GA List

Chrrie

Chrissyw12 said:

The PJ GA list is a joke. These fans (GA rail
bullies) make this list and even if you show up and there two people lined up there they tell you that you are number 100 on list. It’s always the same people on the rail and no one else gets a chance. They have this clipboard and dictate to everyone who isn’t in their group the way it’s going to be. The band needs to know that this is happening. One day these list dictators are going to get it by someone who won’t get pushed around. When you question them they say that’s the way it always has been. Selfish PJ stalkers 
 

This is so far from reality that it makes me assume you have no idea what you’re talking about.

njhaley1

vedderman42 said:

BF25394 said:

bootleg said:

BF25394 said:

gotthebottle said:

Gern Blansten said:

gotthebottle said:

GA is what you make it... I'm a walk in and wander around person but I prefer a pit to seats on floor. 
I have done U2 and Bruce GA for  many many shows... I've run the list for U2 on 360 tour some shows. And as much as i hated Bruce lottery it is most fair. But I've been on many rails...
You have to realize the performers are all different. Bono LOVES seeing familiar faces and so does Bruce.. who actually installs a few people I know on the rail near the thrust pre-show because he likes them. 
To me is not worth fighting for anymore... I'm same age as Ed and life too short to stand in a line all day. But go for it if you want

I'm with you there....I just wish I didn't have to wait in line for merch. I'm not buying if I have to wait.

Another line I'm skipping... but I have waited indoors pre show for stuff. I don't buy much anymore.. just stickers and if poster is one  l like...$$ tight and the merch is just stuff 

Six shows in and I haven't spent a single penny at any of these shows other than for my ticket, nor have I spent a single second in line to buy anything, and I have to tell you, I have had a fantastic time every night.

It’s a bit odd that with how much of a fan of PJ I am, I almost never wear a PJ tshirt.  I’ve always been a no labels kind of guy when it comes to clothing so I prefer designs that are more obscure so maybe I just don’t want to announce my PJ nerddom to the world.  Also never been a fan of the World Tour type T-shirts with a bunch of city names on the back.  Or I guess Tshirts with a bunch of words on them in general although I did rock a few No Fear shirts back in 8th grade.

I generally adhere to the ridiculous rule that I was told 30 years ago that you should never be "that guy" who wears the band's T-shirt to the band's show. I've worn Wilco shirts to the last few Pearl Jam shows, although I don't think I've ever worn a Pearl Jam shirt to a Wilco show. It's actually rare for me to wear only a T-shirt to a show, but I've gone T-shirt and shorts for Sacramento and Vegas because of the hot weather and the fact that jeans can get a little swampy after two hours of dancing in the pit.

BF25394....I couldn't agree more with your comments.  My dad was a HUGE Who fan and always told me "represent by representing.  Never wear the band's shirt, hat or whatever to that band's concert.  Show your musical IQ and wear something else."  

The more obscure, the better amirite? 

BF89905

bootleg said:

Gern Blansten said:

I would be good with seating...no pit.

When I get GA I hang out at the back of the crowd so I'm not worried about rail, etc. although being front row (seating) would be nice. I scored 10th row years ago when the 1st and 10th rows were total lottery and that was great. 

I’d be good with going back to this also.  Remove GA.  Randomize rows 1,2, 10,11.  Would just save so many wasted hours of just sitting on the sidewalk and not having to fight to get your spot back when you have to take a piss.

BF25394

njhaley1 said:

BF25394 said:

Go Animal said:

BF25394 said:

gotthebottle said:

Gern Blansten said:

gotthebottle said:

GA is what you make it... I'm a walk in and wander around person but I prefer a pit to seats on floor. 
I have done U2 and Bruce GA for  many many shows... I've run the list for U2 on 360 tour some shows. And as much as i hated Bruce lottery it is most fair. But I've been on many rails...
You have to realize the performers are all different. Bono LOVES seeing familiar faces and so does Bruce.. who actually installs a few people I know on the rail near the thrust pre-show because he likes them. 
To me is not worth fighting for anymore... I'm same age as Ed and life too short to stand in a line all day. But go for it if you want

I'm with you there....I just wish I didn't have to wait in line for merch. I'm not buying if I have to wait.

Another line I'm skipping... but I have waited indoors pre show for stuff. I don't buy much anymore.. just stickers and if poster is one  l like...$$ tight and the merch is just stuff 

Six shows in and I haven't spent a single penny at any of these shows other than for my ticket, nor have I spent a single second in line to buy anything, and I have to tell you, I have had a fantastic time every night.

