I do not do GA anymore. But give me better seats! The rail people will do what they do. I am ok with it as long as they do not exclude fans to be there. No saving spots. The idea of a rail gang, which happens with some bands, is not cool. In fact I would hope that folks would want to share that experience with new people.
I unfortunately learned long ago that there are several crews of people who help each other skip the line. Regulars you may see posting here and on FB. Lost a lot of respect for some people through the years.
I ended up behind some of these people in Philly in the pit. It was my first pit experience and I did it even go in with pit tickets. Someone gifted them to us while at our seats, so I was just thrilled to be there . But yeah, listening to these self appointed royalty all night, bitching about other members of the “royalty” One walked right in front of me and was oh hey don’t worry I’m not staying, just saying hi to some friends. Then stayed there all night. These people are really, really big fans of themselves.
Love your avatar, btw
PJ - 09/23/98: West Palm Beach II, 08/12/00: Tampa, 04/12/03: Orlando, 04/13/03: Tampa, 06/12/08: Tampa, 06/27/08: Hartford, 09/22/09: Seattle II, 04/11/16: Tampa, 05/01 &05/02/16: MSG I & II, 09/18/21: Sea Hear Now, 10/01& 10/02/21: Ohana Encore I & II, 05/06 & 05/07/22: Los Angeles I & II, 09/11/22: MSG, 09/16/22: Nashville, 09/02/23: St. Paul II, 09/07/23: Chicago II, 09/18& 09/19/23: Austin I & II, 05/16& 05/18/24: Las Vegas I & II, 08/29& 08/31/24: Wrigley Field I & II, 09/03& 09/04/24: MSG I & II, 09/27& 09/29/24: Ohana Festival I & II
EV - 08/04 & 08/05/08: (Eddie solo, w/Liam Finn) NYC I & II, 11/27 & 11/28/12: (Eddie solo, w/Glen Hansard) Orlando I & II, 02/09 & 02/10/22: (Eddie & the Earthlings) Chicago I & II, 09/30/23: (Eddie & the Earthlings) Ohana Festival
Song Wishlist: Oceans, Brother, Alone, Let Me Sleep, full W.M.A., Hold On, Bugs/all of Vitalogy, Gremmie Out Of Control (BAM!), Mankind, Around The Bend (full band), Whale Song (DOUBLE BAM!), The Long Road, Don't Gimme No Lip, Pilate, Push Me Pull Me, All Those Yesterdays, Rival, Parting Ways, Ghost, Bu$hleaguer, WWS, Parachutes, Army Reserve, low octave Driftin', Strangest Tribe, Other Side, Undone, Fatal, Hitchhiker, Education, Black Red Yellow, Of the Earth, Love Reign O'er Me, Gonna See My Friend, Amongst the Waves, Santa Cruz, Infallible, Yellow Moon, Alright, Comes Then Goes, Got to Give, and the Mamasan Trilogy.
Wanted Posters: WPB '98, Tampa/WPB '00, Tampa '03, EV Batmobile '08 ISO: any picks, or setlists from any of my shows!
I do not do GA anymore. But give me better seats! The rail people will do what they do. I am ok with it as long as they do not exclude fans to be there. No saving spots. The idea of a rail gang, which happens with some bands, is not cool. In fact I would hope that folks would want to share that experience with new people.
I unfortunately learned long ago that there are several crews of people who help each other skip the line. Regulars you may see posting here and on FB. Lost a lot of respect for some people through the years.
I ended up behind some of these people in Philly in the pit. It was my first pit experience and I did it even go in with pit tickets. Someone gifted them to us while at our seats, so I was just thrilled to be there . But yeah, listening to these self appointed royalty all night, bitching about other members of the “royalty” One walked right in front of me and was oh hey don’t worry I’m not staying, just saying hi to some friends. Then stayed there all night. These people are really, really big fans of themselves.
Be careful, some people won't believe this ever happened or that you were ever there.
Several people: "Most people lining up are cool but I've definitely witnessed some erratic, aggressive behavior."
Guy who parachutes in, posting erratically and aggressively: "Been there. Doesn't happen. Total fabrication."
And your first hand knowledge is?
Yeah. Thought so. Go with the group mentality here. Suits you.
There have been numerous posts on this thread with first hand knowledge of shenanigans. I've experienced it as well. Keep trying.
No, there are vague posts with one sided stories about something that may or may not have happened and are being attributed to this group of people unfairly.
I told my example of the Seattle line where two people showed up two days early but wanted to sleep in their hotel room. The people in line said that’s not cool you can’t do that and an argument ensued because their reasoning was “you all sleep in hotels anyway”. They actually did stay in line and probably didn’t actually sleep there but to prevent any further altercations no one said anything and just let them be.
All those people need to do is show up in this thread and say the people in line bullied them and made their experience awful and it will be taken as gospel by everyone here who wants to believe in the narrative of a rail mafia.
The way that group talked to those two people was sad and pathetic. They are hypocrites. End of story.
That very same show in Seattle one of the railriders snuck in without a ticket and cut in front of bunch of people. You know who I mean. Everyone cheered him on in your group. Not one person said go back to the line or that was not fair.
Hypocrites
Were you there?
Yes. If you were there as you say you were you know exactly what I am talking about.
You were in the ga line? No. Never have been. Right?
Yes I was.
Are you denying this happened? Everyone in the line saw it happen as he skipped down the stairs hi fiving people cutting the line. Why are you acting like it didn't? This is just one small example over dozens that I have seen over the years.
You did not camp out. You don’t know anything about what went on with the other 2 people or that person who was in line for over 48 hours. So don’t make it seem like you do. You don’t line up. You show up afternoon of. Please.
Obviously, arms was the one skipping and high-fiving in this anecdote.
Gave her love away
Put it in my pocket when it should've been framed
I do not do GA anymore. But give me better seats! The rail people will do what they do. I am ok with it as long as they do not exclude fans to be there. No saving spots. The idea of a rail gang, which happens with some bands, is not cool. In fact I would hope that folks would want to share that experience with new people.
I unfortunately learned long ago that there are several crews of people who help each other skip the line. Regulars you may see posting here and on FB. Lost a lot of respect for some people through the years.
