Major Mansfield Tailgaiting issues

mookieblalock · June 2008

This was the worst tailgaiting experience of my life. I felt I was in Red China. Honestly security/Police literally would setup camp around us and just stare at us (the entire parking section of where I was).

The worst part about it, was that everyone was supercool and of age and just having a good time, nobody was out to get hammered/high, whatever.

Can anyone tell me if this was the same or different in the Pre-paid lot at the venue? If it isn't, I will certainly be parking there tomorrow. Otherwise, I will wait and park in one of the lots outside the venue.

Absolutely ridiculous...

dropmyleash · June 2008

It was literally like a police state from 4 until 7.

Age didn't matter.
They made people open closed cars and then took all alcohol.
Took tickets.
Undercover guys walking every row.
Cops in carts, not just employees.

It was ridic and will be Monday as well.
I guess they had a huge fight at Tom Petty which set off this crackdown.

Fair warning. I've never been more paranoid at a show in my life...

restlesssoul · June 2008

that sounds really, really shitty. such a vibe killer.

ardy · June 2008

took tickets?

did they give them back?

fall by the wayside · June 2008

The VIP lot wasn't much better. This must be what the USSR was like. Never in my life have I been hassled for tailgating like that.

binauralsounds · June 2008

dropmyleash wrote:

It was literally like a police state from 4 until 7.

Age didn't matter.
They made people open closed cars and then took all alcohol.
Took tickets.
Undercover guys walking every row.
Cops in carts, not just employees.

It was ridic and will be Monday as well.
I guess they had a huge fight at Tom Petty which set off this crackdown.

Fair warning. I've never been more paranoid at a show in my life...

Took tickets?????? Uhhh, how is this legal? Are you sure about this?????

PlaLEash · June 2008

Thanks to the monster energy drink guy! Cops were coming by and looking in cups for beer. I resorted to pouring beers into the monster energy can and no probs after that. Police were ridiculous...i cant even count how many times i saw the cart go by with someone cuffed riding the back.....piss poor....

ManOfTheHour · June 2008

We parked in VIP parking and for $40.00 you'd think they would let you drink a beer in peace. (BTW, I remember when VIP parking was $20! WTF?) We arrived very early and were one of the first to park. The usual keg cup idea is great, but the people next to us had Dunkin' Donuts cups which proved to be a little more low key.

Two cops came up to us right off the bat, and warned us not to have any open alcohol or you would be asked to leave. I found this a little weird after seeing a big sign at the entrance of the venue which clearly stated "Must have proper I.D. to possess alcohol."

After they left we all contunied to drink some beers poured in cups and I was not harrased at all. I did however make it a point not to be holding a cup when I saw the cops on bikes make their rounds. This happened less and less as the time went by and the show was nearing. At around 6:30 and beyond I saw no security and people were drinking everywhere more openly.

My advice to anyone going on Monday, arrive early, carpool, and make sure you bring some D&D cups or something similar.

Oh, and I am guessing security was a lot worse in the standard parking areas.

pj0705 · June 2008

Tailgating last night was the worst ive ever experienced. We got there at 3pm and There were cops waiting and gave us a huge talk saying that anyone with alcohol would be immediately arrested. We were extremely cautious, but then police presence disappeared around 6pm. We were fine after that but many people left the parking lot immediately upon arriving presumably to go to a bar or back home before the show. Just horrible.

I was at the Tom Petty concert a couple weeks earlier and i remembered thinking how out of control it was and that they would probably be more strict, just never thought it would be this bad. Petty was out of control.

mookieblalock · June 2008

I ended up using emptied and rinsed soda cans to hold my beer in. It sucked having to do that, but I had no problems after I did so. The beer actually tasted better because I felt like there was nothing they could do, but I am worried that by tomorrow night they may end up taking samples of everyone's drinks.

That is how bad it is and I am not even joking. What fu**ing country are we in?????????

over bends · June 2008

Truth be told, this sounds great. From my experience, the guys who have been drinking all day are the ones who ruin the actual show for everyone else. If it means that someone didn't get pissed on during the show, then I'm all for this. I realize that this doesn't stop drunkedness at shows or obnoxious behavior, but it is atleast some sort of action to prevent it. If you guys want to drink, why do you need to do it at the event parking lot 7 hours before the show starts? I never understood the tailgating culture.

Kosuke Fukudome · June 2008

over_bends wrote:

Truth be told, this sounds great. From my experience, the guys who have been drinking all day are the ones who ruin the actual show for everyone else. If it means that someone didn't get pissed on during the show, then I'm all for this. I realize that this doesn't stop drunkedness at shows or obnoxious behavior, but it is atleast some sort of action to prevent it. If you guys want to drink, why do you need to do it at the event parking lot 7 hours before the show starts? I never understood the tailgating culture.

Then don't comment on it. Some people like to and you obviously don't and have no experience with the subject at hand.

There is nothing wrong or illegal about drinking beers at a concert.

ManOfTheHour · June 2008

over_bends wrote:

Truth be told, this sounds great. From my experience, the guys who have been drinking all day are the ones who ruin the actual show for everyone else. If it means that someone didn't get pissed on during the show, then I'm all for this. I realize that this doesn't stop drunkedness at shows or obnoxious behavior, but it is atleast some sort of action to prevent it. If you guys want to drink, why do you need to do it at the event parking lot 7 hours before the show starts? I never understood the tailgating culture.

