Holding a place in the GA line

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Interesting discussion--I did a research project Vintage Punk referenced about the GA line and what fans consider "fair" and "unfair." Turns out that the more dedicated the fan (we had people self-designate that), the more they felt that turn-taking was unfair. The more casual fans didn't care if others held spots. Our theory was that those who have invested more time and money are more likewise more invested enforcing rules that they perceive to keep the system running smoothly.

As an aside, I've been in tons of GA lines and typically spend the night. I *do* leave for about an hour or two to shower around noon on the day of the show, and I tell the people in front of me to free free to do the same, and I hold their space. I'm all for everyone putting in their time, but it seems silly to forbid people to leave when they've been there sometimes more than 24 hours. Doesn't take away anything from me if someone wants to go eat, move their car, put their stuff up, wash the asphalt off... :wink: I did have people not recognize me when returning to the queue after being gone an hour. The transforming effects of good hygiene! :happy: Anyway, if someone doesn't invest anytime in the GA and shows up at the last minute, that would suck--many people take a day off work without pay in order to queue...

Anyway, I'm doing another study on queuing behavior next tour, so thanks in advance for participating if you have nothing better to do while waiting in line :)
 
U2 fans in Oakland are friendly and mellow, but I wouldn't count on that being the case elsewhere.

Read that study some Interferencers did about U2 fan behavior in GA lines, it's pretty enlightening. U2 fans even get pissed off when other fans cut in line behind them.

You can always bribe the Line Nazi with tacos and beer, that worked well in '92.


that's the one I just referenced in the above post...and yes, the research is the only "queueing research" where people care about someone cutting in line behindthem. Really unusual finding!
 
Thanks for your reply. I wondered how people managed that. I'm pretty sure I'm not a GA line kind of girl -- I can handle standing around for an hour or two to hold my spot once the doors open and I can stand throughout a show, but I'd be all worn out and miserable (not to mention cranky as all hell) if I had to wait outside a venue for hours on end. :)

Indra, i do a couple of things to save my legs in the GA. During the waiting, I sit as much as possible and definitely try to have a chair. It is worth the money to have one and discard it (I hope venues take them to charity!) than to attempt to stand for endless hours. There is nothing to be done at arena shows other than stand when the line "tightens up" and everyone puts their stuff up. But once we are admitted to the floor I immediately sit again until the opener comes on. I'd run a couple of half-marathons before the last tour and my legs and back were stillwrecked after the first few GA experiences. I try to stretch some once I'm in the venue. We need a "Yoga for the GA" DVD :wink:
 
What if we start a company called "PlaceHolders". For people who can't stand in line for long hours hire us to have some college kid stand in line for them (one placeholder per person) And when the real party shows up, they call the placeholder dispatch and take their places :hmm:
You think a service like that would cause a riot? The placeholders can wear yellow shirts advertising what they're doing so there is no surprises?

Well it would be funny to try at least
 
What if we start a company called "PlaceHolders". For people who can't stand in line for long hours hire us to have some college kid stand in line for them (one placeholder per person) And when the real party shows up, they call the placeholder dispatch and take their places :hmm:
You think a service like that would cause a riot? The placeholders can wear yellow shirts advertising what they're doing so there is no surprises?

Well it would be funny to try at least

I think the ticketholder would get mauled upon arrival.
 
Anyway, I'm doing another study on queuing behavior next tour, so thanks in advance for participating if you have nothing better to do while waiting in line :)

I'll take part in your study Ruff ;)

I think the ticketholder would get mauled upon arrival.

:lol:

I also agree with all the other posters who said that it isn't fair to hold places. I guess they have all said it better than me already ( especially VP, get out of my head VP :lol::wink::kiss: ) so not much to add except :up:

The rail to me personally is a big deal as i am short so if i am 2nd row or further back behind a tall person ( which is very likely as i am 5 foot 3 :lol: ) I am screwed and can't see anything. :wink: Also the comfort factor of having it to lean on is awesome. We all have to admit GA is tiring so having that support is why i like the rail spots. :up::drool:
 
I also agree with all the other posters who said that it isn't fair to hold places. I guess they have all said it better than me already ( especially VP, get out of my head VP :lol::wink::kiss: ) so not much to add except :up:

