GA Tips and Tricks

[RedRocksU2]

Z, you were snoring earlier.

 

[theFly51]

Ok I have a couple of questions

This is my 1st U2 concert and i was wondering:

I live way at the tip of texas and I'm leaving for Houston at 4 a.m and hoping to get there around 8 or 8:30 ish. i only plan on making 1 or 2 stops along the way (food, bathroom) and I was thinking

1. How early do I have to arrive at the GA line if I wanna get inside the elipse OR near the catwalk/b-stage/bridges etc.

2. Can I wait in line AND hold 3 spots for the other people accompanying me? As soon as we get to Houston I'm gonna head straight for the stadium while my friends go get some food or parking and possible find a nearby hotel or any place to stay for the night.

3. Does it bother some concert goers if the person in front of you has someone on their shoulders? I'm planning on taking my gf so I can convert her to a U2 fan but she's like 4'8, 4'9 almost 5 ft and I want her to get a good view from the floor depending on where we are.

Any tips guys? Thnks!!!

 

[Irishteen]

3. Does it bother some concert goers if the person in front of you has someone on their shoulders? I'm planning on taking my gf so I can convert her to a U2 fan but she's like 4'8, 4'9 almost 5 ft and I want her to get a good view from the floor depending on where we are.:

You'll probably ruin the view of the person beind you and the venue probably would have rules against doing that in the first place

 

[romi]

Ok I have a couple of questions

This is my 1st U2 concert and i was wondering:

I live way at the tip of texas and I'm leaving for Houston at 4 a.m and hoping to get there around 8 or 8:30 ish. i only plan on making 1 or 2 stops along the way (food, bathroom) and I was thinking

1. How early do I have to arrive at the GA line if I wanna get inside the elipse OR near the catwalk/b-stage/bridges etc.

2. Can I wait in line AND hold 3 spots for the other people accompanying me? As soon as we get to Houston I'm gonna head straight for the stadium while my friends go get some food or parking and possible find a nearby hotel or any place to stay for the night.

3. Does it bother some concert goers if the person in front of you has someone on their shoulders? I'm planning on taking my gf so I can convert her to a U2 fan but she's like 4'8, 4'9 almost 5 ft and I want her to get a good view from the floor depending on where we are.

Any tips guys? Thnks!!!

1. There will most-likely be a lottery for getting inside. You can show up at 5 p.m. and still get inside, although the back. As far as getting near the outer ring, you won't have a problem. If you want to be front row inside, plan on showing up sometime the night before... and then winning the lottery.

2. Most line leaders will let you hold spots while your party parks for ano more than 30 minutes. Once you are all there and get numbers, you will be allowed to leave to for an hour or two to shower, eat, etc.

3. You'll just have to ask the people you end up next to once you get inside.

 

[RedRocksU2]

you will be allowed to leave to for an hour or two to shower, eat, etc.

Good thing our hotel will be within walking distance.

 

[romi]

Good thing our hotel will be within walking distance.

God, I can't wait anymore... I need a vacation, period, Carlos! And the U2 tour won't be much of a vacation either. I'll come back more tired then when I left! In any case, 86 days until I leave for Chicago.....

 

[RedRocksU2]

You going to LA?

 

[romi]

nope, Vegas, though.

 

[educh]

How 'bout a Canon SX10?

I am going to go to the 10/9 Tampa show. Last tour I brought a small digital camera and had no problems bringing it in. Now I have a Canon Powershot SX10, it i'snt a SLR but it is bulky, it has a 20x zoom.

anybody know if they are strict at Raymond James Stadium?

any suggestions?

 

[cdparky]

Ok I have a couple of questions

This is my 1st U2 concert and i was wondering:

I live way at the tip of texas and I'm leaving for Houston at 4 a.m and hoping to get there around 8 or 8:30 ish. i only plan on making 1 or 2 stops along the way (food, bathroom) and I was thinking

1. How early do I have to arrive at the GA line if I wanna get inside the elipse OR near the catwalk/b-stage/bridges etc.

2. Can I wait in line AND hold 3 spots for the other people accompanying me? As soon as we get to Houston I'm gonna head straight for the stadium while my friends go get some food or parking and possible find a nearby hotel or any place to stay for the night.

3. Does it bother some concert goers if the person in front of you has someone on their shoulders? I'm planning on taking my gf so I can convert her to a U2 fan but she's like 4'8, 4'9 almost 5 ft and I want her to get a good view from the floor depending on where we are.

Any tips guys? Thnks!!!

1. Until the GA policy is known it is impossible to say.

2. As long as they are not far behind you it ought to be ok. That said some might question why it needs 3 people to park the car, you are better off leaving 1 to park the car and 3 of you joining the line. Spend some time there before heading off to get food etc (but be sure to talk to the people around you - they will be cool with it). If the other 3 are going to be hours behind you then sorry but it isn't really fair on those who are in the queue.

3. Sorry but that is a complete no-no IMO. Why would it be ok for someone to be lifted and thus block the view of dozens of people behind them? Anyone doing that in front of me can expect to be politely asked to desist (and security will generally stop it as well).