Last time I checked, this is Amercia. Which pretty much gives me the right to drink a beer, or 6 if I want, before a show that I paid for with my hard earned money. Also last time I checked, not everyone who drinks beer before a show, pisses on the floor and acts "obnoxios". I respect your opinion, but stop sterotyping all tailgaters. Some of us are actually pretty decent people with no intentions on ruining the show for people like you.

the wolf · June 2008

i enjoy a good tailgating session just as much as the next guy, but you all do know that tailgating is illeagal in most places yeah? they just usually let you get by with it so long as it dont get out of control. if they are being that strict about it, its usually because they have been having problems. lets face it, you not being able to drink a few beers b4 the show is better then people getting hammered and fighting, and or drinking and driving.

it sucks that the few have to fuck it up for the many, but , such is life.

over bends · June 2008

Kosuke Fukudome wrote:

Then don't comment on it. Some people like to and you obviously don't and have no experience with the subject at hand.

There is nothing wrong or illegal about drinking beers at a concert.

I don't have a problem with it so long as it doesn't affect someone's time at the concert other than your own.

But seriously, why go through all of the trouble of having to look over your shoulder and hiding beer inside of a dunkin donuts cup, when you can do it elsewhere with no problems? I'm not being facetious or knocking anyone. That's a serious question that I would like answered.

over bends · June 2008

ManOfTheHour wrote:

Last time I checked, this is Amercia. Which pretty much gives me the right to drink a beer, or 6 if I want, before a show that I paid for with my hard earned money.

Show me the line in the constitution.

share · June 2008

I thought the pee police were bad in Detroit

but the time we went to Mansfield (not this time around) there were insanely prickish police on bikes everywhere - going through trunks and cars and just really being a pain in the ass

they were definitely creating situations rather than preventing them

3inputchick · June 2008

Hartford just sprayed us with pepper... they left the beer alone!

Cops are jerks...

ManOfTheHour · June 2008

over_bends wrote:

Show me the line in the constitution.

Yeah, let me get that for you.

Kosuke Fukudome · June 2008

over_bends wrote:

Show me the line in the constitution.

Show me the line in the constitution where it doesn't say that.

Oh right, there is nothing in the constitution about tailgating and drinking beer.

You must be a history major.

Danimal · June 2008

over_bends wrote:

I never understood the tailgating culture.

Obviously you don't....geek.

over bends · June 2008

Kosuke Fukudome wrote:

Show me the line in the constitution where it doesn't say that.

Oh right, there is nothing in the constitution about tailgating and drinking beer.

You must be a history major.

That makes no sense. Do you even realize how the constitution works? That parking lot is a private institution. They could do whatever they want concerning alcohol consumption. And obviously, they don't want you doing it there.

ManOfTheHour · June 2008

over_bends wrote:

That makes no sense. Do you even realize how the constitution works? That parking lot is a private institution. They could do whatever they want concerning alcohol consumption. And obviously, they don't want you doing it there.

Then explain the big sign at the entrance which stated it was legal with proper ID. The sign said "possess", not purchase.

3inputchick · June 2008

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves

Kosuke Fukudome wrote:

Show me the line in the constitution where it doesn't say that.

Oh right, there is nothing in the constitution about tailgating and drinking beer.

You must be a history major.

Kosuke Fukudome · June 2008

over_bends wrote:

That makes no sense. Do you even realize how the constitution works? That parking lot is a private institution. They could do whatever they want concerning alcohol consumption. And obviously, they don't want you doing it there.

But that's not what the original quote said. It said he has the right to drink beer before a concert with his own money. Not he has the right to drinking in a parking lot.

over bends · June 2008

ManOfTheHour wrote:

Then explain the big sign at the entrance which stated it was legal with proper ID. The sign said "possess", not purchase.

I don't know the specificity of the situation regarding the venue's policies nor the state of Massachusetts laws regarding tailgating, but it is certainly within their right to disallow it for whatever circumstance. People in this topic think its their right as a US citizen to be able to tailgate, when that's just not the case. It is certainly within the venues, states, city's, whatever was in charge's boundaries to restrict it.

over bends · June 2008

Kosuke Fukudome wrote:

But that's not what the original quote said. It said he has the right to drink beer before a concert with his own money. Not he has the right to drinking in a parking lot.

He does. Anywhere that is cool with it... He doesn't for anywhere that doesn't want him doing so.

HermanBloom · June 2008

over_bends wrote:

Truth be told, this sounds great. From my experience, the guys who have been drinking all day are the ones who ruin the actual show for everyone else. If it means that someone didn't get pissed on during the show, then I'm all for this. I realize that this doesn't stop drunkedness at shows or obnoxious behavior, but it is atleast some sort of action to prevent it. If you guys want to drink, why do you need to do it at the event parking lot 7 hours before the show starts? I never understood the tailgating culture.

Agreed; I don't like that much control, but the tailgaiters have been the pricks and drunk idiots so far on this tour.

Kosuke Fukudome · June 2008

nathanastin wrote:

Agreed; I don't like that much control, but the tailgaiters have been the pricks and drunk idiots so far on this tour.

And you've met every single one?

binauralsounds · June 2008

Still don't buy the cops took tickets. Sounds like a fairy tale there.

J-P · June 2008

The venue doesn't profit from fans drinking outside in their lots when they could make us buy $9 drinks inside. After awhile, most ampitheaters will probably start cracking down and hope to make more money inside the venue. It's a shame for fans who love that experience but it seems to be the path for the future.

I heard Tom Petty created a lot of problems for the venue and tailgating. Plus DMB played 2 shows last week which might have also had a lot of drinking issues.

Live Nation, which owns the Tweeter Center, also owns the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey which had a variety of tailgating issues last summer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNC%20Bank%20Arts%20Center

Maybe Live Nation is just taking steps to stop the problems by cracking down. I guess they've already banned tailgating for shows with younger audiences (Fall Out Boy, etc)

Major Mansfield Tailgaiting issues

Comments