The rail to me personally is a big deal as i am short so if i am 2nd row or further back behind a tall person ( which is very likely as i am 5 foot 3 :lol: ) I am screwed and can't see anything. :wink: Also the comfort factor of having it to lean on is awesome. We all have to admit GA is tiring so having that support is why i like the rail spots. :up::drool:

Just adding my complete agreement! I'm 5'2" (and so is the friend I'm going with), so being on the rail is very important. A few line cutters can make the difference of us being on the rail or a row back (which is a big difference for shorties). And if the exception is made for some people, where do you draw the line? Lots of people will be able to come up with some excuse. I think that if you and everyone in your group can't stay in line the whole time, you either shouldn't get GAs or should be willing to be a little further back. Not holding spots really seems like the fairest way to do things.
 
I hope the venues just hand out wristbands & everyone come back a couple of hours before the show. Depending on the city they might not want people hanging around the venues, of course since the tour hasn't started yet we don't know what the procedure will be.
 
The only thing to do is get there early and then ask the person running the line. The only cases I've ever heard of where people were allowed to leave for the whole day were in Boston.

San Jose Vertigo... :up: We got our wristbands and they basically told us it was fine to leave as long as we come back by a certain time.


----------

I think the argument here is not really about if you leave for a few hours to eat, shower etc, if you had already showed up in the morning to claim your spot. I think what people are upset about is having people join you in line later that did not get there when you did and were therefore not accounted for at that time. There is a difference, in my opinion.
 
i went to a few shows in europe on the last tour and no one waited out overnight. i really hope that is the case. hiring human placeholders :hmm: what a concept!
 
hiring human placeholders :hmm: what a concept!

It's not that new of a concept as people think. I come from a country where we have excess labor (too many people, too few jobs). So hired help such as maids, drivers, nannies, etc are plentiful. Over there, if there's a very popular movie coming out in the theater, people would line up to wait for the box office to open. Well, some people would send their driver or other hired help to stand in line for them. Then 5 minutes before the box office opens, they would show up and take the place of the driver.
 
It's not that new of a concept as people think. I come from a country where we have excess labor (too many people, too few jobs). So hired help such as maids, drivers, nannies, etc are plentiful. Over there, if there's a very popular movie coming out in the theater, people would line up to wait for the box office to open. Well, some people would send their driver or other hired help to stand in line for them. Then 5 minutes before the box office opens, they would show up and take the place of the driver.

fascinating :nerd: though not sure it would fly at U2 shows. If you try it, let me know :lol:
 
Just adding my complete agreement! I'm 5'2" (and so is the friend I'm going with), so being on the rail is very important. A few line cutters can make the difference of us being on the rail or a row back (which is a big difference for shorties). And if the exception is made for some people, where do you draw the line? Lots of people will be able to come up with some excuse. I think that if you and everyone in your group can't stay in line the whole time, you either shouldn't get GAs or should be willing to be a little further back. Not holding spots really seems like the fairest way to do things.

So, just for verification purposes...it actually does matter if you are short when doing GA then? Itd be nice to hear from fellow shorties! :wave: I have heard several contradicting opinions so as a 5'3" short person, Im curious to hear your opinions. In an arena situation it must be doable, but I cant imagine what it oculd be like in a stadium GA field of people. At what point inthe crowd does a short person become rather miserably obstructed? Half way back?

I have bad feet too so I would surely have to be sitting on the floor while i wait!
 
Out of curiousity, when they do lottery for the GA, is the group your with then likely to be split up??? Is it up to chance if youll be near the person you came with????
 
Out of curiousity, when they do lottery for the GA, is the group your with then likely to be split up??? Is it up to chance if youll be near the person you came with????
In the US on the last tour, if your ticket came through as a bomb shelter ticket, you could take one other person with you.
 
So, just for verification purposes...it actually does matter if you are short when doing GA then? Itd be nice to hear from fellow shorties! :wave: I have heard several contradicting opinions so as a 5'3" short person, Im curious to hear your opinions. In an arena situation it must be doable, but I cant imagine what it oculd be like in a stadium GA field of people. At what point inthe crowd does a short person become rather miserably obstructed? Half way back?

I have bad feet too so I would surely have to be sitting on the floor while i wait!

