GA Line etiquette

steved · August 2018

LV129547 said:

I see nothing wrong with holding a place for the person you are going to the show with if you can get there early. Not everyone has an entire day free.

The closer to the front you are the more strict the unwritten rules are. In the first 50 people or less your spot is when you arrive, period. The only exception would be holding the spot for your plus one for maybe a half an hour or so. (They are in the cab / uber) on their way or dropping your stuff off at the hotel.

I will give you an example. My wife arrived Sunday for the Wednesday Seattle show, I arrived Monday. She was #4 in line, I was around #30. We hung together in the #4 spot and slept in the same spot but when it was gates open I went in in the #30 spot, she went in the #4 spot.

#5 thru #29 would not have been cool with me going in with her. Not at all! I met up with her once inside and we watched the show together. You can always be right behind the person you want to watch the show with, but entering the venue is the spot where you arrive.

Night two we went right from the first show to get on line. Some of us made it out of the venue before our partners. It was only a couple of minutes. That was no issue. There were a couple of people that had arrived and wanted to hold spots for their other 3 friends. That didn't fly. They could hold the spot for one person, and the other 2 were in the place in line where they arrived.

This is consistent with about a dozen shows I have camped out for PJ shows.

Again, as you go farther back people are less strict about it in my experience. The issue is you only need one person right behind you but before your friends spot to get upset. Then it is unfair to push them back.

If everyone could hold a spot for their plus one you could be #25 in line and now you are #50. That is the difference between being on the rail or not. Seeing as that is many people camp out, it is just not fare to them.

Zod · August 2018

LV129547 said:

I see nothing wrong with holding a place for the person you are going to the show with if you can get there early. Not everyone has an entire day free.

I didn't have an entire day to waste so I go to the back of the line.

I think the issue is that it's mostly harmless if it's 1 person. The problem is you end up having a lot of people missing their +1's. Some dude get's in the line with 50 people and it balloons to 100 by the time the doors open. That kind of thing. I know I get grumpy when I see a line I thought I had a good position it continue to get fatter and fatter before the doors open.

I guess my conclusion is it's not a biggie if it's 1 person, but it's annoying when there's alot of people missing their +1's in front of you.

AAJC · August 2018

Just say they went to the bathroom and should be back some time in the next hour or so, thanks to the food truck hotdog they had for lunch.

crookedcross · August 2018

AAJC said:

Just say they went to the bathroom and should be back some time in the next hour or so, thanks to the food truck hotdog they had for lunch.

Yep. Tell 'em he has the double dragon. That should be enough to justify the 2-hour difference. Nobody asks questions when you pull the double dragon

JimmyV · August 2018

By noon on showday there will already be hundreds of people in front of you. By 2pm there will be a few more. Have lunch, wait for your friend, get in line together.

darwinstheory · August 2018

JimmyV said:

By noon on showday there will already be hundreds of people in front of you. By 2pm there will be a few more. Have lunch, wait for your friend, get in line together.

B-I-N-G-O

Spiritual_Chaos · August 2018

LV129547 said:

I see nothing wrong with holding a place for the person you are going to the show with if you can get there early. Not everyone has an entire day free.

The conscientious is - that it's not cool or allowed. So it is wrong.

So if that person can't get there early, then you wait and get in line when he/she can.

Spiritual_Chaos · August 2018

Zod said:

LV129547 said:

I see nothing wrong with holding a place for the person you are going to the show with if you can get there early. Not everyone has an entire day free.

I didn't have an entire day to waste so I go to the back of the line.

I think the issue is that it's mostly harmless if it's 1 person. The problem is you end up having a lot of people missing their +1's. Some dude get's in the line with 50 people and it balloons to 100 by the time the doors open. That kind of thing. I know I get grumpy when I see a line I thought I had a good position it continue to get fatter and fatter before the doors open.

I guess my conclusion is it's not a biggie if it's 1 person, but it's annoying when there's alot of people missing their +1's in front of you.

It is a biggie.

Why should that person skip the line, instead of you going back standing with your friend?

helplessdancer · August 2018

nothing matters unless you have a number on your hand

100 Pacer · August 2018

You gotta scheme if you want an Ed tambourine!

Poncier · August 2018

100 Pacer said:

You gotta scheme if you want an Ed tambourine!

You gotta plot of you want a prime Mike pick spot.

Get_Right · August 2018

I would be upset if people who had not been waiting got in line ahead of me. Cutting the line is not cool. Period.

faithful2you · August 2018

helplessdancer said:

nothing matters unless you have a number on your hand

Exactly. But this is exactly why there starts to be clicks making rules and creating a "list" for the GA line. It's just like everything else on this board; everyone thinks they can make the rules from GA lines to what the band should be playing to how they should be playing to who should sit and who should stand. Go to the fucking show and worry about yourself without being an asshole instead of telling everyone what they can and cannot do. If you don't like it when things aren't exactly they way you think they should be stay the fuck home.

mattsavard · August 2018

steved said:

LV129547 said:

I see nothing wrong with holding a place for the person you are going to the show with if you can get there early. Not everyone has an entire day free.

The closer to the front you are the more strict the unwritten rules are. In the first 50 people or less your spot is when you arrive, period. The only exception would be holding the spot for your plus one for maybe a half an hour or so. (They are in the cab / uber) on their way or dropping your stuff off at the hotel.

I will give you an example. My wife arrived Sunday for the Wednesday Seattle show, I arrived Monday. She was #4 in line, I was around #30. We hung together in the #4 spot and slept in the same spot but when it was gates open I went in in the #30 spot, she went in the #4 spot.
#5 thru #29 would not have been cool with me going in with her. Not at all! I met up with her once inside and we watched the show together. You can always be right behind the person you want to watch the show with, but entering the venue is the spot where you arrive.