I ended up behind some of these people in Philly in the pit. It was my first pit experience and I did it even go in with pit tickets. Someone gifted them to us while at our seats, so I was just thrilled to be there . But yeah, listening to these self appointed royalty all night, bitching about other members of the “royalty” One walked right in front of me and was oh hey don’t worry I’m not staying, just saying hi to some friends. Then stayed there all night. These people are really, really big fans of themselves.
Be careful, some people won't believe this ever happened or that you were ever there.
It's true
1998-06-30 Mpls | 2006-07-06 Las Vegas | 2010-05-03 Kansas City | 2011-07-01 St. Louis EV | 2011-07-02 Mpls EV | 2011-09-03 PJ20 2011-09-04 PJ20 | 2011-09-17 Winnipeg | 2012-09-30 Missoula | 2012-11-18 Tulsa EV | 2013-07-19 Chicago | 2013-11-15 Dallas 2013-11-16 OKC | 2014-10-09 Lincoln | 2014-10-17 Moline | 2014-10-19 St. Paul | 2014-10-20 Milwaukee | 2016-08-20 Chicago 2016-08-22 Chicago | 2018-08-18 Chicago | 2018-08-20 Chicago | 2022-05-09 Phoenix | 2022-05-20 Las Vegas | 2022-09-18 St. Louis 2022-09-20 OKC | 2023-08-31 St. Paul | 2023-09-02 St. Paul | 2024-05-16 Las Vegas | 2024-05-18 Las Vegas | 2024-08-31 Chicago
Their best move is, they "trade" for your GA extra... Only when it's time for them to return the ticket for another show later in the tour, they ghost you and leave you with no ticket. Then they want to send you the money the next day, with empty apologies. So they make your extra GA theirs. Then they want to send merch to "make it right"... And they ghost you on that too. Such a pleasant bunch.
Their best move is, they "trade" for your GA extra... Only when it's time for them to return the ticket for another show later in the tour, they ghost you and leave you with no ticket. Then they want to send you the money the next day, with empty apologies. So they make your extra GA theirs. Then they want to send merch to "make it right"... And they ghost you on that too. Such a pleasant bunch.
I heard they punch babies and kick puppies. When confronted they say "the baby started it. the puppy was just a bonus". Terrible people.
Their best move is, they "trade" for your GA extra... Only when it's time for them to return the ticket for another show later in the tour, they ghost you and leave you with no ticket. Then they want to send you the money the next day, with empty apologies. So they make your extra GA theirs. Then they want to send merch to "make it right"... And they ghost you on that too. Such a pleasant bunch.
Yikes. At least you got a offer for merch. I straight up got nothing.
Which, of course, giving is it's own reward! But I at least wish my spare GA would've gone to someone who never had done GA. Nope. It went to a regular. One who camped out near the front with a seated ticket & promptly dumped it.
The favors are only repaid within the group. We're just marks to them.
PJ - 09/23/98: West Palm Beach II, 08/12/00: Tampa, 04/12/03: Orlando, 04/13/03: Tampa, 06/12/08: Tampa, 06/27/08: Hartford, 09/22/09: Seattle II, 04/11/16: Tampa, 05/01 &05/02/16: MSG I & II, 09/18/21: Sea Hear Now, 10/01& 10/02/21: Ohana Encore I & II, 05/06 & 05/07/22: Los Angeles I & II, 09/11/22: MSG, 09/16/22: Nashville, 09/02/23: St. Paul II, 09/07/23: Chicago II, 09/18& 09/19/23: Austin I & II, 05/16& 05/18/24: Las Vegas I & II, 08/29& 08/31/24: Wrigley Field I & II, 09/03& 09/04/24: MSG I & II, 09/27& 09/29/24: Ohana Festival I & II
EV - 08/04 & 08/05/08: (Eddie solo, w/Liam Finn) NYC I & II, 11/27 & 11/28/12: (Eddie solo, w/Glen Hansard) Orlando I & II, 02/09 & 02/10/22: (Eddie & the Earthlings) Chicago I & II, 09/30/23: (Eddie & the Earthlings) Ohana Festival
Song Wishlist: Oceans, Brother, Alone, Let Me Sleep, full W.M.A., Hold On, Bugs/all of Vitalogy, Gremmie Out Of Control (BAM!), Mankind, Around The Bend (full band), Whale Song (DOUBLE BAM!), The Long Road, Don't Gimme No Lip, Pilate, Push Me Pull Me, All Those Yesterdays, Rival, Parting Ways, Ghost, Bu$hleaguer, WWS, Parachutes, Army Reserve, low octave Driftin', Strangest Tribe, Other Side, Undone, Fatal, Hitchhiker, Education, Black Red Yellow, Of the Earth, Love Reign O'er Me, Gonna See My Friend, Amongst the Waves, Santa Cruz, Infallible, Yellow Moon, Alright, Comes Then Goes, Got to Give, and the Mamasan Trilogy.
Wanted Posters: WPB '98, Tampa/WPB '00, Tampa '03, EV Batmobile '08 ISO: any picks, or setlists from any of my shows!
I'm relatively new to "Pearl Jam Rail Culture". I've gotten rail 5 times in the last 20 shows I have attended. Some of those tickets were 10C lottery wins, others I obsessively checked F2F.
While waiting in line, I've made incredible friends. I've helped others who are new to the process because during my first night, many people were very kind and generous to me. I have witnessed MORE incredible acts of generosity than negativity while in line and that is what keeps me going back (when I have the time and tickets, of course). Except for the stressors of getting to the line early enough, I find waiting in line to be very relaxing. That's my selling point when I try to convince my fiends. There's nothing to do all day but sit, relax, and connect with others about Pearl Jam. I've waited my whole life for that! No one I knew liked them when I was growing up. The day goes fast for me because it's probably the only chance I can actually feel okay about not being productive for most of the day. How rare is that?
Now I hope I can convey my intention clearly here, as I'm trying to provide a fair insight into the situation. Reading through this thread, I am not going to tell anyone that they didn't experience what they experienced, for better or worse. I have a friend that had a very bad experience, and some of the behavior lines up with some things that other friends have told me they experienced. Of course, I only know their side, but when different people (from different regions of the US) say the same thing, it's really hard not to wonder if they are true. That said, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and talk with them. Some of the people I heard bad things about turned out to be awesome AF! And others, I've tried to break the ice but got the cold shoulder instead. What can you do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. We all have bad moments or get off on the wrong foot with someone. I realize now, more often than not, it's a misunderstanding.
