 feet away from them
15 years ago I would have been for that. But they didn't have GA for the shows I went to then. Now days I just don't want to be exhausted before the show even begins, or spend my day in a line if I traveled to a city. Was that line visible from the sign? Makes sense if it was across the street. But If not, what happens when. second line forms down the street and they both show up at 8?
They are standing right behind where the sign was on W Waveland across from Murphy’s
This was the sign across from Murphy’s in 2018 and some of the people who started an unofficial line the night before. Like I said I got there around 6-6:30AM on the the day of the concert (Night 1) and I was rail about 10 feet away from them
15 years ago I would have been for that. But they didn't have GA for the shows I went to then. Now days I just don't want to be exhausted before the show even begins, or spend my day in a line if I traveled to a city. Was that line visible from the sign? Makes sense if it was across the street. But If not, what happens when. second line forms down the street and they both show up at 8?
Last tour they gave out numbered wristbands in the morning in Chicago and both Texas venues so you could rest during the day before coming back. So it's not quite as exhausting as it could be although it still requires a lot of time and standing. But like Chrrie says, the rail experience can be awesome and worth the effort at least once. I think the question of what happens if there are dueling lines is probably more hypothetical than real. One or the other will be there first and there would be communication if people show up and start a new one
This was the sign across from Murphy’s in 2018 and some of the people who started an unofficial line the night before. Like I said I got there around 6-6:30AM on the the day of the concert (Night 1) and I was rail about 10 feet away from them
15 years ago I would have been for that. But they didn't have GA for the shows I went to then. Now days I just don't want to be exhausted before the show even begins, or spend my day in a line if I traveled to a city. Was that line visible from the sign? Makes sense if it was across the street. But If not, what happens when. second line forms down the street and they both show up at 8?
Last tour they gave out numbered wristbands in the morning in Chicago and both Texas venues so you could rest during the day before coming back. So it's not quite as exhausting as it could be although it still requires a lot of time and standing. But like Chrrie says, the rail experience can be awesome and worth the effort at least once. I think the question of what happens if there are dueling lines is probably more hypothetical than real. One or the other will be there first and there would be communication if people show up and start a new one
Comments
Kind of a lose-lose. If I stand my ground and say forget you, I followed the rules, then I'm pissing everyone off who I'm going ot be standing next to for the next 16 hours and rely on when I need a pee break. Or just say okay I'll go to the back, then I stayed up all night for nothing.
I think random numbers is the better way to go. Especially since I've seen the band post there is no such thing as a preline and pre-lines wil not be enforced, and if there really is, then that kinds sucks. And I totally understand the people who do that and feel bad when they unknowingly "cut" in line.
I think the random number system would be fine. Bruce did that in the past. But I've heard mostly negative reactions from the PJ crowd
or
decide that the rail isn't that important and line up early for the merch line instead
Cleveland 03', Cincinnati 03' (Flooded), Cincinnati 06', Cincinnati 14', Chicago N2 23', Indy 23' (Cancelled), Vegas N2 24', Seattle N1 24', Indy 24', Chicago N2 24'
__________
Boston N1 24'
The random number isnt for convenience on those who don't want to camp. Its to enforce the no camping rules and avoid confusion when the band says there are no pre lines and pre-lines will not be honored, but if you talk the Security Guard Steve he shows you the secret line and enforces it.
Its just kind of funny reading some other threads. People harping on others for not reading the rules for the lottery and understanding them correctly or making proper selections. But when it comes to GA, the clearly written rules don't matter and you're supposed to know all the inside information and ignore the information given to us.
I'm sure everyone would be upset if they followed the written rules as it was given to them for the lottery, but then later found out if you enter up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start when making your selection, you're guaranteed a GA win.
Thanks in advance!!
Cleveland 03', Cincinnati 03' (Flooded), Cincinnati 06', Cincinnati 14', Chicago N2 23', Indy 23' (Cancelled), Vegas N2 24', Seattle N1 24', Indy 24', Chicago N2 24'
__________
Boston N1 24'
I think they did it for the one off shows or maybe the stadium 2016 or 2018 tour, I can't remember for sure when.
Was that line visible from the sign? Makes sense if it was across the street. But If not, what happens when. second line forms down the street and they both show up at 8?