WHY bring back a lottery system?!

[Roland of Gilead]

I was lucky with lottery. Wife and I spent all day with the kids on the town. Dropped them off and went to the arena at 7:20pm. Buzzed into the ellipse and had a blast with a ton of energy to let out. I was fully prepared to hang out near the back. Wife and I felt that we either got inside or we stayed back to have some space. To be honest, we were just so in awe the we were going to be on the floor of the arena at a U2 concert. That in itself, is like a gift from God. I think some people take this too much for granted.
It was a fantastic gesture by the band towards my wife and I to do all the things we wanted to do in day, in a visiting city, and still get up close to them. If it is a lottery again, I'll have the same expectations as before. None. I'll be so happy to be on a floor for another U2 show.

 

[mikal]

I was lucky with lottery. Wife and I spent all day with the kids on the town. Dropped them off and went to the arena at 7:20pm. Buzzed into the ellipse and had a blast with a ton of energy to let out. I was fully prepared to hang out near the back. Wife and I felt that we either got inside or we stayed back to have some space. To be honest, we were just so in awe the we were going to be on the floor of the arena at a U2 concert. That in itself, is like a gift from God. I think some people take this too much for granted.
It was a fantastic gesture by the band towards my wife and I to do all the things we wanted to do in day, in a visiting city, and still get up close to them. If it is a lottery again, I'll have the same expectations as before. None. I'll be so happy to be on a floor for another U2 show.

and to be honest, this might not be a bad show to hang out in the back and take it all in.

 

[mads]

It just really sucks to watch someone who got there hours after you walk right in front of you. I understand the argument for the lottery, but I don't agree with it.

 

[tryan101]

if you know its a lottery, then the issue with waiting for hours or overnight is on you. we did the early/all day wait on Elevation since those were the ground rules, but not for Vertigo. still scanned in a couple times but didn't kill myself for it.

 

[Chizip]

the springsteen system is definitely the way to do it

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Do they use a lottery in Europe? Is it really that manic in the US?

I rocked up to the stadium only a couple of hours before U2 took the stage on both Vertigo occasions, and both times was within a couple of metres of one of the b-stages, and if I'd wanted to get closer to the main stage, it would not have been hard.

 

[mrclutch34do]

See the people standing in line
See the same people waiting all the time
I wait for you

Get beeped in on twist of fate
In the line we stood, she makes me wait
And I wait without you

With or without General Admission
I meant
With or without you

Through the storm we sat in line
You give it all but I want elipse tickets
Im not waiting for you

Im going in without you
With or without you
I cant get in
With or without you

And you give your wristband away
And you give your wristband away
And you give
And you give
And you give your wristband away

My hands are tied with a blue wristband
My body bruised, shes shoved me and cut me in line
Nothing to win and
Wait, Iv got a lot to lose (my spot!)

And you give your wristband away
Wait, you gave MY wristband away?
And you give
Then you gave
Now you gave my wristband away?!

With or without you
With or without you
I cant enter the damn elipse!!!!!
With or without you

With or without you
With or without you
I cant live
And I cant breathe
And I cant move
And I cant stand
And I cant speak
And I cant eat
And I cant sleep
And I sure as hell cant get into the freakin elipse
With or without you
With or without you

 

[Bonogirl777]

 

[mrclutch34do]

clap your hands and sing it out loud!

 

[last unicorn]

It just really sucks to watch someone who got there hours after you walk right in front of you. I understand the argument for the lottery, but I don't agree with it.

I'm all for "first come, first serve". There is a reason why people line up early. It's disappointed and frustrating not being in the ellipse (or wherever that will be).

 

[Axver]

The lottery system is fine with me. Getting a good spot shouldn't be a physical endurance contest.

Keep the lottery--I don't think they should reward behavior bordering on obsessive/stalker-level. Plus, it adds some excitement and surprise to the process.

[...]

Ultimately, anything that takes even a little power away from Line Nazis is fine with me.

I totally agree with these two posts.

I'm not sure what the ideal way to counter obsessive, extreme queuing is, though. The lottery wasn't a bad way to do things, and Springsteen's system seems sound, but I'd like to think there's an even better way. (For full disclosure, I had GA tickets to two Vertigo gigs with the lottery and got into the ellipse both times. Spending a day sightseeing around Boston, then turning up at 5:30pm, beeping into the ellipse, and getting front row in front of Edge was a fantastic day.)

Maybe it's just me, but I go to a concert to enjoy myself. My favourite shows are those I see in small clubs. I rock up just after doors open, buy a drink, casually walk up to the front of stage when the first band comes on, and have an awesome time. No stress. U2 shows, on the other hand? You have the politics of the line. You sit around for hours upon hours, probably on hard concrete, occasionally making runs for a putrid port-a-loo or overpriced food. And once you get in, you're clinging to the spot. That all really takes away from the concert experience for me, even if the company I have is excellent. Being able to not turn up until the early evening would be ideal.