Speaking of the idea of official numbering systems, I want to share what Iron Maiden does (I'm also in their fan club). I'm curious about your thoughts. IMFC gives fans with GA tickets the opportunity to enter into their First to the Barrier contest. The week of the show, 60 people (and their plus 1) are notified that they won. This is how they choose winners: "All the valid entries for a show go into a spreadsheet, then we de-duplicate the entries to make sure it’s only one per person. Then we have a quick visual check for anything obviously wrong (like people not putting a real name in). Finally we use a random number generator to assign each entry a number, and sort the entries based on that number. The lowest 60 numbers win." No waiting in line, just show up and get your wristband and you can enter in to as many shows as you have GA tickets for. Not everyone who qualifies for the contest enters.
I'd love for 10C to do this, but there's one caveat. Everyone who has rail for Iron Maiden loses their minds during the show! We all know the energy you provide to a band comes back at you. Meaning, people who win FTTB bring the energy every time. I'm not sure if PJ fans can consistently do this, TBH. Am I wrong? I do know that as it is right now, the PJ rail regulars consistently bring it!
San Jose, California (October 30, 1993), San Francisco, California (June 24, 1995), San Jose, California (November 04, 1995), Mountain View, California (October 30, 1999), Mountain View, California (October 31, 2000), Mountain View, California (October 20, 2001), Mountain View, California (October 21, 2001), Mountain View, California (June 01, 2003),San Diego, California (June 05, 2003), Mountain View, California (October 25, 2003), Mountain View, California (October 26, 2003), Kissimmee, Florida (October 08, 2004), San Francisco, California (July 15, 2006), San Francisco, California (July 16, 2006), San Francisco, California (July 18, 2006), Mountain View, California (October 21, 2006), Mountain View, California (October 22, 2006), San Francisco, California (August 28, 2009), Mountain View, California (October 23, 2010), Mountain View, California (October 24, 2010), Vancouver, British Columbia (September 25, 2011), Oakland, CA (November 26, 2013), Mountain View, CA (October 25, 2014), Mountain View, CA (October 26, 2014), Chicago Night 1 (August 18, 2018), Chicago Night 2 (August 20, 2018), Ohana Festival (September 25, 2021), Ohana Festival (September 26, 2021), Ohana Festival Encore Weekend (October 01, 2021), Ohana Festival Encore Weekend (October 02, 2021), Los Angeles (May 07, 2022), Oakland (May 12, 2022), Oakland (May 13, 2022), Fresno (May 16, 2022), St Paul (August 31, 2023), St Paul (September 02, 2023), Chicago (September 05, 2023), Chicago (September 07, 2023), Ft Worth (September 13, 2023), Ft Worth (September 15, 2023), Austin (September 19, 2023), Austin (September 18, 2023), Vancouver, BC (May 04, 2024), Vancouver, BC (May 06, 2024), Portland, OR (May 10, 2024), Sacramento, CA (May 13, 2024), Las Vegas, NV (May 16, 2024), Las Vegas, NV (May 18, 2024), Los Angeles, CA (May 21, 2024), Los Angeles, CA (May 22, 2024), BottleRock Festival (May 25, 2024), Seattle, WA (May 28, 2024), Seattle, WA (May 30, 2024), Missoula (August 22, 2024)
Bring back floor seats for a tour. Random order rows 1 /2. New faces up front and seniority moves closer to the stage. Win win in my book but I do understand from a business standpoint that ga brings in more $$$$$.
Assigned seating would bring in a lot more money. With GA, the best roughly 800 seats are going for under $200 apiece. With assigned seats they could make them all premium and easily get $1k-$2k per seat for the first 10 rows, $500+ after that, etc.
How do some people get their kids (ie tambo bait) on the rail? Are they waiting all day on the concrete with their kids too? Would be kind of cruel. Talked with a guy once and he mentioned that he went to check out the line at six am and was flat out told that he could not just hold a spot for his kid. Said the kid would have to wait it out too.
This sounds like a group of whiny entitled conspiracy theorists. Pages of fables made up about people and circumstances most of you know nothing about. Yet again. Stories you “heard”, assumptions you’re making and talking for “the band, amongst others.
You have zero clue what you’re talking about.
There’s no list. No sneaking in. No holding spots. No dumping drinks on people. No assigned spots on the rail. And no entitlement.
It is literally line up and get your spot. Do your time. If you can’t do your time or it’s not your thing why shit on others? Why do you even care enough to debate here?
I have been lining up for the rail for 11 years whenever I can make it work. I have made some of my best friends doing that and I love every minute of the experience. People have come and gone and over the past few years a new group has joined us and they are awesome. If you’re not an asshole you’ll have the same experience. No one is going to shun you or bully you or make you feel unwelcome. We all work together to make our nights and days on the sidewalk safe and fun. No one takes advantage, and if you do, you’re called out. As you should be.
The band hates it? Ha. I’m not even going to address that because you’d have to be up front to know how they feed off us and us them. That dynamic is frankly not something that can even be described and I don’t care if you believe me or understand.
Keep crapping on us. Don’t care. You all sound insane with your made up stories and conspiracy theories. Insane. Line up and join us and you’ll see!
Do you really believe the band only feeds off the energy of your group?
Interesting and entertaining thread. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. No doubt there are some questionable antics like sneaking into the pit without a GA ticket and holding spots on the rail, but must people who line up are cool and fair about things. A part of the disconnect is that what is or isn't acceptable is highly subjective and based on unwritten rules and gray areas. There was a debate above about whether it's reasonable or unreasonable to hold a spot for a plus one. Both had valid points. Who's to say which is right? Who decides what's an acceptable amount of break time? Two out of 24 hours is cool but 2.5 is too much?
10c's own party line also doesn't really make sense. Lists won't be honored because 10c believes those who wait all day should get to go in first. But the line is a de facto list. Everyone knows what number they are, it's just not written out.
I'm relatively new to "Pearl Jam Rail Culture". I've gotten rail 5 times in the last 20 shows I have attended. Some of those tickets were 10C lottery wins, others I obsessively checked F2F.