 

[Miro]

Rule #1-100. Don't be a jerk to anybody and be nice to the people around you because they'll be nice back and you'll have great memories of the crowd as much as you did of the show. Somewhat related, but I haven't seen this in my (limited) U2 GA experiences, if someone is a total jerk, be the one to confront him or her and fix the problem...if you make the show better for everyone, you'll find yourself receiving smiles instead of suffocation.

 

[Hallucination]

General Admission line up times

For those of you with GA tickets what time do you figure you'll be lineing up? I remember when I had GA tickets for Vancouver on the Vertigo tour the first person in line got there at about 5:00am the day of the show. I arrived at about 12:30pm and was about 250-300th in line. That was for Vancouver though. The circumstances were different in Portland being it was the last show of 2005 and lots of people were lined up up in shitty weather at midnight the night before

I have GA tickets this time around for Toronto and New York and was wondering what people think is a good time to be in line. I'm thinking no later than 8:00am. Toronto will prep me for New York though I guess but still I have no idea how early I really need to be.

* My bad. Sorry didn't see this thread

 

[Sicy]

I've lined up anywhere from 9am for one show to 4:30pm for another, and have always managed to get a good spot. I think though the fact that its stadiums this time around, people are going to be lining up WAY early.

 

[Hallucination]

I've lined up anywhere from 9am for one show to 4:30pm for another, and have always managed to get a good spot. I think though the fact that its stadiums this time around, people are going to be lining up WAY early.

That's what I think too Sicy. being stuck at the back on the floor in an arena is one thing. Being stuck at the back on the floor in a stadium you might as well go home.

 

[romi]

for every show, I plan to be in line by 9 p.m. the night before. (earlier if I see other people).

For Chicago, I will probably be ready to go on the night of the 10th.

Where it gets tricky is concerts on back to back nights. all you can do is run to get outside as quickly as possible to get back in line.

It's important for me that on most nights, I'm in the first 10 in line.

 

[Hallucination]

for every show, I plan to be in line by 9 p.m. the night before. (earlier if I see other people).

For Chicago, I will probably be ready to go on the night of the 10th.

Where it gets tricky is concerts on back to back nights. all you can do is run to get outside as quickly as possible to get back in line.

It's important for me that on most nights, I'm in the first 10 in line.

That's soemthing I learned in Vancouver, if you're even in the first 100-150 people you will still geta front row seat weather you're inside the elispe or outside of it and going by how huge the catwalk is I'd say the first 300 people at least on the floor will get a front row seat of some kind if they choose it.

I'm definately going to be keeping a close eye on what the people in Chicago do so you'll have to keep us posted romi

 

[xtrmx]

Anyone with any experience at GA at the Amsterdam Vertigo Tour in the Netherlands?
I'd like to know at what time aprox. I need to be there to get a great spot.
I'd rather not show up there at 8am if, let's say, 10am will get me there aswell. (front of outer circle or at least very close to the front /inner circle).
I've got seats for the first day with 2 other friends and after a short sleep at an hotel we're desperate to get very close to the stage the 2nd day, so we want to go there early

 

[IsDinnerReady]

true true true! plus its always nice to pass the time ther more people you befriend around you

I tried talking to some Dutch fans in the eclipse at the Amsterdam Arena during the Vertigo tour. They told me to "stop trying to socialise" with them, and turned their backs on me. I'll never forget that. Almost ruined my evening...

The GA is a bit of an experience. Be prepared for guys peeing where they stand. You'll be wading through a delightful mix of the aforementioned, plus sticky plastic cups, sticky food packaging, pizza, spilt beer, chips, etc. So flipflops are a no-no. My ideal footware would be reinforced millitary boots, with a chunky platform heel for extra height (any ideas where these can be purchased??) And don't forget ear-plugs for the screamers/whistlers

But the main thing is being nice and cool to the people around you

I always love hearing other fan's stories

 

[IsDinnerReady]

Best advice yet!!!

Umbrellas are good for the sun and the rain...get one at your dollar store since they are expensive. Then if you want to toss it you won't feel bad!

Regarding the mountains of items that folk toss just before the mad rush into the stadium... folding chairs, umbrellas, mattrasses, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, sun loungers, bottles, bags, etc... does any of this stuff get collected and recycled or does it all end up at the local tip???

Kinda not very environmentally friendly.... Just wondering, like

 

[corianderstem]

I tried talking to some Dutch fans in the eclipse at the Amsterdam Arena during the Vertigo tour. They told me to "stop trying to socialise" with them, and turned their backs on me. I'll never forget that. Almost ruined my evening...

Jeez, that's rude. I hung out in line by myself at the first Seattle show, and everyone around me was in their own little groups and had no interest in making conversation. It was disappointing.

Regarding the mountains of items that folk toss just before the mad rush into the stadium... folding chairs, umbrellas, mattrasses, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, sun loungers, bottles, bags, etc... does any of this stuff get collected and recycled or does it all end up at the local tip???

We're a bunch of tree-huggers in Seattle, and as the line tightened up before we went into the arena, they made an announcement to pick up any trash we saw lying around on our way in and throw it away. We did, since we're all such tree-huggers.