I'm 5'2''. The only GA show I ever went to was The Killers at Borgata in Atlantic City. That's an indoor arena, kind of like a big hotel's ballroom. I was standing maybe like 8 rows back. Couldn't see the entire stage at all. Sometimes I would see Brandon Flowers' head. None of my pictures turned out really good. So I hated that experience. I'm just hoping I would still be able to see something when I'm in GA. Even if for some reason I can't get rail, hopefully I'm still going to be lodged in the fan section where everyone's going to be really enthusiastic during the entire show... :rockon:
 
So, just for verification purposes...it actually does matter if you are short when doing GA then? Itd be nice to hear from fellow shorties! :wave: I have heard several contradicting opinions so as a 5'3" short person, Im curious to hear your opinions. In an arena situation it must be doable, but I cant imagine what it oculd be like in a stadium GA field of people. At what point inthe crowd does a short person become rather miserably obstructed? Half way back?

I have bad feet too so I would surely have to be sitting on the floor while i wait!

The only time I did GA for a U2 concert, I was on the rail outside the ellipse (for the Vertigo tour at MSG). I don't know what it's like to be farther back, but I'm imagining that it wouldn't be fun, especially in a stadium. For other concerts (non-U2), I've always been right up front; I get there super early because I know I won't see anything if I don't.
 
fascinating :nerd: though not sure it would fly at U2 shows. If you try it, let me know :lol:

Why not? If it's truly only about the principle of the thing in terms of one person in line being equal to one chance at a good position, I'll let anyone I want be my placeholder. I see this as a completely valid tactic. My singular spot in line is my singular spot in line and I can do whatever I see fit with it.

First we're going to maul people who have a person arrive a little later (ok, I'm not sure that's a great idea)...but now we're telling people they can't let someone stay for them who isn't even going into the show? I think this is a bit much.
 
Why not? If it's truly only about the principle of the thing in terms of one person in line being equal to one chance at a good position, I'll let anyone I want be my placeholder. I see this as a completely valid tactic. My singular spot in line is my singular spot in line and I can do whatever I see fit with it.

First we're going to maul people who have a person arrive a little later (ok, I'm not sure that's a great idea)...but now we're telling people they can't let someone stay for them who isn't even going into the show? I think this is a bit much.

Oh, I'm all for it! I don't think I'd like to be the first to try, though. Hell, why we're at it, let's get cabana boys to bring slushy drinks and set up chairs and umbrellas :wink:
 
Indra, i do a couple of things to save my legs in the GA. During the waiting, I sit as much as possible and definitely try to have a chair. It is worth the money to have one and discard it (I hope venues take them to charity!) than to attempt to stand for endless hours. There is nothing to be done at arena shows other than stand when the line "tightens up" and everyone puts their stuff up. But once we are admitted to the floor I immediately sit again until the opener comes on. I'd run a couple of half-marathons before the last tour and my legs and back were stillwrecked after the first few GA experiences. I try to stretch some once I'm in the venue. We need a "Yoga for the GA" DVD :wink:

It is so funny that you mention that. I keep talking about starting my "enduarnce training" for U2 GA in Sept. Yes, many Bostonians train for the marathon, but my goals are greater...

Also, I was wondering if there was any influence we all had as fans in getting the venue to organize the GA as they were done in Boston and San Jose. It just seems it is better for all involved, including the venue, if people could come early, get a numbered wristband, leave and come back at the appropriate time. I know the venues probably haven't planned that all out yet, but as we fans are thinking and planning ahead now, maybe we could collectively infllunece things (ie mass emails? ). I don't know, Just a thought as I truly loved how Boston Vertigo went.
 
Oh, I'm all for it! I don't think I'd like to be the first to try, though. Hell, why we're at it, let's get cabana boys to bring slushy drinks and set up chairs and umbrellas :wink:

I think I might hire one of those guys that monopolize the box office line to be my GA placeholder person.

I'll even make him a sign to wear... "GA Placeholder" so there will be no confusion.
 
I think I might hire one of those guys that monopolize the box office line to be my GA placeholder person.

I'll even make him a sign to wear... "GA Placeholder" so there will be no confusion.

If your placeholder person is very tall or very wide or very obnoxious (better yet, all three), then I think people would be quite pleased and :applaud: you when you show up to take your place at 6pm
 
Back
Top Bottom