While waiting in line, I've made incredible friends. I've helped others who are new to the process because during my first night, many people were very kind and generous to me. I have witnessed MORE incredible acts of generosity than negativity while in line and that is what keeps me going back (when I have the time and tickets, of course). Except for the stressors of getting to the line early enough, I find waiting in line to be very relaxing. That's my selling point when I try to convince my fiends. There's nothing to do all day but sit, relax, and connect with others about Pearl Jam. I've waited my whole life for that! No one I knew liked them when I was growing up. The day goes fast for me because it's probably the only chance I can actually feel okay about not being productive for most of the day. How rare is that?
Now I hope I can convey my intention clearly here, as I'm trying to provide a fair insight into the situation. Reading through this thread, I am not going to tell anyone that they didn't experience what they experienced, for better or worse. I have a friend that had a very bad experience, and some of the behavior lines up with some things that other friends have told me they experienced. Of course, I only know their side, but when different people (from different regions of the US) say the same thing, it's really hard not to wonder if they are true. That said, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and talk with them. Some of the people I heard bad things about turned out to be awesome AF! And others, I've tried to break the ice but got the cold shoulder instead. What can you do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. We all have bad moments or get off on the wrong foot with someone. I realize now, more often than not, it's a misunderstanding.
Speaking of the idea of official numbering systems, I want to share what Iron Maiden does (I'm also in their fan club). I'm curious about your thoughts. IMFC gives fans with GA tickets the opportunity to enter into their First to the Barrier contest. The week of the show, 60 people (and their plus 1) are notified that they won. This is how they choose winners: "All the valid entries for a show go into a spreadsheet, then we de-duplicate the entries to make sure it’s only one per person. Then we have a quick visual check for anything obviously wrong (like people not putting a real name in). Finally we use a random number generator to assign each entry a number, and sort the entries based on that number. The lowest 60 numbers win." No waiting in line, just show up and get your wristband and you can enter in to as many shows as you have GA tickets for. Not everyone who qualifies for the contest enters.
I'd love for 10C to do this, but there's one caveat. Everyone who has rail for Iron Maiden loses their minds during the show! We all know the energy you provide to a band comes back at you. Meaning, people who win FTTB bring the energy every time. I'm not sure if PJ fans can consistently do this, TBH. Am I wrong? I do know that as it is right now, the PJ rail regulars consistently bring it!
I think I saw you in Vancouver! This is a solid suggestion!
So say for Pittsburgh, Iron Maiden notifies all the GA ticket holders of their rail contest. 60 people enter the contest and the band draws and assigns number 1-60. number 1-20 get rail and numbers 20-60 will be second row and so on? I just guess led how long their rail im sure you would k ow the exact cut off number.
Iron Maiden runs the same contest for every concert date?
The system makes sense and some locations do this but it’s not a sanctioned contest.
MSG I believe gave out numbered wristbands in the AM and asked everyone to leave.
i think the fan base will bring the energy more. You can use MSG as an example, everyone was well rested and brought the energy.
2005: Ottawa / 2011: Ottawa / 2016: Ottawa / 2022: Ottawa / 2022:Quebec City / 2024: Vancouver / 2024: Vancouver / 2024: New York City
Had my first experience on the rail in Balt this year. Got in line around 11am, chatted with some really nice people and enjoyed a beautiful September day (even if some of the passers by were a little uhhhh unsavory). At 530 when it was time to go in, PJ’s security guy (you know who I’m taking about) led us in to the venue and all was calm and orderly. We enjoyed Glen, got some merch before general doors opened, and proceeded to have an amazing night, filled with strumming Mike’s guitar as he held it over our heads (I was positioned smack in front of the set of stairs on his side). Everyone on the rail was nice and we shared high fives as we belted out the songs all night.
Tiny sample size, but if that’s PJ rail culture, I’m here for it.
Bring back floor seats for a tour. Random order rows 1 /2. New faces up front and seniority moves closer to the stage. Win win in my book but I do understand from a business standpoint that ga brings in more $$$$$.
Assigned seating would bring in a lot more money. With GA, the best roughly 800 seats are going for under $200 apiece. With assigned seats they could make them all premium and easily get $1k-$2k per seat for the first 10 rows, $500+ after that, etc.
I like the Tool model. I can pick a show to do VIP and sit in the first 5 rows, get some merch with it. If I want to do another show I can skip VIP. At least I have a chance to sit close
Had my first experience on the rail in Balt this year. Got in line around 11am, chatted with some really nice people and enjoyed a beautiful September day (even if some of the passers by were a little uhhhh unsavory). At 530 when it was time to go in, PJ’s security guy (you know who I’m taking about) led us in to the venue and all was calm and orderly. We enjoyed Glen, got some merch before general doors opened, and proceeded to have an amazing night, filled with strumming Mike’s guitar as he held it over our heads (I was positioned smack in front of the set of stairs on his side). Everyone on the rail was nice and we shared high fives as we belted out the songs all night.
Tiny sample size, but if that’s PJ rail culture, I’m here for it.
cant wait to be on the rail again for Raleigh 2!
That is the same rail culture I experienced in Vancouver.
2005: Ottawa / 2011: Ottawa / 2016: Ottawa / 2022: Ottawa / 2022:Quebec City / 2024: Vancouver / 2024: Vancouver / 2024: New York City
Bring back floor seats for a tour. Random order rows 1 /2. New faces up front and seniority moves closer to the stage. Win win in my book but I do understand from a business standpoint that ga brings in more $$$$$.
Assigned seating would bring in a lot more money. With GA, the best roughly 800 seats are going for under $200 apiece. With assigned seats they could make them all premium and easily get $1k-$2k per seat for the first 10 rows, $500+ after that, etc.
I like the Tool model. I can pick a show to do VIP and sit in the first 5 rows, get some merch with it. If I want to do another show I can skip VIP. At least I have a chance to sit close
Ironically one of the rare bands where I don't want to sit close
Bring back floor seats for a tour. Random order rows 1 /2. New faces up front and seniority moves closer to the stage. Win win in my book but I do understand from a business standpoint that ga brings in more $$$$$.