I didn't see that going on in any other city. It rained all day in Portland, and I brought a cheapo umbrella for the half hour or so I stood in line before going inside, and I just put it on the ground like everyone else on the way in.

When I left the show, it was still there, so I picked it up and went on my merry way. I would hope that the reusable stuff went to a local Goodwill or Salvation Army, but I don't know.

 

[bonocomet]

I took a photo of all the umbrellas below in the GA line from atop the parking structure because it looked cool. I wonder if your umbrella is among them

(I need to find those photos)

 

[tpsreports2424]

heard there was no camping out of soldier field the nights before the concert

 

[romi]

heard there was no camping out of soldier field the nights before the concert

there's no camping anywhere, wink, wink.

 

[tpsreports2424]

there's no camping anywhere, wink, wink.

i was serious with mine

 

[joshuatree]

Somebody cheer me up...is it a good experience to wait alone in the GA line?

My friend just dropped a bomb on me tonight that she probably can't go to the concert in the fall. My 2 other friends who are going don't want to wait in line that early...I plan on getting there around 3am or so. I am a 19 year old girl. They are playing at my college. Would I have a horrible experience waiting by myself?

I'm so upset. I got all my friends tickets through the presale, they all know this is the most important thing to me, I've been talking about it constantly since March, the concert is 3 days before my birthday, and I'm trying to figure out if I can wait 18 hours by myself!

Thanks for any advice. I love my U2 fans.

 

[OrARoundabout]

^Aw...that sucks!

I'd wait on line by myself! You are lucky enought to have a GA ticket
I'm 17, I was going to wait by myself but unfortunatly I couldn't get my hands on a GA ticket

I assume ur 2 other friends aren't huge U2 fans, or at least not big enought to wait on line so early.

 

[romi]

going by yourself is just fine. remember, another hundred or so of your friends will be there with you!

 

[joshuatree]

Thanks guys. Deep down I know I go to see U2 for myself and that I don't need anyone else there to make it special, it's just that I wanted my best friend to see how amazing U2 is live, and I wanted her to experience it with me at my college. I hope she decides to go. If not, I will proudly wait and make new friends I hope. And yes, the other 2 are not die-hard U2 fans. They say they are going just to experience a "big concert", and I'm trying to make them understand how much they are going to love U2 after this.

 

[dju]

any experienced at stade de france...?please share....really appreciated

 

[Hallucination]

My friend just dropped a bomb on me tonight that she probably can't go to the concert in the fall. My 2 other friends who are going don't want to wait in line that early...I plan on getting there around 3am or so. I am a 19 year old girl. They are playing at my college. Would I have a horrible experience waiting by myself?

I'm so upset. I got all my friends tickets through the presale, they all know this is the most important thing to me, I've been talking about it constantly since March, the concert is 3 days before my birthday, and I'm trying to figure out if I can wait 18 hours by myself!

Thanks for any advice. I love my U2 fans.

I've waited "by myself". No big deal at all. You're not by yourself anyways. There's other people there in line who you can meet and talk to. People who right off the bat share a similar passion. I've never understood this idea that people think they're alone when waiting in line. Plus you're on the floor so once the show starts are you gonna be more concered about being "by yourself" or having good time? It's 18 hours of your life, don't worry about it, make the most of it instead.

I totally understand you want to share this amazing experience with the people you care about but if they can't bother to be there it's there loss. No offence to your friend but anyone who says they "probably" can't go to a concert that's 3 or 4 months away simply doesn't want to be there anyways. You don't want to be at a U2 concert with someone who half heartedly wants to be there.

I already took a ticket back from a friend who kept bitching about the price. I never asked him to come but when he heard they were going to Vancouver he asked if I was getting tickets and I said yes. He asked if he could come cause he'd love to see them. I thought cool for sure I'd get him a ticket. I have GA tickets for New York and TO so I explained to him I was gonna go for actual seats this time and they'd cost about $250. He said no problem. A few weeks after I heard through the grapevine he was bitching about the price and how it's a ripoff to spend that kind of money for a concert. I called him out on it and he made some excuse that he wasn't pissed about it just that he'd never paid that much for a show before. Weeks went by and he kept making little comments about the price. One night a bunch of us were having drinks in the pub and the concert came up and he says loud enough for everyone to hear "It better be fucking good cause I basically spent my life savings on it. $250 for a concert is ridiculous." I calmly got up from the table walked to the ATM machine pulled out $260 and threw it on his lap and told him "Well you're not coming so you don't have to worry about it" He looked at me in disbelief. It was seriously a weight of my shoulders. I haven't found anyone to take the other ticket yet but believe me I'm happier going alone than with someone who was gonna show up for it with his arms crossed with an "Impress me" attitude.

Your show isn't untill the fall though. PLENTY of time to find someone to go with you. And if you have to, just give the ticket to somone. It's already paid for by either you or your friend so who cares now. Hold onto the ticket and find some guy you wanna go on a date with and take him. Honestly the cost of the ticket won't mean shit come September and what better date than a U2 concert. Plus if he's willing to wait in line with you that's a good sign You'll figure it out.