Lottery: Diehards not excited enough, therefore lottery in effect!
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I didn't have GA's for the 11/19, my first reserved seat of the tour. I traded my GA away for two reserved seats.
No offence to Institute, but we skipped the opening act and went outside.
I was curious about the GA line and wanted to see if a friend who was coming late would walk through, so we walked over to the GA entrance.
At 7:00pm, all the computers were gone. I asked a Phillips Arena employee who was in charge if they were still handing out bands to get into the ellipse.
She told me that they had filled their quota and that allison had shut it down for the night.
So much for a random lottery where all tickets have an equal chance.
I stood there and watched person after person walk in with no chance at the ellipse.
Allison is a poor manager of the GA line and a corrupt one too..
On 11/18, we saw her let in four individuals who hadn't scanned, go in because they brought an 8 yr old.
They let the same four go in on 11/19 all because of the kid again.
It's cool that U2 is family friendly, but it sucks when people learn that they can scam the system and use a kid to get in to the ellipse at multiple shows.
And the there are the multiple concert goers who always end up on a rail or get beeped in.
Just be honest, come late and skip the GA line, tell people you know someone from the band who gets you in, and that hey it sucks for you.
We know that your special and deserve extra treatment the average fan can only dream of.
Of course U2 is only there just for you, right...
For a band who stands for equality and fairness, it sure has a bunch of fans who just don't get it.
They can't seem to see through the shadows and tall trees..
I on the other hand enjoyed the show tremendously, didn't get beeped in, but was in chizip's usual spot.
Hung out with some awesome people, some of whom was there first show.
It was awesome to see them enjoy it and refreshed me and we got to talk with Bono and get some autographs before the show on Saturday.
I'm thankful for a great weekend, had a blast, and inspite of the crooked and deceitful people that were there or were a source of aggravation, I was able to ignore those things and embrace the spirit in the house.
No offence to Institute, but we skipped the opening act and went outside.
I was curious about the GA line and wanted to see if a friend who was coming late would walk through, so we walked over to the GA entrance.
At 7:00pm, all the computers were gone. I asked a Phillips Arena employee who was in charge if they were still handing out bands to get into the ellipse.
She told me that they had filled their quota and that allison had shut it down for the night.
So much for a random lottery where all tickets have an equal chance.
I stood there and watched person after person walk in with no chance at the ellipse.
Allison is a poor manager of the GA line and a corrupt one too..
On 11/18, we saw her let in four individuals who hadn't scanned, go in because they brought an 8 yr old.
They let the same four go in on 11/19 all because of the kid again.
It's cool that U2 is family friendly, but it sucks when people learn that they can scam the system and use a kid to get in to the ellipse at multiple shows.
And the there are the multiple concert goers who always end up on a rail or get beeped in.
Just be honest, come late and skip the GA line, tell people you know someone from the band who gets you in, and that hey it sucks for you.
We know that your special and deserve extra treatment the average fan can only dream of.
Of course U2 is only there just for you, right...
For a band who stands for equality and fairness, it sure has a bunch of fans who just don't get it.
They can't seem to see through the shadows and tall trees..
I on the other hand enjoyed the show tremendously, didn't get beeped in, but was in chizip's usual spot.
Hung out with some awesome people, some of whom was there first show.
It was awesome to see them enjoy it and refreshed me and we got to talk with Bono and get some autographs before the show on Saturday.
I'm thankful for a great weekend, had a blast, and inspite of the crooked and deceitful people that were there or were a source of aggravation, I was able to ignore those things and embrace the spirit in the house.
LyricalDrug
Rock n' Roll Doggie
I've been to 11 shows on the last 2 tours where I've had GA tickets, and been in the heart/ellipse 5 times. There's nothing better.
But Paul McGuinness and Bono are definitely right: there are lots of, for lack of a better word, dorky hardcore fans who take the whole thing way too seriously, and get overly bent out of shape when they don't get into the heart, and do pompous things like staging stupid protests (that thing in Boston), etc. etc.