Assigned seating would bring in a lot more money. With GA, the best roughly 800 seats are going for under $200 apiece. With assigned seats they could make them all premium and easily get $1k-$2k per seat for the first 10 rows, $500+ after that, etc.
I like the Tool model. I can pick a show to do VIP and sit in the first 5 rows, get some merch with it. If I want to do another show I can skip VIP. At least I have a chance to sit close
Ironically one of the rare bands where I don't want to sit close
Yeah we usually do a close show and one further back
My main complaint with the rail riders is that they are absolutely selfish, absolutely hold spots and game the system any way they can, and absolutely ruin the vibes in the front of the pit. They are so defensive of their spots that there is a tense feeling the entire show. Spoiler alert, people are going to weasel their way up to the front. It's GA. How did these people survive the 90s shows? The entitlement is palpable anytime you're around this group.
Wrigley 7/19/2013 Philadelphia 10/22/2013 Baltimore 10/27/2013 Hampton 4/18/2016 Ft. Worth 9/13/2023 Ft. Worth 9/15/2023 Wrigley 8/31/2024 Baltimore 9/12/2024 Fenway 9/15/2024
The entitlement is palpable anytime you're around this group.
have you seen the ticket threads? Entitlement is rife in this community
Entitlement has been how it's been since the 90s flare up against TM, whether it's fans getting best seats in house decade after decade, or the rail mafia. Both are forms of exclusion for those on the outside looking in, no better than charging $500+ for VIP.
At least that way the band gets paid, and there's a chance for a lower face value for the non entitlement tickets.
I'm relatively new to "Pearl Jam Rail Culture". I've gotten rail 5 times in the last 20 shows I have attended. Some of those tickets were 10C lottery wins, others I obsessively checked F2F.
While waiting in line, I've made incredible friends. I've helped others who are new to the process because during my first night, many people were very kind and generous to me. I have witnessed MORE incredible acts of generosity than negativity while in line and that is what keeps me going back (when I have the time and tickets, of course). Except for the stressors of getting to the line early enough, I find waiting in line to be very relaxing. That's my selling point when I try to convince my fiends. There's nothing to do all day but sit, relax, and connect with others about Pearl Jam. I've waited my whole life for that! No one I knew liked them when I was growing up. The day goes fast for me because it's probably the only chance I can actually feel okay about not being productive for most of the day. How rare is that?
Now I hope I can convey my intention clearly here, as I'm trying to provide a fair insight into the situation. Reading through this thread, I am not going to tell anyone that they didn't experience what they experienced, for better or worse. I have a friend that had a very bad experience, and some of the behavior lines up with some things that other friends have told me they experienced. Of course, I only know their side, but when different people (from different regions of the US) say the same thing, it's really hard not to wonder if they are true. That said, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and talk with them. Some of the people I heard bad things about turned out to be awesome AF! And others, I've tried to break the ice but got the cold shoulder instead. What can you do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. We all have bad moments or get off on the wrong foot with someone. I realize now, more often than not, it's a misunderstanding.
Speaking of the idea of official numbering systems, I want to share what Iron Maiden does (I'm also in their fan club). I'm curious about your thoughts. IMFC gives fans with GA tickets the opportunity to enter into their First to the Barrier contest. The week of the show, 60 people (and their plus 1) are notified that they won. This is how they choose winners: "All the valid entries for a show go into a spreadsheet, then we de-duplicate the entries to make sure it’s only one per person. Then we have a quick visual check for anything obviously wrong (like people not putting a real name in). Finally we use a random number generator to assign each entry a number, and sort the entries based on that number. The lowest 60 numbers win." No waiting in line, just show up and get your wristband and you can enter in to as many shows as you have GA tickets for. Not everyone who qualifies for the contest enters.
I'd love for 10C to do this, but there's one caveat. Everyone who has rail for Iron Maiden loses their minds during the show! We all know the energy you provide to a band comes back at you. Meaning, people who win FTTB bring the energy every time. I'm not sure if PJ fans can consistently do this, TBH. Am I wrong? I do know that as it is right now, the PJ rail regulars consistently bring it!
I think I saw you in Vancouver! This is a solid suggestion!
So say for Pittsburgh, Iron Maiden notifies all the GA ticket holders of their rail contest. 60 people enter the contest and the band draws and assigns number 1-60. number 1-20 get rail and numbers 20-60 will be second row and so on? I just guess led how long their rail im sure you would k ow the exact cut off number.
Iron Maiden runs the same contest for every concert date?
The system makes sense and some locations do this but it’s not a sanctioned contest.
MSG I believe gave out numbered wristbands in the AM and asked everyone to leave.
i think the fan base will bring the energy more. You can use MSG as an example, everyone was well rested and brought the energy.
Yeah, iron maiden has the same contest for every show, except for places with official systems in place. I just saw them in Japan this year, bought tickets through the fan club last year. No first to the barrier contest there because GA tickets sold in Japan (for small shows all the way up to arena shows) assign tickets a letter and group number, kind of like Southwest Airlines. If you buy tickets early, you get a low number. Since IMFC had a presale, they automatically get the best numbers. It's awesome and efficient.
They play the same arenas as pearl jam. Definitely more than 20 can get on the rail. And the filling in patterns are similar a lot of People opt into forgoing the rail on the sides for great middle spots in front of the singer.
And Hi! Yes I was in Vancouver... I had GA N2. Didn't camp out though, got there at 10 am show day and was 1 person behind the rail Stone's side. Small queue though, bad weather.