AND you got a tambo N1 right?? This is indeed the way lol.

Night 2, but yes. By the way, the story with this was that Night 1 was my 75th show. I made a small sign that said "It's My 75th Show!!!" on one side and "Thank you, Pearl Jam!" on the other side. I can do calligraphy and I thought Ed might appreciate the lettering, but I did it just to celebrate the milestone, not to get anything out of it. So then I forgot to bring the sign on Night 1. I brought it on Night 2, which was now my 76th show. There was a woman on the rail, dead center, about five people in front of me, and she had made a sign that it was her 77th show. We talked about this sort-of coincidence and I explained that my sign was actually a lie but said that she still managed to one-up me. Anyway, early in the show when the lights were mostly up, Ed was doing his crowd work, and I held up the sign and he seemed to acknowledge it. I patted my hand over my heart and then flipped the sign to the "Thank you" side. Later, during "Alive," he started handing out tambourines and he pointed at me. I pointed at myself and said, "Me?" He nodded and went to toss me the tambourine. A woman in front of me grabbed it at the same time as me and tried to take it, but Eddie pointed at me and said "75! It's for 75!" It was nice that he remembered. It's just an ordinary tambourine, but it is cool that he gave it directly to me and it will be special to me for that reason.

Was that you he called out N2 in between songs about 2hrs in? I thought he was going to make the 'I've only been to a couple more" joke.

If so, that's pretty cool - it'll be on the boot, which is just as special. 

I don't remember this, but I don't think so. And when he said "75!," it wasn't into the mic. He did say something about the woman who had been to 77 shows but that was earlier. It was before "Even Flow." He gave her the mic during "Even Flow" because her sign had a bunch of things, including "Tambourine," crossed off, and the only thing not crossed off was "Sing with the Band."

BF25394

njhaley1 said:

vedderman42 said:

BF25394 said:

bootleg said:

BF25394 said:

gotthebottle said:

Gern Blansten said:

gotthebottle said:

GA is what you make it... I'm a walk in and wander around person but I prefer a pit to seats on floor. 
I have done U2 and Bruce GA for  many many shows... I've run the list for U2 on 360 tour some shows. And as much as i hated Bruce lottery it is most fair. But I've been on many rails...
You have to realize the performers are all different. Bono LOVES seeing familiar faces and so does Bruce.. who actually installs a few people I know on the rail near the thrust pre-show because he likes them. 
To me is not worth fighting for anymore... I'm same age as Ed and life too short to stand in a line all day. But go for it if you want

I'm with you there....I just wish I didn't have to wait in line for merch. I'm not buying if I have to wait.

Another line I'm skipping... but I have waited indoors pre show for stuff. I don't buy much anymore.. just stickers and if poster is one  l like...$$ tight and the merch is just stuff 

Six shows in and I haven't spent a single penny at any of these shows other than for my ticket, nor have I spent a single second in line to buy anything, and I have to tell you, I have had a fantastic time every night.

It’s a bit odd that with how much of a fan of PJ I am, I almost never wear a PJ tshirt.  I’ve always been a no labels kind of guy when it comes to clothing so I prefer designs that are more obscure so maybe I just don’t want to announce my PJ nerddom to the world.  Also never been a fan of the World Tour type T-shirts with a bunch of city names on the back.  Or I guess Tshirts with a bunch of words on them in general although I did rock a few No Fear shirts back in 8th grade.

I generally adhere to the ridiculous rule that I was told 30 years ago that you should never be "that guy" who wears the band's T-shirt to the band's show. I've worn Wilco shirts to the last few Pearl Jam shows, although I don't think I've ever worn a Pearl Jam shirt to a Wilco show. It's actually rare for me to wear only a T-shirt to a show, but I've gone T-shirt and shorts for Sacramento and Vegas because of the hot weather and the fact that jeans can get a little swampy after two hours of dancing in the pit.

BF25394....I couldn't agree more with your comments.  My dad was a HUGE Who fan and always told me "represent by representing.  Never wear the band's shirt, hat or whatever to that band's concert.  Show your musical IQ and wear something else."  

The more obscure, the better amirite? 

"The best bands/Never get signed/The Kay-Settes starring Butcher's Blind..."