Overall, I think U2's been very fair with their fans, as always.
But Paul McGuinness and Bono are definitely right: there are lots of, for lack of a better word, dorky hardcore fans who take the whole thing way too seriously, and get overly bent out of shape when they don't get into the heart, and do pompous things like staging stupid protests (that thing in Boston), etc. etc.
Overall, I think U2's been very fair with their fans, as always.
EPandAmerica
New Yorker
LyricalDrug said:
The weird thing is that even though Europe (and Australia, South America etc.) has a lot of these, for lack of a better word, dorky hardcore fans who take the whole thing way too seriously too, there still is a very good and fanatic mood inside the heart/ellipse overall..LyricalDrug said:
When I look at the Boston and Chicago DVD's people inside the heart almost seem bored! So I can imagine that if there are really thát much hardcore fans inside the ellipse/heart on a nightly basis, this lotery system might work...
But you will never a lotery in Europe, Australia or South-America.. The first-come-first-serve system is how it has always been and still the mood in the heart/ellipse is great.. Not only with U2 but at every gig the pit is the place where the action is!
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
Since this subject is once again rearing its beautiful head...just a point of order;*Ally* said:
The 6/6/01 Sit down protest in Boston was not executed by Boston fans. The protesters were from out of town, following the band around.
Hewson
Blue Crack Supplier
on 10/4, I noticed every child about 12 and under miraculously "won" the lottery.hef4u2 said:
That's a bad thing.. If it's true of course!Hewson said:
Maybe they should still use the lottery system, but use it on the first 500 people who are in line (or something)... That way there is still a first-come-first-serve basis, but nót always the same people inside the heart/ellipse
gvox
Ghost of Love
Oh yeah Alison is so horrible. 
So are all the other scanners.
Actually, no, they are not, theyre doing their job, and Ive personally seen them bend the rules alot to make fans happy.
The lottery system works just fine, sometimes you get in, sometimes you dont. Even if you dont, youve still got an amazing place to see U2 from.
Maybe U2 would like to make sure that there are also die-hard crazies outside the ellipse too to get that section of the crowd pumped? Just maybe?
So are all the other scanners.
Actually, no, they are not, theyre doing their job, and Ive personally seen them bend the rules alot to make fans happy.
The lottery system works just fine, sometimes you get in, sometimes you dont. Even if you dont, youve still got an amazing place to see U2 from.
Maybe U2 would like to make sure that there are also die-hard crazies outside the ellipse too to get that section of the crowd pumped? Just maybe?
gvox
Ghost of Love
Neilz said:
Not necessarily.
First off, there are a VERY FEW children under the age of 12.
Secondly, the outside of the ellipse is no place for a child under 12. I did it once and never again. Inside the ellipse there is a reasonable measure of safety and respect for kids, outside it gets a little much for a child. Personally I would recommend parents with kids under 12 to either count on hanging by the soundboard, or better yet, buy them seats.
Be realistic....what does letting every child under the age of 12 into the ellipse mean? *maybe 10 or so kids in the ellipse?? It's not a huge number, believe me. I think security and U2 staff should be commended if this is what they've decided to do for the rest of the tour.
Mind you, if parents are deliberately bringing under 12 kids to GA to get into the ellipse then thats not too good, but logically speaking I dont think this is the case because a. 99% of GA tickets are gone anyways long before any word of this practice came out and b. its not like its general knowledge. So the chance of parents deliberately abusing this is also pretty slim.
You're last comment is what I think aswell! Why let a kid in the ellipse just because he's a kid? Doing that may cost a die-hard or someone who really want's it (and even know's what it means) his spot!gabrielvox said:
What to think of kids in stadium GA's in Europe.. I've never seen any problems at all really and kids don't get the VIP treatment just because they're kids... Parents with kids should get seats or stay at the back... Simple...
gvox
Ghost of Love
Neilz said:
Sorry, but hearing those types of things make my skin crawl. My 10 year old probably knows more U2 than alot of the people on this board. He was devasted when we didn't scan.