San Jose, California (October 30, 1993), San Francisco, California (June 24, 1995), San Jose, California (November 04, 1995), Mountain View, California (October 30, 1999), Mountain View, California (October 31, 2000), Mountain View, California (October 20, 2001), Mountain View, California (October 21, 2001), Mountain View, California (June 01, 2003),San Diego, California (June 05, 2003), Mountain View, California (October 25, 2003), Mountain View, California (October 26, 2003), Kissimmee, Florida (October 08, 2004), San Francisco, California (July 15, 2006), San Francisco, California (July 16, 2006), San Francisco, California (July 18, 2006), Mountain View, California (October 21, 2006), Mountain View, California (October 22, 2006), San Francisco, California (August 28, 2009), Mountain View, California (October 23, 2010), Mountain View, California (October 24, 2010), Vancouver, British Columbia (September 25, 2011), Oakland, CA (November 26, 2013), Mountain View, CA (October 25, 2014), Mountain View, CA (October 26, 2014), Chicago Night 1 (August 18, 2018), Chicago Night 2 (August 20, 2018), Ohana Festival (September 25, 2021), Ohana Festival (September 26, 2021), Ohana Festival Encore Weekend (October 01, 2021), Ohana Festival Encore Weekend (October 02, 2021), Los Angeles (May 07, 2022), Oakland (May 12, 2022), Oakland (May 13, 2022), Fresno (May 16, 2022), St Paul (August 31, 2023), St Paul (September 02, 2023), Chicago (September 05, 2023), Chicago (September 07, 2023), Ft Worth (September 13, 2023), Ft Worth (September 15, 2023), Austin (September 19, 2023), Austin (September 18, 2023), Vancouver, BC (May 04, 2024), Vancouver, BC (May 06, 2024), Portland, OR (May 10, 2024), Sacramento, CA (May 13, 2024), Las Vegas, NV (May 16, 2024), Las Vegas, NV (May 18, 2024), Los Angeles, CA (May 21, 2024), Los Angeles, CA (May 22, 2024), BottleRock Festival (May 25, 2024), Seattle, WA (May 28, 2024), Seattle, WA (May 30, 2024), Missoula (August 22, 2024)
This is the way. There is no substitute. https://www.phishfirstentry.com/ Online lotto open 2 days prior to show, find out the day before if you won (around 200 winners), queue starts 2 hours before doors on show day, ID check, plus one (optional), also ID check for plus one - find out the day before. It would take PJ 2-3 employees to accomplish this per show. Camping for two nights is certifiable when the point (IMHO) of touring around with your friends is to see the world not hang out on a sidewalk. To a larger point it would also allow a lot of people up front who would not normally get that opportunity for a lot of (work/life) reason's that keep them from the queue.
This is the way. There is no substitute. https://www.phishfirstentry.com/ Online lotto open 2 days prior to show, find out the day before if you won (around 200 winners), queue starts 2 hours before doors on show day, ID check, plus one (optional), also ID check for plus one - find out the day before. It would take PJ 2-3 employees to accomplish this per show. Camping for two nights is certifiable when the point (IMHO) of touring around with your friends is to see the world not hang out on a sidewalk. To a larger point it would also allow a lot of people up front who would not normally get that opportunity for a lot of (wok/life) reason's that keep them from the queue. Present Tense for days in a Queue. Lol.
Bingo
Wrigley 7/19/2013 Philadelphia 10/22/2013 Baltimore 10/27/2013 Hampton 4/18/2016 Ft. Worth 9/13/2023 Ft. Worth 9/15/2023 Wrigley 8/31/2024 Baltimore 9/12/2024 Fenway 9/15/2024
I'm relatively new to "Pearl Jam Rail Culture". I've gotten rail 5 times in the last 20 shows I have attended. Some of those tickets were 10C lottery wins, others I obsessively checked F2F.
While waiting in line, I've made incredible friends. I've helped others who are new to the process because during my first night, many people were very kind and generous to me. I have witnessed MORE incredible acts of generosity than negativity while in line and that is what keeps me going back (when I have the time and tickets, of course). Except for the stressors of getting to the line early enough, I find waiting in line to be very relaxing. That's my selling point when I try to convince my fiends. There's nothing to do all day but sit, relax, and connect with others about Pearl Jam. I've waited my whole life for that! No one I knew liked them when I was growing up. The day goes fast for me because it's probably the only chance I can actually feel okay about not being productive for most of the day. How rare is that?
Now I hope I can convey my intention clearly here, as I'm trying to provide a fair insight into the situation. Reading through this thread, I am not going to tell anyone that they didn't experience what they experienced, for better or worse. I have a friend that had a very bad experience, and some of the behavior lines up with some things that other friends have told me they experienced. Of course, I only know their side, but when different people (from different regions of the US) say the same thing, it's really hard not to wonder if they are true. That said, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and talk with them. Some of the people I heard bad things about turned out to be awesome AF! And others, I've tried to break the ice but got the cold shoulder instead. What can you do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. We all have bad moments or get off on the wrong foot with someone. I realize now, more often than not, it's a misunderstanding.
Speaking of the idea of official numbering systems, I want to share what Iron Maiden does (I'm also in their fan club). I'm curious about your thoughts. IMFC gives fans with GA tickets the opportunity to enter into their First to the Barrier contest. The week of the show, 60 people (and their plus 1) are notified that they won. This is how they choose winners: "All the valid entries for a show go into a spreadsheet, then we de-duplicate the entries to make sure it’s only one per person. Then we have a quick visual check for anything obviously wrong (like people not putting a real name in). Finally we use a random number generator to assign each entry a number, and sort the entries based on that number. The lowest 60 numbers win." No waiting in line, just show up and get your wristband and you can enter in to as many shows as you have GA tickets for. Not everyone who qualifies for the contest enters.
I'd love for 10C to do this, but there's one caveat. Everyone who has rail for Iron Maiden loses their minds during the show! We all know the energy you provide to a band comes back at you. Meaning, people who win FTTB bring the energy every time. I'm not sure if PJ fans can consistently do this, TBH. Am I wrong? I do know that as it is right now, the PJ rail regulars consistently bring it!
I think I saw you in Vancouver! This is a solid suggestion!
So say for Pittsburgh, Iron Maiden notifies all the GA ticket holders of their rail contest. 60 people enter the contest and the band draws and assigns number 1-60. number 1-20 get rail and numbers 20-60 will be second row and so on? I just guess led how long their rail im sure you would k ow the exact cut off number.
Iron Maiden runs the same contest for every concert date?
The system makes sense and some locations do this but it’s not a sanctioned contest.
MSG I believe gave out numbered wristbands in the AM and asked everyone to leave.
i think the fan base will bring the energy more. You can use MSG as an example, everyone was well rested and brought the energy.
Yeah, iron maiden has the same contest for every show, except for places with official systems in place. I just saw them in Japan this year, bought tickets through the fan club last year. No first to the barrier contest there because GA tickets sold in Japan (for small shows all the way up to arena shows) assign tickets a letter and group number, kind of like Southwest Airlines. If you buy tickets early, you get a low number. Since IMFC had a presale, they automatically get the best numbers. It's awesome and efficient.
