Camping out for a show?

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mr_kitty

Babyface
Joined
Nov 10, 2002
Messages
19
Hey all,
I'm going to a few shows when the band tours Australia next month. They are all stadium shows and I have GA tickets.
I'm wondering the lengths I have to go to in order to get a decent spot. I don't need to be very front and centre but I would like to be close to the "elipse" (or the two catwalks/bstages).

At the moment I'm thinking of lining up in the early morning hours on the day of the shows (say maybe from about 5am), but I don't know if this is a risk.

Also, how do you actually camp out? I've spent the night in que before to buy concert tickets. No tent or anything but I did have some supplies. However that was just to buy a ticket and go home. What do you do with all you stuff (tents, sleeping bags, etc) when you actually attend the show?

Can you always guarantee that there'll be toilets close buy? Will another fan mind your spot if you have to leave?

Any advice is appreciated. I'm sure I'll have some more questions later.
 
I have the same questions as you mr_kitty, also, what time do the boys come on approx. and what time does the concert end approx.?
 
Hey there! I'm going to the 31st March Sydney show!
:hyper:

I will not be camping but i will be going around 5am though! As i learned that it is first come, first served when it comes to getting into the "the-sorta-ellipse-thingy"!

I've never camped out for a concert before so i have no advise for ya! But.....i'm only bringing the bare essentials! Water, lollies and museli bars,camera and phone in a small backpack! That's it!!!!!

My hubby and some buddies will be going too, if you have no-one to hang out with, you could hang out with us,we will mind your spot no-worries!!!
 
Camping out the night is a bit extreme -I am sure you can get a good spot by going at 6-8am

In london I missed the ellipse by going at 10am - but I got the spot on the railings outside the ellipse (or whatever you want to call it)

Consider how you will feel after that many hours of waiting - the London shows at the height of the summer and it was absolutley hot as hell throughout - I felt shitty when we were let in about 4 or 5pm - i felt even shittier standing up and listening to 2 bands I did not know of (plus the gaps while they change equipment)

In Cardiff I got there at 8am and could have gotten into the ellipse if the way they arranged it was not so poor.

**** When I got to Cardiff the portable (2 or 3!) toilets that they had were locked behind the stadium gate (people were outisde the gate) and they only bought the toilert out when loads of people wanted it - so I would not be so sure on the toilet thing! - London had loads of them out in the open though***

All nighter would probably be a bit extreme for me - I think getting there at 6am should do it.
 
hey all,
thanks for the replies.
fly so high, do you think it will be easy enough to get a camera in? It says they're not allowed on the ticket. Just another thing I'm not sure about...
 
mr_kitty said:
hey all,
thanks for the replies.
fly so high, do you think it will be easy enough to get a camera in? It says they're not allowed on the ticket. Just another thing I'm not sure about...

I think the promoters mean the big professional ones. I really cannot see them checking every single bag, thats why keep the bag small like a small backpack or a bum-bag, i'm only bringing my little olympus (some buddies are bringing disposables) and my phone that has camera on it!

So are you going to the March 31st show!!!!!
 
what about toilets once you get in the show? I plan to wait all day to get a good spot in the eliptical thingy but then I am not gonna want to leave to go to the loo and lose my spot once I am inside.

I'm not too wild on the piss in a bottle method. I was actually thinking of borrowing one of my sons nappies (diapers) and stuffing it down my pants in case of unstoppable urinary pressure. ;) I suppose I should test this plan at home first to see if it works.

any advice? I can at least entertain those around me as they watch a grown man use a nappy. :)
 
In the States, they had port-a-potties outside the venues (except in Buffalo, where it was like 25 degrees and they let us wait inside, thank God), so we could use those all day. I drank lots of water through the day, up until about maybe 4:00, 2 hours before we were allowed inside. Then I went to the bathroom one last time, and held it for the rest of the night. It was never too much of a wait for me. For the shows when I did GA, I didn't have any alcohol until afterwards, because that always seems to make me have to go more. :wink:

I'd say camping out may not be a bad idea in Australia. Your part of the world hasn't had a U2 show in quite a while, so I'm sure fans are going to be really pumped up. I got excellent spots for GA by showing up around 9 a.m., but I went late in the first leg and mid-way and late in the third leg, so excitement had died down by then.

Hope everyone has a great time! U2 in a stadium is an amazing experience, and I'm hoping they bring that kind of show to the States on the next tour.
 
BonoIsMyMuse said:
U2 in a stadium is an amazing experience, and I'm hoping they bring that kind of show to the States on the next tour. [/B]

I guess that proves that we always want what we can't have. I would kill for an arena show (or eight in a row! like Boston, NYC, LA, etc).
 
OK heres my problem and i need some help ... i want to camp out for the sydney show i'm going with my sister, my friend and my little brother. My sister can't though because she has a baby and my brothe in law is a school teacher and doesn't finish work till 4ish so she cant leave her. I was going to go early with my mate and have my sister come later do you think anyone would mind if she just came and lined up with us?
 
That would probably depend on you making sure it is ok with a lot of the people around you...if just one person kicks up a fuss....

In London they gave everyone a sheet of paper who left the queue (and a time) - so if your sister is trying to walk into the front of the queue (when loads of other people have lined up behind you) - she may have trouble with security

That is assuming security use such a system - the security at Twickenham were very organised and good.
 
in Mexico, I showed up the morning BEFORE the show and I had about 2,000 people in front of me. They gave out wristband so you could leave, however. I could have been at the very back of the ellipse area (nowhere close to the B-stages) but I should to go to the side and be a little closer. The wristband thing is an exeption and not the rule, so if you want to be close, you should show early earlt early.
 