If a person purchased GAs MONTHS ago and the environment has become such that being outside the ellipse isnt good for their kid, why should they necessarily have to go to the back?
Kids shouldn't get the VIP treatment? Thats hilarious. Kids are the future yo. How we treat them and how we lead by example is how the world is going to turn out.
I think that if U2 is giving a couple of kids (because that's all it amounts to, a couple of kids per show) a break its great.
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popacrobat
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
gabrielvox said:Oh yeah Alison is so horrible.
So are all the other scanners.
Actually, no, they are not, theyre doing their job, and Ive personally seen them bend the rules alot to make fans happy.
why should one fan get preference over another?
They shouldn't let kids in, just because there kids! (of course
)I thought I made that perfectally clear! If your kid is a big fan and chooses for a spot in the Ellipse, he should get as much chance as any other and should nót get the VIP treatment just because he's a kid!
Just read my post over once more
Eliv8
Refugee
Chizip said:
Eliv8
Refugee
bonosgirl84 said:
These two posts say it all
.
gabrielvox said:
Sorry, but hearing those types of things make my skin crawl. My 10 year old probably knows more U2 than alot of the people on this board. He was devasted when we didn't scan.
If a person purchased GAs MONTHS ago and the environment has become such that being outside the ellipse isnt good for their kid, why should they necessarily have to go to the back?
Kids shouldn't get the VIP treatment? Thats hilarious. Kids are the future yo. How we treat them and how we lead by example is how the world is going to turn out.
I think that if U2 is giving a couple of kids (because that's all it amounts to, a couple of kids per show) a break its great.
if this is indeed the practice... rigging the system to allow those with younger kids into the ellipse, i have no problem with it whatsoever.hey... so let's say there's 10 kids let into the ellipse at each show... which i think is a high number, but let's run with it.
that's 10 kids at 50 arena shows... 500 kids who are instantly hooked to the band for life. then they go and tell their friends, getting them involved... and so on and so forth.
what's wrong with a few new fans for the future?
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i think a kid will be amazed with the show whether they are in the ellipse, back of the floor, or in a seat.
what about the person who spent the night on the cold hard concrete, who took a day off work, who made big sacrifices to do the GA thing yet still doesnt get inside the ellipse. but the guy who shows up at showtime with a kid automatically gets in. id say thats a little annoying.
what about the person who spent the night on the cold hard concrete, who took a day off work, who made big sacrifices to do the GA thing yet still doesnt get inside the ellipse. but the guy who shows up at showtime with a kid automatically gets in. id say thats a little annoying.
gvox
Ghost of Love
StlElevation said:
Seems to me that was the whole idea of the lottery system, to eliminate that from being the case at every single show...
gabrielvox said:
Seems to me that was the whole idea of the lottery system, to eliminate that from being the case at every single show...
how did the elevation system give any fans preference?
first come, first serve gives everyone an equal shot
hef4u2 said:
a system where every single ticket has an equal chance to get into the ellipse is logisticaly not possiable.
what about the final person in? if they really need to keep spots available up until the final ticket scans, wouldn't that person automaticly get admission?
the problem is that the management were not clear on the exact procedures ahead of time. it took fan experience to actually figure them out.
if they would have come out ahead of time with statments regarding the rules, the lottery, and a simple statement such as "scanning for the ellipse will end when a certain number is reached. due to the randomness of this scanning, an exact time cannot be given. make sure you enter the arena prior to the ticketed start time to assure yourself of a chance."
if they would have placed that on their webpage they would have solved soooo many complaints before they even happened.
they didn't... so they opened themselves up to criticism.
there are positives and negatives to both systems. people would have complained regardless... but if they would have been more direct and detailed on exactly what the system entailed before the concerts, then that complaining would have been cut in half.
i don't think they're trying to screw fans on purpose... they just didn't do a good enough job covering their asses and exposed themselves to complaints.
