U2 Research Project Results

[ruffian]

*catlady online at 1:15 am unable to rest due to massive bronchitis courtesy of the GA line/entire Hawaii experience*

This is extremely interesting. I was at the front of the line for the 9/21 nightmare in Chicago, and I can definitely attest to the outrage of knowing people are cutting behind you. People kept asking me why I cared if they were cutting at #50 since I had a much lower number and they were no threat to me. Duh??!!! #50 was likely in line just as long as I was and it's unfair!!

P.S. two of those 9/21 linecutters were DIRECTLY behind me in line in Hawaii and admitted to what they did (before learning that I had been there too).

I remember there was a big ruckus in the line that was moving in on the right side, with shouting and pointing...but I don't remember the details. Wow, they ended up in line behind you in Hawaii??? That must have been a chilly experience for them

We discussed the role of empathy in people's outrage about line intrusion, and that is clearly at work...but I do also think that everyone has a vested interest in keeping chaos from erupting. Studies show that typically, the crowd thinks that the person directly next to the point of intrusion should be the one to confront the cutter. Interestingly, in most studies the majority of subjects do not confront line cutters. How many people got after the cutters on 9/21?

 

[tryan101]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: U2 Research Project Results

Nine percent said they were casual fans, 26% enthusiastic fans, 51% seriously dedicated fans, and 12% hardcore fans.

were the classifications completely self determined, or were there any guidelines offered? I would be interested to know how the attitudes differed from one classification to another.

it would be very interesting to have extended the study and reported upon results from a stadium environment in comparison as well.

 

[Liesje]

How many people got after the cutters on 9/21?

Depends on which cutters, Phil and I were in the faces of the South African guys. Usually I don't get into it, b/c usually if I do GA I'm quite near the front where people give up pretty quickly trying to cut in front of those who've been there for days. Your conclusion is interesting to me though, b/c I remember telling the South African guys they were welcome to try to cut farther back (not that I condoned it) but they were NOT cutting in front of me!

 

[Miroslava]

How many people got after the cutters on 9/21?

do you need to ask Ruff?






Chip and Tim went looking for me (I was in the 80s after the line renumbering) when the stuff with the South Africans started happening). Then I was the one that told on the serious line cutters to Alison, and she forced security to check numbers.

 

[ruffian]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: U2 Research Project Results

were the classifications completely self determined, or were there any guidelines offered? I would be interested to know how the attitudes differed from one classification to another.

here's the criteria we provided on the survey, and people self-designated their fandom:

3. How would you describe your level of U2 fandom? Check one choice below.
_____ Casual Fan (own some but not all of U2’s music, rarely attend U2 concerts).
_____ Enthusiastic Fan (own a great deal but not all of U2’s music, occasionally attend concerts).
_____ Seriously Dedicated Fan (own all of U2’s music, attend concerts frequently).
_____ Hardcore Fan (own all of U2’s music, attend concerts with great regularity and follow the band from city to city).

it would be very interesting to have extended the study and reported upon results from a stadium environment in comparison as well.

yes, it would be interesting and i think results quite different--because you'd have to consider not only the size difference (tons more rail space) relative to the population, but cultural differences as well. I live in Italy for part of every summer, and I have to say that based on my experience, Italians are the least interested in queuing of any group I've ever lived among. I was in Italy during the Milan show last summer and I didn't go because I thought it would be too chaotic.

I remember in Europe at other stadium shows I got in line at 10 a.m. or even 1pm, and still got in the ellipse, still got on the rail. I think the Hawaii queue started so early because American fans used the arena model for estimating how early they'd need to be there to get a rail spot. Unfortunate.

 

[Miroslava]

I think the Hawaii queue started so early because American fans used the arena model for estimating how early they'd need to be there to get a rail spot. Unfortunate.

Actually, the front of the GA line in Hawaii was mostly European (possibly trying to get the jump on crazy NA fans), no?

Not sure.

 

[ruffian]

do you need to ask Ruff?






Chip and Tim went looking for me (I was in the 80s after the line renumbering) when the stuff with the South Africans started happening). Then I was the one that told on the serious line cutters to Alison, and she forced security to check numbers.

Alison was helpful???

I forgot about the great Line Renumbering! We have Bill (from the United Center) on our list of interviewees for the next project. You're on it, too!
Just when you think you're done with GA politics, we pull you back in! Seriously, though--I'll PM you.

Lies, your reaction is much more in keeping with the general trend.

Does anyone happen to know about how many people fit on the inside rail (against the stage) and outside rail (dividing the ellipse from the rest of the floor)? I've been looking at pictures and need to include an estimate in article 2--but I can't tell.

 

[ruffian]

Actually, the front of the GA line in Hawaii was mostly European (possibly trying to get the jump on crazy NA fans), no?

Not sure.

I was #30, and numbers 1-17 were a group of flagship friends (plus SuperFan) There were not any Europeans in front of us, but quite a few people from Spain, Latin America, and Italy behind us.

 

[Miroslava]

Alison was helpful???

Shocking eh?

Bill at the UC rules.