They play the same arenas as pearl jam. Definitely more than 20 can get on the rail. And the filling in patterns are similar a lot of People opt into forgoing the rail on the sides for great middle spots in front of the singer.
And Hi! Yes I was in Vancouver... I had GA N2. Didn't camp out though, got there at 10 am show day and was 1 person behind the rail Stone's side. Small queue though, bad weather.
Ahh ok, a lot of people have been sharing their experiences of what other bands do and it sounds great. All up to the band if they want to change it.
I remember you, I was the short girl on stone’s side N2 I think you were behind me. Hope to see you at other shows. If I see you I will say hi!
2005: Ottawa / 2011: Ottawa / 2016: Ottawa / 2022: Ottawa / 2022:Quebec City / 2024: Vancouver / 2024: Vancouver / 2024: New York City
This is the way. There is no substitute. https://www.phishfirstentry.com/ Online lotto open 2 days prior to show, find out the day before if you won (around 200 winners), queue starts 2 hours before doors on show day, ID check, plus one (optional), also ID check for plus one - find out the day before. It would take PJ 2-3 employees to accomplish this per show. Camping for two nights is certifiable when the point (IMHO) of touring around with your friends is to see the world not hang out on a sidewalk. To a larger point it would also allow a lot of people up front who would not normally get that opportunity for a lot of (wok/life) reason's that keep them from the queue. Present Tense for days in a Queue. Lol.
This is definitely the best system. But anybody that is mad at people in the Pearl Jam pit or this system, should go check out phish.net. The phish pit is very far from perfect. The most notorious Phish pit jerk, nicknamed Antelope Greg, died this year and it seemed like every member of the phish community had a story about what an asshole he was.
If anybody in the Pearl Jam pit ever sees a person with a tarp and duct tape, tackle that person. Trust me.
"Change don't come at once, it's a wave, building before it breaks"
We think it's a convenience to be able to put in for every show we might want to attend, and have our +1 also put in for every show who we might want to attend, with zero downside other than sitting on extra tickets for a few months, but ultimately it costs all of us a great deal of stress and money. It is not the perk we think it is.
Demand has changed, every 10c member that wants tickets would get tickets from the 10c to almost every show. Those that get shutout initially wouldn't panic have to turn to PJ Premium or worse and get scalped.
People would still trade their extra GA and alot of the diehards would still find a way, but it would be harder and lead to some different faces.
I think if the 10c wanted a headache they could allow every member 1 hardship cancellation per lifetime, but that would create work for them and honestly, the same people that made posts crying when they had to eat their tickets because they were deployed to mars with cancer while their dog needed a brain transplant will just make the same post the second time the need a get out of jail free card.
We think it's a convenience to be able to put in for every show we might want to attend, and have our +1 also put in for every show who we might want to attend, with zero downside other than sitting on extra tickets for a few months, but ultimately it costs all of us a great deal of stress and money. It is not the perk we think it is.
Demand has changed, every 10c member that wants tickets would get tickets from the 10c to almost every show. Those that get shutout initially wouldn't panic have to turn to PJ Premium or worse and get scalped.
People would still trade their extra GA and alot of the diehards would still find a way, but it would be harder and lead to some different faces.
I think if the 10c wanted a headache they could allow every member 1 hardship cancellation per lifetime, but that would create work for them and honestly, the same people that made posts crying when they had to eat their tickets because they were deployed to mars with cancer while their dog needed a brain transplant will just make the same post the second time the need a get out of jail free card.
I'm all in favor of no transfers. F2F is great in theory but it has encouraged people to hoard tickets.
1996: Randall's Island 2 1998: East Rutherford | MSG 1 & 2 2000: Cincinnati | Columbus | Jones Beach 1, 2, & 3 | Boston 1 | Camden 1 & 2 2003: Philadelphia | Uniondale | MSG 1 & 2 | Holmdel 2005: Atlantic City 1 2006: Camden 1 | East Rutherford 1 & 2 2008: Camden 1 & 2 | MSG 1 & 2 | Newark (EV) 2009: Philadelphia 1, 2 & 4 2010: Newark | MSG 1 & 2 2011: Toronto 1 2013: Wrigley Field | Brooklyn 2 | Philadelphia 1 & 2 | Baltimore 2015: Central Park 2016: Philadelphia 1 & 2 | MSG 1 & 2 | Fenway Park 2 | MSG (TOTD) 2017: Brooklyn (RnR HOF) 2020: MSG | Asbury Park2021: Asbury Park 2022: MSG | Camden | Nashville 2024: MSG 1 & 2 (#50) | Philadelphia 1 & 2 | Baltimore 2025: Raleigh
Comments
Song Wishlist: Oceans, Brother, Alone, Let Me Sleep, full W.M.A., Hold On, Bugs/all of Vitalogy, Gremmie Out Of Control (BAM!), Mankind, Around The Bend (full band), Whale Song (DOUBLE BAM!), The Long Road, Don't Gimme No Lip, Pilate, Push Me Pull Me, All Those Yesterdays, Rival, Parting Ways, Ghost, Bu$hleaguer, WWS, Parachutes, Army Reserve, low octave Driftin', Strangest Tribe, Other Side, Undone, Fatal, Hitchhiker, Education, Black Red Yellow, Of the Earth, Love Reign O'er Me, Gonna See My Friend, Amongst the Waves, Santa Cruz, Infallible, Yellow Moon, Alright, Comes Then Goes, Got to Give, and the Mamasan Trilogy.