Probably my most obscure band T-shirts are for Mineral and Lutefisk. I love Mineral, but I love the Lutefisk tee because it simply says, in big block letters, "PROTEST LUTEFISK!"

BF25394

Robdog983 said:

BF25394 said:

Robdog983 said:

nicdolas said:

pjruss said:

Wonder how long the GA line is currently at the Forum. 

Only half kidding…..

Much better then LV you’re allowed to actually line up properly 

I just want to know where exactly to go for the GA line in LA. Like where does it begin?

In Inglewood.

Yes, at the forum. 

I realize now that this may have come across like I was correcting you for saying "in LA," but I was just making a joke that the line begins in Inglewood because that is where the show is. Sorry, they can't all be gems.

Hankj25

Van N2, entered building with GA at 5:30, after having apps and a cocktail at a bar about 2 blocks away….dind’t stand in any lines to get in…spent the first 20-30 minutes trying to find merch in sizes we wanted (after getting skunked in the merch line).  Mixed results as the good stuff was only left in S and XXL…

anyway, we walked down to the pit about 6:15, and sat down in what became the second row, right in front of Stone.  Couldn’t believe how well we did.  After about 12 songs, we moved to the back just to get a little room, and actually liked the back a little better.  hard to see the whole stage when you are so close IMO.

Robdog983

BF25394 said:

Robdog983 said:

BF25394 said:

Robdog983 said:

nicdolas said:

pjruss said:

Wonder how long the GA line is currently at the Forum. 

Only half kidding…..

Much better then LV you’re allowed to actually line up properly 

I just want to know where exactly to go for the GA line in LA. Like where does it begin?

In Inglewood.

Yes, at the forum. 

I realize now that this may have come across like I was correcting you for saying "in LA," but I was just making a joke that the line begins in Inglewood because that is where the show is. Sorry, they can't all be gems.

LOOOL oh ok! Haha no worries. I admit it flew over my head. But it got a good laugh out of me now 😝 cheers! 

BF25394

Hankj25 said:

Van N2, entered building with GA at 5:30, spent the first 20-30 minutes trying to find merch in sizes we wanted (after getting skunked in the merch line).  Mixed results as the good stuff was only left in S and XXL…

anyway, we walked down to the pit about 6:15, and sat down in what became the second row, right in front of Stone.  Couldn’t believe how well we did.  After about 12 songs, we moved to the back just to get a little room, and actually liked the back a little better.  hard to see the whole stage when you are so close IMO.

Yeah, one thing about being up close is that I don't really notice the visuals on the screens unless I make a point to look at them. It's hard to look up there when you can look right at the band members from just a few feet away.

Hankj25

BF25394 said:

Hankj25 said:

Van N2, entered building with GA at 5:30, spent the first 20-30 minutes trying to find merch in sizes we wanted (after getting skunked in the merch line).  Mixed results as the good stuff was only left in S and XXL…

anyway, we walked down to the pit about 6:15, and sat down in what became the second row, right in front of Stone.  Couldn’t believe how well we did.  After about 12 songs, we moved to the back just to get a little room, and actually liked the back a little better.  hard to see the whole stage when you are so close IMO.

Yeah, one thing about being up close is that I don't really notice the visuals on the screens unless I make a point to look at them. It's hard to look up there when you can look right at the band members from just a few feet away.

Correct!  Plus when you are so tight, you either have other people blocking your view (it was hard to see much of Mike and Jeff from Stone’s side), or you get so focused on what Ed is doing you forget to look around.  From about 20 feet further back it opens up some and you get a feel for the whole thing…

Second time in the pit for me.  In all seriousness, I don’t know that I’d try for them again.  Band still sounds awesome, but you can have a much better day and night by just getting a ticket and sitting down at about 8:00pm (then standing back up at 8:45 when they take the stage).  

100 Pacer

jimjam1982 said:

LV was kind of weird and inconsistent. I showed up briefly morning of Saturday hoping for a numbered band like they did for Thursday but it seemed like they weren't doing it so I went about my merry way as a back/side rail rider. 

I would like to see band management take this on (since they dumped the rest of ticketing off to TM).  Just assign some numbers during the GA draw so you know your spot in line. If you are lucky to land 1-50 or whatever show up early, if not do your thing.  We got people with AARP cards and Social Security benefits camping for days and pretty soon tragedy will hit again if it doesn't end. I'm sure as a fanbase no one wants to see a 10th person go down at a PJ concert, but this GA system is a ticket for disaster as we get older.

