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MSG 2 poster sale - poor execution, near dangerous
wurldtraveler
Posts: 72
I arrived around 4:15 to MSG to pick up tix and see what was up with the poster sale. There was already a barricaded waiting area for fans waiting for posters. There was no line; it was just a holding pen, basically, about 20 people wide. I couldn't tell you precisely how many people were there, but it looked to be several hundred, though probably not more than five hundred.
Fans were understandably early, b/c posters had sold out around 6:15 for MSG 1, and they weren't even sold beyond the entrance; non-ticket holders could have bought them. I was lucky after getting to ~5th in line on the one side when they sold out, I still managed to get one from the other side with about ~10-15 bracelets left over. (Bracelets were placeholders for posters to pick up afterwards. That was at least a good idea.) Thanks to the folks in front of me for paying in cash!
At some point close to 5:00, MSG staff came out to hand out bracelets. We thought, "Great, bracelets for posters," but they announced that the bracelet didn't guarantee you a poster, but just a first right to purchase a poster. In other words, if you have a bracelet, they'll sell you a poster bracelet, unless they're sold out. Wow. That's great. Essentially, here's a bracelet so you can get another bracelet. Maybe.
At this point, there's no clear instruction on what to do after you get the bracelet, so a lot of people who were close to the front of the holding pen left the pen, only to then discover that no, you have to be in the pen after all. Or, at least that's what we heard through people who could actually interpret what the MSG staff was saying through their fast-food drive-thru quality megaphones.
So we stand there, packed together, with the crowd growing and people pushing to get the bracelets. It settles down considerably once everyone got a bracelet who was there, presumably, unless they ran out. That was never clear either.
At near 5:30, MSG staff comes out to the pen and says they'll start in 2 minutes and let 50 people at a time go up and buy posters. Cheers, sarcastic and legitimate, emanate from the crowd.
(Release me!)
The first group is let go about 5 minutes later, and of course, some movement turns into a lot of shoving to the front to the metal barricades. It wasn't so bad being near the left/back side about 20 people away from the front, but there's definitely a lot of pushing.
Second group goes, and it's more shoving from behind and now most of the movement is involuntary as you're thrust to the one-person opening at the corner of the pen.
During the pause, an MSG staffer pushed through the opening and started telling people to move back. No one does b/c no one can. I presume he pushed his way through to the back of crowd relaying this message, but I lost him immediately in the crowd pressed up behind me.
Third group goes, and we're entirely getting shoved forward by the crowd. At 155 lbs, I'm definitely not able to stop/go at will. On my left is a woman definitely smaller than me, and I'm being crammed into her and can't do a thing. Thank god we're ~3 people deep at this point from the exit.
Fourth group goes - my group, eventually - and I couldn't have been more powerless. I shout "stop" over my shoulder, but naturally, nothing happens. It's a crowd. The aforementioned woman is basically crushed between me and the metal barricades for what's probably 10 seconds, but seems like ages until we get through the opening and onward.
I'll guess that this repeated over and over. I was just thankful to be out of that pen.
I really wish 10C or whomever would figure out a better process for poster sales and coordinate with the site staff. This was not fun at all and could have been worse.
The day-of ticket waiting line was managed much better. There was a smaller line of people in a "next up" pen, and then the larger waiting line. They had security/staff there to manage both queues, and the line was far more of a line than a big crowd of people. This seemed to have worked a whole lot better.
Fans were understandably early, b/c posters had sold out around 6:15 for MSG 1, and they weren't even sold beyond the entrance; non-ticket holders could have bought them. I was lucky after getting to ~5th in line on the one side when they sold out, I still managed to get one from the other side with about ~10-15 bracelets left over. (Bracelets were placeholders for posters to pick up afterwards. That was at least a good idea.) Thanks to the folks in front of me for paying in cash!
At some point close to 5:00, MSG staff came out to hand out bracelets. We thought, "Great, bracelets for posters," but they announced that the bracelet didn't guarantee you a poster, but just a first right to purchase a poster. In other words, if you have a bracelet, they'll sell you a poster bracelet, unless they're sold out. Wow. That's great. Essentially, here's a bracelet so you can get another bracelet. Maybe.
At this point, there's no clear instruction on what to do after you get the bracelet, so a lot of people who were close to the front of the holding pen left the pen, only to then discover that no, you have to be in the pen after all. Or, at least that's what we heard through people who could actually interpret what the MSG staff was saying through their fast-food drive-thru quality megaphones.
So we stand there, packed together, with the crowd growing and people pushing to get the bracelets. It settles down considerably once everyone got a bracelet who was there, presumably, unless they ran out. That was never clear either.
At near 5:30, MSG staff comes out to the pen and says they'll start in 2 minutes and let 50 people at a time go up and buy posters. Cheers, sarcastic and legitimate, emanate from the crowd.
(Release me!)
The first group is let go about 5 minutes later, and of course, some movement turns into a lot of shoving to the front to the metal barricades. It wasn't so bad being near the left/back side about 20 people away from the front, but there's definitely a lot of pushing.
Second group goes, and it's more shoving from behind and now most of the movement is involuntary as you're thrust to the one-person opening at the corner of the pen.