Night two we went right from the first show to get on line. Some of us made it out of the venue before our partners. It was only a couple of minutes. That was no issue. There were a couple of people that had arrived and wanted to hold spots for their other 3 friends. That didn't fly. They could hold the spot for one person, and the other 2 were in the place in line where they arrived.

This is consistent with about a dozen shows I have camped out for PJ shows.

Again, as you go farther back people are less strict about it in my experience. The issue is you only need one person right behind you but before your friends spot to get upset. Then it is unfair to push them back.

If everyone could hold a spot for their plus one you could be #25 in line and now you are #50. That is the difference between being on the rail or not. Seeing as that is many people camp out, it is just not fare to them.

This Is the answer. Well said.

To the “NO GA” people:
If you don’t like GA protocol, there is an option to buy Reserved seats. LOTs of PJ fans love GA, hence why they are the MOST sought after tickets every show. You can’t dispute that.

Choice is good. GA folks get their wish. Reserved folks get their wish. Everyone wins.

MayDay10 · August 2018

pjl44 said:

kid canada said:

Vedd Hedd said:

(quietly votes for seats upfront instead of a ga pit)

(quietly agrees, loved the setup for Fenway 2016 with all seats on the field level)

I'll third that. When I've had GA, I go in well after doors. The lining up and the holding territory is way too much stress.

I prefer no GA myself. I wouldn't even mind them randomizing a lot of prime seats to mix it up. People are now waiting numerous days in line, on city streets. This opens the door for potential issues. Not to mention, there is going to be a fist-fight before long. Waiting in line to reserve and preserve a "spot" in the GA area is a little strange and almost defeats the purpose and function of GA.

I am also seeing a lot of the same faces at the front of the GA line (based on FB pics) for many-a-show. Not sure how people acquire the quantity of GA tickets, nor do I know how people have the time to spend in lines for days on end.

As far as getting in line 1st and a person joining you a little later.... everyone has covered the bases already. Its not awful. Especially being far back like noon on show-day. If everyone does it it would suck.

MayDay10 · August 2018

mattsavard said:

steved said:

LV129547 said:

I see nothing wrong with holding a place for the person you are going to the show with if you can get there early. Not everyone has an entire day free.

The closer to the front you are the more strict the unwritten rules are. In the first 50 people or less your spot is when you arrive, period. The only exception would be holding the spot for your plus one for maybe a half an hour or so. (They are in the cab / uber) on their way or dropping your stuff off at the hotel.

I will give you an example. My wife arrived Sunday for the Wednesday Seattle show, I arrived Monday. She was #4 in line, I was around #30. We hung together in the #4 spot and slept in the same spot but when it was gates open I went in in the #30 spot, she went in the #4 spot.
#5 thru #29 would not have been cool with me going in with her. Not at all! I met up with her once inside and we watched the show together. You can always be right behind the person you want to watch the show with, but entering the venue is the spot where you arrive.

Night two we went right from the first show to get on line. Some of us made it out of the venue before our partners. It was only a couple of minutes. That was no issue. There were a couple of people that had arrived and wanted to hold spots for their other 3 friends. That didn't fly. They could hold the spot for one person, and the other 2 were in the place in line where they arrived.

This is consistent with about a dozen shows I have camped out for PJ shows.

Again, as you go farther back people are less strict about it in my experience. The issue is you only need one person right behind you but before your friends spot to get upset. Then it is unfair to push them back.

If everyone could hold a spot for their plus one you could be #25 in line and now you are #50. That is the difference between being on the rail or not. Seeing as that is many people camp out, it is just not fare to them.

This Is the answer. Well said.

To the “NO GA” people:
If you don’t like GA protocol, there is an option to buy Reserved seats. LOTs of PJ fans love GA, hence why they are the MOST sought after tickets every show. You can’t dispute that.

Choice is good. GA folks get their wish. Reserved folks get their wish. Everyone wins.

If there was an option for "reserved" and "reserved first 24 rows", just as many would choose the 2nd option as they choose GA.

opsopcopolis · August 2018

mattsavard said:
LOTs of PJ fans love GA, hence why they are the MOST sought after tickets every show. You can’t dispute that.

They're the most sought after ticket because it's the floor. I don't think you'd have those same people looking for lowers if the floor was reserved. People want to be close to the band and GA is the closest

kaseylily · August 2018

faithful2you said:

helplessdancer said:

nothing matters unless you have a number on your hand

Exactly. But this is exactly why there starts to be clicks making rules and creating a "list" for the GA line. It's just like everything else on this board; everyone thinks they can make the rules from GA lines to what the band should be playing to how they should be playing to who should sit and who should stand. Go to the fucking show and worry about yourself without being an asshole instead of telling everyone what they can and cannot do. If you don't like it when things aren't exactly they way you think they should be stay the fuck home.

+1

bbiggs · August 2018

How much of a difference would be expected between lining up at 10:00 or 11:00 am on show day as opposed to going in right at 5:00? I know no one has the crystal ball, but roughly, assuming more towards Mike or Stones side. Less than 10 rows deep by lining up in the morning and 10-15 deep going in at 5:00?

mace1229 · August 2018

I can't believe people line up 3 or 4 days early.
If I was homeless I guess I'd consider it.
Only did GA once, Wrigley 13, got there maybe 2 hours before the show and only had about 15 people between the stage and me, that isn't worth giving up several days in a cool city.

Just get there with your friend, its not worth the wait or worth pissing off the people who did get there early.

GA Line etiquette

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