Put it in my pocket when it should've been framed
2011-09-04 PJ20 | 2011-09-17 Winnipeg | 2012-09-30 Missoula | 2012-11-18 Tulsa EV | 2013-07-19 Chicago | 2013-11-15 Dallas
2013-11-16 OKC | 2014-10-09 Lincoln | 2014-10-17 Moline | 2014-10-19 St. Paul | 2014-10-20 Milwaukee | 2016-08-20 Chicago
2016-08-22 Chicago | 2018-08-18 Chicago | 2018-08-20 Chicago | 2022-05-09 Phoenix | 2022-05-20 Las Vegas | 2022-09-18 St. Louis
2022-09-20 OKC | 2023-08-31 St. Paul | 2023-09-02 St. Paul | 2024-05-16 Las Vegas | 2024-05-18 Las Vegas | 2024-08-31 Chicago
Song Wishlist: Oceans, Brother, Alone, Let Me Sleep, full W.M.A., Hold On, Bugs/all of Vitalogy, Gremmie Out Of Control (BAM!), Mankind, Around The Bend (full band), Whale Song (DOUBLE BAM!), The Long Road, Don't Gimme No Lip, Pilate, Push Me Pull Me, All Those Yesterdays, Rival, Parting Ways, Ghost, Bu$hleaguer, WWS, Parachutes, Army Reserve, low octave Driftin', Strangest Tribe, Other Side, Undone, Fatal, Hitchhiker, Education, Black Red Yellow, Of the Earth, Love Reign O'er Me, Gonna See My Friend, Amongst the Waves, Santa Cruz, Infallible, Yellow Moon, Alright, Comes Then Goes, Got to Give, and the Mamasan Trilogy.
While waiting in line, I've made incredible friends. I've helped others who are new to the process because during my first night, many people were very kind and generous to me. I have witnessed MORE incredible acts of generosity than negativity while in line and that is what keeps me going back (when I have the time and tickets, of course). Except for the stressors of getting to the line early enough, I find waiting in line to be very relaxing. That's my selling point when I try to convince my fiends. There's nothing to do all day but sit, relax, and connect with others about Pearl Jam. I've waited my whole life for that! No one I knew liked them when I was growing up. The day goes fast for me because it's probably the only chance I can actually feel okay about not being productive for most of the day. How rare is that?
Now I hope I can convey my intention clearly here, as I'm trying to provide a fair insight into the situation. Reading through this thread, I am not going to tell anyone that they didn't experience what they experienced, for better or worse. I have a friend that had a very bad experience, and some of the behavior lines up with some things that other friends have told me they experienced. Of course, I only know their side, but when different people (from different regions of the US) say the same thing, it's really hard not to wonder if they are true. That said, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and talk with them. Some of the people I heard bad things about turned out to be awesome AF! And others, I've tried to break the ice but got the cold shoulder instead. What can you do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. We all have bad moments or get off on the wrong foot with someone. I realize now, more often than not, it's a misunderstanding.
Speaking of the idea of official numbering systems, I want to share what Iron Maiden does (I'm also in their fan club). I'm curious about your thoughts. IMFC gives fans with GA tickets the opportunity to enter into their First to the Barrier contest. The week of the show, 60 people (and their plus 1) are notified that they won. This is how they choose winners: "All the valid entries for a show go into a spreadsheet, then we de-duplicate the entries to make sure it’s only one per person. Then we have a quick visual check for anything obviously wrong (like people not putting a real name in). Finally we use a random number generator to assign each entry a number, and sort the entries based on that number. The lowest 60 numbers win." No waiting in line, just show up and get your wristband and you can enter in to as many shows as you have GA tickets for. Not everyone who qualifies for the contest enters.
I'd love for 10C to do this, but there's one caveat. Everyone who has rail for Iron Maiden loses their minds during the show! We all know the energy you provide to a band comes back at you. Meaning, people who win FTTB bring the energy every time. I'm not sure if PJ fans can consistently do this, TBH. Am I wrong? I do know that as it is right now, the PJ rail regulars consistently bring it!
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
10c's own party line also doesn't really make sense. Lists won't be honored because 10c believes those who wait all day should get to go in first. But the line is a de facto list. Everyone knows what number they are, it's just not written out.
So say for Pittsburgh, Iron Maiden notifies all the GA ticket holders of their rail contest. 60 people enter the contest and the band draws and assigns number 1-60. number 1-20 get rail and numbers 20-60 will be second row and so on? I just guess led how long their rail im sure you would k ow the exact cut off number.
i think the fan base will bring the energy more. You can use MSG as an example, everyone was well rested and brought the energy.
cant wait to be on the rail again for Raleigh 2!
Philadelphia 10/22/2013
Baltimore 10/27/2013
Hampton 4/18/2016
Ft. Worth 9/13/2023
Ft. Worth 9/15/2023
Wrigley 8/31/2024
Baltimore 9/12/2024
Fenway 9/15/2024
Philadelphia 10/22/2013
Baltimore 10/27/2013
Hampton 4/18/2016
Ft. Worth 9/13/2023
Ft. Worth 9/15/2023
Wrigley 8/31/2024
Baltimore 9/12/2024
Fenway 9/15/2024
At least that way the band gets paid, and there's a chance for a lower face value for the non entitlement tickets.
They play the same arenas as pearl jam. Definitely more than 20 can get on the rail. And the filling in patterns are similar a lot of People opt into forgoing the rail on the sides for great middle spots in front of the singer.
And Hi! Yes I was in Vancouver... I had GA N2. Didn't camp out though, got there at 10 am show day and was 1 person behind the rail Stone's side. Small queue though, bad weather.
Philadelphia 10/22/2013
Baltimore 10/27/2013
Hampton 4/18/2016
Ft. Worth 9/13/2023
Ft. Worth 9/15/2023
Wrigley 8/31/2024
Baltimore 9/12/2024
Fenway 9/15/2024
We think it's a convenience to be able to put in for every show we might want to attend, and have our +1 also put in for every show who we might want to attend, with zero downside other than sitting on extra tickets for a few months, but ultimately it costs all of us a great deal of stress and money. It is not the perk we think it is.
Demand has changed, every 10c member that wants tickets would get tickets from the 10c to almost every show. Those that get shutout initially wouldn't panic have to turn to PJ Premium or worse and get scalped.
People would still trade their extra GA and alot of the diehards would still find a way, but it would be harder and lead to some different faces.
I think if the 10c wanted a headache they could allow every member 1 hardship cancellation per lifetime, but that would create work for them and honestly, the same people that made posts crying when they had to eat their tickets because they were deployed to mars with cancer while their dog needed a brain transplant will just make the same post the second time the need a get out of jail free card.
I'm all in favor of no transfers. F2F is great in theory but it has encouraged people to hoard tickets.