During the pause, an MSG staffer pushed through the opening and started telling people to move back. No one does b/c no one can. I presume he pushed his way through to the back of crowd relaying this message, but I lost him immediately in the crowd pressed up behind me.
Third group goes, and we're entirely getting shoved forward by the crowd. At 155 lbs, I'm definitely not able to stop/go at will. On my left is a woman definitely smaller than me, and I'm being crammed into her and can't do a thing. Thank god we're ~3 people deep at this point from the exit.
Fourth group goes - my group, eventually - and I couldn't have been more powerless. I shout "stop" over my shoulder, but naturally, nothing happens. It's a crowd. The aforementioned woman is basically crushed between me and the metal barricades for what's probably 10 seconds, but seems like ages until we get through the opening and onward.
I'll guess that this repeated over and over. I was just thankful to be out of that pen.
I really wish 10C or whomever would figure out a better process for poster sales and coordinate with the site staff. This was not fun at all and could have been worse.
The day-of ticket waiting line was managed much better. There was a smaller line of people in a "next up" pen, and then the larger waiting line. They had security/staff there to manage both queues, and the line was far more of a line than a big crowd of people. This seemed to have worked a whole lot better.
"A compliment for us, is a compliment for you."
****
Vancouver '05, Denver I/II '06, Gorge I/II '06, MSG I/II '08, VH1 Rock Honors '08, Seattle I/II '09, Vancouver '11
EV: Portland '11, Seattle Benaroya I/II '11
****
Vancouver '05, Denver I/II '06, Gorge I/II '06, MSG I/II '08, VH1 Rock Honors '08, Seattle I/II '09, Vancouver '11
EV: Portland '11, Seattle Benaroya I/II '11
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Comments
I may be the poor pj fan!
Mihi cura futuri.
The elements they speak to me.
http://espn.go.com/espnradiostations/NewYork1050/gallery/35218855.html
so cute they are
I dont think this is within the 10C scope... 2003 was exactly the same I think it has more to do with the MSG.
Only MSG on 2003 and 2008 seemed to have been the ones with these major issues so I want to assume that it was beyond 10C's control.
Still kinda sucks though I didnt get a poster on 03, I wa let in early because my foot was broken and there were NO posters inside at all, I was let in 10 minutes before everyone else... (I got one later through the 10C sale)
Sounds like it was isolated to MSG. That really sucks for people wanting to get one.
Nuclear fission
It sucks that I missed out on night 2, hopefully I can find one later, or get it off the 10c sale.
Usually it's the opposite where night 1 sucks and then they rectify it. It's a shame it went the opposite way here.
at MSG II, it was a tragedy waiting to happen. I'm a big dude... 6'3", 250lbs... and I was moved around in the surge like a beach ball in heavy surf. This could have been avoided so easily by the Garden staff snaking the crowd appropriately.... ropes, barricades, anything other than a cattle pen. The behavior in the crowd trying to get through to be let up to the merchandise tent was both unruly and unsafe. And to the idiot who kept shouting at the staff at the top of his lungs... and in all of our ears.... karma hopefully ended up with a crease in your poster right through the middle.
Not as dangerous, but just as foolish was the mass of people at the merch tent. Imagine.... everyone trying to get to the front of the counter, not willing to give up their space, and then someone trying to make their way out while opportunists see their chance to fill in the void and inch closer. Miserable.
Final comment -- I would hope that difficult conditions bring out the best in fellow 10c'ers... patience, respect, assistanting others. MSG II quickly led to poster darwinism and it wasn't a pretty sight. Let's expect better from each other.
Peace all.
Manchester - 4/6/2000
London - 20/4/2006
Dublin - 23/8/2006
London - 18/6/2007
New York City - 24/6/2008
New York City - 25/6/2008 - we will be "what is up" New York
Manchester - 18/8/2009
London - 18/6/2018
Yes it was a pain in the ass to be squashed in there but it wasn't dangerous for any of us. The MSG staff made what could have been a straightforward process - wristband/wristband/gig/poster - into way too much of a nightmare, and they wouldn't even show us the posters beforehand so we had to pay the $25 for whay could have been a crap poster...
I'm just glad the poster was pretty cool or I would have been seriously pissed off! :-)
(Jeff Tweedy, Sydney 2007)
“Put yer good money on the sunrise”
(Tim Rogers)
I thought the world...Turns out the world thought me
I'll ride the wave where it takes me...
Anyway, at MSG 2, you didn't even have to have a ticket to see PJ to even buy a poster! That's the reason I missed out on MSG 1. The merch stand was outside the venue. (At least outside of the box office.) It was just out of hand. My girlfriend almost got trampled as she was ripped away from me and I almost had to fight to defend myself. This one guy was literally shouldering through the crowd to get to the front of the pen we were forced to be in. People just need to relax. I mean, I want a poster just as much as the next person. But I'm not willing to injure people or get trampled for one. I only hope that fellow 10c's were not part of the idiots I'm talking about. And if you are, then fuck you. You don't deserve to be a part of it.
I also hope that this is just specific to MSG since it was my first time at that venue. MSG 2 was my 16th show and I never had to deal with that kind of pandemonium.