I will say this...it seems odd that GA is held back for "VIP" badge people.  I get it for band immediate family (wives/kids) but Mike had a crowd of about 10 filter in with VIP Mike badges who just looked like his buddies based on age...which is fine and all but really shouldn't they just get put up in a suite?  Does that reduce 10c seats available for GA? Or do they just give them extra GA passes since PJ doesn't fill up the pit anyways?

Despite all that, all the Mike's VIP people and the Vedders (obviously if they wanted my spot I would gladly concede lol) that were near me  for several tracks were very polite, respectful of us commoners, and were equally rocking out, so not anyway a slight to them just kind of curious if it impacts GA sales.

The band has to purchase tickets for their guests from the promoter above and beyond what is negotiated into the contract. An easy work around is to escort their guests into GA.

markin ball

bootlegger10 said:

Got to Vegas GA line at 5:15pm for night 2.  Was second row in front of Mike.   People are silly.

Totally. I rolled in at the start of Deep Sea Diver both nights and was maybe 7-8 people back.  I've been rail before. No difference in the amount of fun I had, at least whatever difference there is it certainly ain't worth all that drama and waiting. Let the weirdos play their weirdo childish games.

gotthebottle

VIP and guests of band etc have choice of band seats or GA. They submit what they want when they ask for tickets

Chrissyw12

nicdolas said:

Gotta love the how people react when things don’t go how they want it to.  From what I saw and yes I was there for N2 security changed what was happening more then once.  Typically ga is easy you show up set up and wait this wasn’t allowed so a group not one and not two set up a way to organize to help everyone as best as possible.  It’s not about knowing the security or that shit.  It’s looking out for everyone as fairly as possible in this situations when you can’t camp out.  That right there would have squashed this thread.  And this “List” was simple show up sign up come back check in as needed.  Then line up show day guess that’s to hard for some.  Was it perfect nope but it worked to keep things in a decent order for mostly everyone who came and signed up.  I’d love to hear some people with actual suggestions for when things like this happen vs this sort of negativity towards others who were trying to make the best of a fucked up situation. 

Things worked out exactly how I wanted it to, we saw my favourite band and we met some amazing people.  The only thing the list people were doing by “helping” was making sure they had the spot they wanted.

darwinstheory

Based on the zippo/wine bottles and some of the harmonicas Ed personally hands out to the familiar faces, I'm sure the band is fine with how things are working out in GA.

Abe Froman

Lists, signs, kids. Acknowledgment from the band.  Tambourines.  All seems very weird to me. Especially of those in their 40s/50s. I don’t get it. 

BF25394

Abe Froman said:

Lists, signs, kids. Acknowledgment from the band.  Tambourines.  All seems very weird to me. Especially of those in their 40s/50s. I don’t get it. 

There was a guy in the Race & Sports Book at MGM Grand the other day wearing an Abe Froman T-shirt. I asked him if he was you. It turns out the Sausage King of Chicago has a lot of fans.

Abe Froman

BF25394 said:

Abe Froman said:

Lists, signs, kids. Acknowledgment from the band.  Tambourines.  All seems very weird to me. Especially of those in their 40s/50s. I don’t get it. 

There was a guy in the Race & Sports Book at MGM Grand the other day wearing an Abe Froman T-shirt. I asked him if he was you. It turns out the Sausage King of Chicago has a lot of fans.

Ha!  There is only one Sausage King of Chicago…
it’s funny I’ve had that name on here forever. 

Ask @SPEEDY MCCREADY about partying with the actual Abe Froman

Robdog983

It’s looking like skid row outside the forum as we speak. Gotta love it!

tschav

pistol3 said:

bootlegger10 said:

Got to Vegas GA line at 5:15pm for night 2.  Was second row in front of Mike.   People are silly.

Again, something someone on the list would say.

Same here for Vegas 2, walked in 15 minutes after GA line was let in and second row near the speakers on Mike's side (granted, a little limited visibility but nothing bad). Got 3 people back on Stone's side walking in 30 minutes after doors for Chicago 1 last year. Most people after the list group take what they can in the center, but moving off to the sides can still get you close if touching the rail is that important.

That being said, once I saw some familiar faces up front at Vegas 1 I decided not to bother with GA lines for night 2 - most of the front of the line was already locked before Saturday. They can do what they do, but it's a bit dissuading to other fans trying for good GA spots when the reason for adding GA was to get fresh faces up front vs the same seated fans.