I like camping out. For one, it's way cheaper than getting hotel rooms. Also, if you camp out, you can essentially sleep until the afternoon if you really want to. For my first GA show, we wanted to get in line early but didn't have camping stuff so we had to wake up at 4am (after being out that night). When we camped, we could sleep until 9 or 10am and feel much better. It's nice to have a tent during the day if you need shelter, shade, or privacy.

Don't worry about your stuff. Tons of people will camp. Just do what they do. For arena shows, everyone starts packing up around 4:30-5pm and takes turns leaving the line to bring stuff back to cars.
 
hey people, but what about toilets once you are IN the show. Its not like you can leave your spot on the rail and expect it will be there for you when you get back (if you can get back). That would suck after spending all day lining up. (I still haven't tested my nappy idea that I mentioned in this thread...but I'll let you know)
 
ponee said:
hey people, but what about toilets once you are IN the show. Its not like you can leave your spot on the rail and expect it will be there for you when you get back (if you can get back). That would suck after spending all day lining up. (I still haven't tested my nappy idea that I mentioned in this thread...but I'll let you know)

If you need to go, go right away before it fills up behind you. Also, say hi to people on the way out so that they'll let you back in. This works OK for arena shows, not sure about stadium protocol, but personally I drink as little as possible, and only water, the day of and then use the toilet at the last possible chance before going in.
 
It should be the same as anywhere else i assume, there will definately be more people on the road/rail/bus networks, so i would leave alot earlier than expected just in case its too busy!
 
I'm coming to Sydney for the March 31st show and someone said theres a ferry we could take from circular quay to Telstra stadium. Is this true? Appreciate any tips on transortation to the stadium from the quay.
 
Melbourne Concert

I rang up Telstra Dome the other day and they said that you can't line up until 9am the day of the concert and that there is to be no camping out on the premises before 9 or security will tell you to move.

For those who want to camp out, like myself, I think there should be a line organised somewhere, perhaps along La Trobe Street because it’s close to gate 7. Has anyone got any ideas?
 
Thanks for the info jack999! I don't think my friends and I are going to camp out anyomore cos' some have major assessments on that day. And we want to arrive as a group so no one thinks we are pushing in. Do you think 12pm is pushing it??
 
Re: Melbourne Concert

jack999 said:
I rang up Telstra Dome the other day and they said that you can't line up until 9am the day of the concert and that there is to be no camping out on the premises before 9 or security will tell you to move.

For those who want to camp out, like myself, I think there should be a line organised somewhere, perhaps along La Trobe Street because it’s close to gate 7. Has anyone got any ideas?

If I were you, I'd still plan on camping out. Just don't do it on the premises. Camp somewhere close by.

You can bet that no matter what the venue says, there will be people who camp anyway. This happened here in the States, in Chicago. My friend and I had GA for the United Center and she received an email from the United Center saying no one would be allowed to camp out on the premises and no one would be allowed to line up until noon. We got there at noon and there were people in tents and people who had been there since the previous day.

So plan on camping anyway--or getting there early to line up--no matter what the venue says, if you want to get close.
 
Re: Re: Melbourne Concert

aislinn said:


If I were you, I'd still plan on camping out. Just don't do it on the premises. Camp somewhere close by.

You can bet that no matter what the venue says, there will be people who camp anyway. This happened here in the States, in Chicago. My friend and I had GA for the United Center and she received an email from the United Center saying no one would be allowed to camp out on the premises and no one would be allowed to line up until noon. We got there at noon and there were people in tents and people who had been there since the previous day.

So plan on camping anyway--or getting there early to line up--no matter what the venue says, if you want to get close.

Actually, in my experience, the UC was the best venue for camping. The director of the whole place came out and told the cops that the tents were legit so the cops left us alone. He also made sure that the gate to the parking lot was unlocked so that we could get in and use the porta-poties during the night. There was plenty of space to camp on this grassy strip, and we could park our cars literally feet from our tents for free until the parking lots opened. Once we were inside, the same guy brought everyone boxes of bottled water and snacks for free. This guy went out of his way to make sure the campers were safe and left alone.

Camping at the UC went more smoothly than camping at a camp ground!

The Palace of Auburn Hills, on the other hand, was a mess. They didn't let anyone on the property until 2PM the day of. Their property is surrounded by highway and they patrol it well, so all of our attempts to get in line and reason w/ security failed. Luckily, when we rushed in at 2pm, some of our friends had snuck in line through the back because security there decided it was close enough to 2pm, so these girls held a spot and honored the number system.
 
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Re: Re: Melbourne Concert

aislinn said:


If I were you, I'd still plan on camping out. Just don't do it on the premises. Camp somewhere close by.

You can bet that no matter what the venue says, there will be people who camp anyway. This happened here in the States, in Chicago. My friend and I had GA for the United Center and she received an email from the United Center saying no one would be allowed to camp out on the premises and no one would be allowed to line up until noon. We got there at noon and there were people in tents and people who had been there since the previous day.

So plan on camping anyway--or getting there early to line up--no matter what the venue says, if you want to get close.

I agree! The venues rarely seem to know what's going on. So, no matter what they say, plan on getting there as early as possible. U2 fans will find a way... they always do! :wink:
 
Thanks for that aislinn. I’ll definitely get there the night before. I’m sure there will be quite a few people camping out. It’s not like security will be able to physically move us off the premises.
 
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