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gvox
Ghost of Love
Headache in a Suitcase said:
hey... so let's say there's 10 kids let into the ellipse at each show... which i think is a high number, but let's run with it.
that's 10 kids at 50 arena shows... 5,000 kids who are instantly hooked to the band for life. then they go and tell their friends, getting them involved... and so on and so forth.
I agree with your argument, but 10 X 50 is 500 kids for the whole tour, not 5000. And thats on the high end of the estimate scale.
Put THAT number in perspective against roughly 350 ellipse spots per show X 50 shows = 17,500
and I can only come to the conclusion that the people who would object to that type of ratio are those without kids
Personally, I could only smile and think good thoughts when I saw Alison give a kid a wristband in Tampa.
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Chizip said:
you make a good point... but what about the VIPs who get instant access to the ellipse/heart as well? this occured durring the elevation tour as well...
i dunno
gvox
Ghost of Love
Miroslava said:
are you kidding me??? Why, because you didnt get in??
I love ya and all but damn girl, you've been extremely blessed this tour, ya got nothing to worry about
gabrielvox said:
I agree with your argument, but 10 X 50 is 500 kids for the whole tour, not 5000. And thats on the high end of the estimate scale.
Put THAT number in perspective against roughly 350 ellipse spots per show X 50 shows = 17,500
and I can only come to the conclusion that the people who would object to that type of ratio are those without kids
whoops... one to many zeros there... my bad
fixed it... i math well
gabrielvox said:
are you kidding me??? Why, because you didnt get in??
I love ya and all but damn girl, you've been extremely blessed this tour, ya got nothing to worry about
Gabe honey, you have no idea as to why I said, so I actually take offense that you would believe that is WHY I made that comment....
MTEdge
Refugee
Headache in a Suitcase said:
a system where every single ticket has an equal chance to get into the ellipse is logistical not possiable.
what about the final person in? if they really need to keep spots available up until the final ticket scans, wouldn't that person automaticly get admission?
the problem is that the management were not clear on the exact procedures ahead of time. it took fan experience to actually figure them out.
if they would have come out ahead of time with statments regarding the rules, the lottery, and a simple statement such as "scanning for the ellipse will end when a certain number is reached. due to the randomness of this scanning, an exact time cannot be given. make sure you enter the arena prior to the ticketed start time to assure yourself of a chance."
if they would have placed that on their webpage they would have solved soooo many complaints before they even happened.
they didn't... so they opened themselves up to criticism.
there are positives and negatives to both systems. people would have complained regardless... but if they would have been more direct and detailed on exactly what the system entailed before the concerts, then that complaining would have been cut in half.
Agreed. I argued a long time ago that ellipse entry should be limited to fans with fan club GA's. (Yes, I have heard that, for some venues, more fan club GA's were sold than what the ellipse holds. For those venues, I would have used a first come, first served system.)
Unless the groupies bought multiple fan club memberships, there was, at best, a limited chance of them being at every show (who seriously would be able to afford 20 shows at ebay prices?). By contrast, you would have a diverse LOCAL crowd for every show since you were limited to two tickets per fan club membership (yes, I know that people abused this as well, by buying Euro tix even tho they lived in the US, and vice versa. For the record, I didn't.).
But at this point, it's about making sure they get it better (not right, since we know that perfection is impossible) for the next tour or leg or whatever...
gvox
Ghost of Love
Headache in a Suitcase said:
oh yeah...and given that its only recently started, we're talking more like 25 shows max...
so basically, 1% of the wristbands have been given out to parents to ensure that their kids got to see what was likely their first U2, if any artist, concert without being pushed, stepped on or otherwise mistreated
the horror
Im sorry, my 10 year old kid was tripped, and then pushed back down as he tried to stand up in Toronto and then spent all night being squashed because some fucking assholes decided that due to his age, he didnt deserve to be on the outside rail, even though he lined up from 8:30 am, was in the first 100 people, and paid his dues as a 'fan who deserves it'
so excuse me if the whining on this thread has me a bit pissed off
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