And ha, I suppose I could grab a sharpie for inspiration and help out if you need me to even though I retired from official line biatch duty after Cleveland. Well, really during Cleveland. I just stayed in my tent. That gig was strictly self serve.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Shocking eh?

Bill at the UC rules.

And ha, I suppose I could grab a sharpie for inspiration and help out if you need me to even though I retired from official line biatch duty after Cleveland. Well, really during Cleveland. I just stayed in my tent. That gig was strictly self serve.

Write your name on the clipboard and let the line bitches sleep. That was great.

 

[Liesje]

Bill at the UC rules.

Assuming I can no longer afford shows like I did this time, next time I'm going exclusively to the Chicago shows at the United Center. I'm never going back to the Palace for any event ever.

 

[bratty_cat]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: U2 Research Project Results

-because you'd have to consider not only the size difference (tons more rail space) relative to the population, but cultural differences as well. I live in Italy for part of every summer, and I have to say that based on my experience, Italians are the least interested in queuing of any group I've ever lived among. I was in Italy during the Milan show last summer and I didn't go because I thought it would be too chaotic.

Amen. I always thought I was more Italian than American until I lived in Italy. The fact that there is almost no such thing as respect for a line anywhere made me crazy. Little old ladies, young people, everyone cut in front of me at banks, buses, etc. I realized then and there how American I really was.

U2 shows might be a bit different over there as one of my US friends attended the Milan shows and said that folks queued overnight, without leaving for showers (and Milan is super hot & muggy during the summer). He's Italian and was with other native Italians so that might account for the different experience.

Interesting info, thanks for sharing!

 

[Catlady]

They they were cutting behind you, in front of me! Wasn't that the day the group of South African guys showed up at 4:30 and demanded we let them in the first 100 just because they came from South Africa? That was the first time I've gotten into a real confrontation with someone. I said "I'm sorry dudes, but I gotta believe that South Africans understand the concept of a queue. If it meant that much to you, you would've been here two days ago." The real problem was, they did have numbers on their hands just below ours, but no one had seen them for the past 20 hours! Them and then all the usual yuppy kids with their sense of teenage entitlement.

That's exactly right--a whole bunch of people came out of the 9/20 show, put thier names on the list and got new numbers and then left and were not seen again until afternoon on 9/21. There were (3?) linechecks overnight, at least, and anyone who wasn't there got crossed off or something like that. Then they all showed back up the next day and the fun ensued.

These *ladies* in line behind me in Hawaii are also from Chicago, so of course we started talking about the Chicago shows, at which time they explained how they cleverly avoided camping out between the two September shows. I told them where I was in that line and that I'd spent the night at the UC and that sort of ended the discussion...

 

[Chizip]

how did they cleverly avoid camping out?

the thing that pissed me off the most was people writing fake numbers on their hands and cutting ahead in line. then when we confronted them with the notebook of names, and they couldnt match their name with number, they still refused to leave.

fucking assholes

 

[Catlady]

they got thier numbers and then took off for thier hotel...and then were indignant the next day when they showed up expecting to get into thier spot in line and learned they had been removed from the list after being MIA for the overnight line checks.

Tim wrote up a whole dissertation on it after the show and posted it on U2midwest I think...

 

[Liesje]

Some of the numbers weren't fake, per se. For example, the South Africans did have real numbers issued after the show on 9/20, but no number for the new assignment during the day (they had purple numbers, not black ones). Their old numbers put them directly ahead of us on the original list, but obviously they failed every line check and were not there during the re-number. That's why they were hounding me and Phil forever, they knew their numbers put them one and two ahead of me. I was in line at the dock dealing with a cutter there and Phil called me to tell me to come back b/c they would not leave him alone.

A few people accused us of not sleeping overnight and not being allowed a number, but I think it's b/c we crashed right after the show and did not make a peep from our tent until 9am the next day and some of the people at the front didn't really know us. It sounds like they marched right to the front of the line and basically went down the row pestering people trying to get in the line.

 

[brono]

What about the Pittsburgh show and us Bono LUNA2ICS at his Philly speech?

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: U2 Research Project Results

That is really interesting information. I had always estimated(not in any real scientific way) that the average age of a U2 fan was 35 at the time, based on the theory that the band had simply won back their old fan base in this decade after losing much of it on Zooropa and POP, instead of adding younger fans. Essentially, still a huge fan base, but the same fan base from 1987-1993, but just older. This suggest though that U2 has indeed attracted many new younger fans, although I'd say it seems to be weighted more towards the 87-93 crowd.

The average age of U2 fans might be about 35, but the average age of your GA liner upper is gonna be younger I'd wager, if only because by the age of 35 you'd think you'd stop this lining up malarkey. Age and wisdom and all that....

 

[indra]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: U2 Research Project Results

The average age of U2 fans might be about 35, but the average age of your GA liner upper is gonna be younger I'd wager, if only because by the age of 35 you'd think you'd stop this lining up malarkey. Age and wisdom and all that....

I agree with you there. When I was in my 20's I probably would have done a long line wait for a concert I really wanted to see, but now 40 minutes in line at the post office is about the limit of my tolerance. Yep. I'm a cranky old fart.