I'm going to see U2 in Europe this year. I was planning a lengthy overseas holiday anyway, and U2's European dates happen to coincide with my time off quite well, so I'll catch the gigs that fit into my schedule. Sightseeing is just as important to me as concerts. I don't want to just see the outside of Croke Park when I'm in Dublin, you know? I've no fucking idea when I will next go to Europe, and I don't want to miss out on seeing the sights in case my next trip isn't for a decade or more. Anybody who thinks I'm less of a fan because I'd prefer to see the foreign country I'm in rather than queue from 6am can, quite frankly, go fuck themselves.

 

[gareth brown]

hahaha great post!

 

[Axver]

Honestly, anybody who saw 20 concerts doesn't have much to complain about.

 

[Axver]

however, do you really think that someone that bought all those tickets is less deserving than someone who bought one or two? i think they are EQUALLY deserving. i am happy you and others got in a couple of times at the couple of shows you saw in the US! that's freakin awesome good luck!!! but, you sound like he's not as deserving as anyone else who bought any number of tickets? all i'm saying is...this is what's wrong with the lottery.

I think he should be happy he saw U2 twenty times. U2 have not even played twenty concerts EVER in my native New Zealand; the last four U2 tours have featured less than twenty shows in my current country of residence, Australia. Anybody who's able to see U2 twenty times on one tour in their own country is fucking lucky regardless of where they are in the venue. Honestly, this has got nothing to do with whether anybody's more or less "deserving".

Incidentally, the statistical probability of missing ellipse entry 20 times out of 20 is staggeringly small. I think it's less a problem with the lottery, and more astonishingly bad luck.

 

[Axver]

he was my personal example. but since the "statistical probability of missing ellipse entry 20 times out of 20 is staggeringly small"......well then, i shouldn't know sooo many others who have the same story should i?? too bad they don't post on this board.

Statistical probability is much more reflective of the reality than personal experiences. Those experiences are anomalies. Nothing more, nothing less.

you made it sound like (and are still making it sound like) because he went to a lot of shows that's enough! that's it! how DARE he want to win the lottery of the band he loves to see them up close when he camped out overnight??? if you don't mean it that way...i apologize. if you do....let's agree to disagree.

What stuns me is that he saw twenty concerts in his own country and you're still writing paragraphs of agitated complaints that he didn't get a specific spot in the audience. Winning the lottery is fantastic, and it would be ideal if everybody had a fair chance at the front row, but let's have some perspective here.

Anyway ...

 

[budvarka]

sorry for my ingorance, but how this lottery works?
Anyone with a GA ticket has a chance to get "beeped" into the "inner circle"? I mean Anyone? Or just first lets say 1000 GA coming in ?

Anyone any clue?

tks

 

[wenda]

sorry for my ingorance, but how this lottery works?
Anyone with a GA ticket has a chance to get "beeped" into the "inner circle"? I mean Anyone? Or just first lets say 1000 GA coming in ?

Anyone any clue?

tks

For Vertigo, if your GA ticket was scanned and the screen said VERTIGO then you would get a wristband to get into the Ellipse or 'inner circle'. It was completely random.

 

[skjuls]

I disagree with it, only because I think that the people who camp out and stay in line the longest should get up front because they did what it took to get up there. If they do a lottery then you have to just deal with it. I was on the outside rail a lot on Vertigo and it wasn't bad at all. Bono jumped in the crowd where I was and grabbed and held my hand in another show.

This happened to me in an arena. However for a stadium show that rail would suck, you'll be FAR away from the action. Bono won't be able to grab your hand or anything since he cannot reach you.

 

[skjuls]

For Vertigo, if your GA ticket was scanned and the screen said VERTIGO then you would get a wristband to get into the Ellipse or 'inner circle'. It was completely random.

It's not completely random, when the person running it doesn't understand why the first 3 people didn't beep VERTIGO. Then she just let them in because she said one of them should have gotten it!

It was completely random and people followed the rules of only 1 person my go with you then fine. However, for a Stadium show not getting winning the lottery would not be good in my opinion.

There has to be a better way.

 

[demonseed]

It just seems to me that the easy way to do it would be half and half. Say the pit holds 1000 people - the first 500 in line get in the pit automatically. The next 500 go through a lottery system

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

if you all like they could go back to seats on the floor and you can pay 20 G's to sit in the front row, then there won't be anything to bitch about.

i was on the floor 5 times on vertigo. the first time i waited on line from around 8am on, didn't get buzzed in but got a spot on the outside of the rail... had a great time and all, but left the arena badly sunburned, sore as shit and desperately just wanting to go home and sleep for days, which was tough 'cause i wasn't in my home city.

the next time i just chilled back by the soundboard, had some drinks and generally had a pretty good time. no pressure, just enjoyment.

the next three times i was inside the ellipse, with no waiting in line involved. in fact i did a full day of work all three times. some of us, ya know, have jobs. these were by far the best experiences.

it's awesome to be close and all, and i will try to work my way as close as possible at giants stadium... but yea, there's no chance in hell i'm sitting in that line all day again. the physical toll it takes on your body simply isn't worth it. i don't need boner to be able to touch my hand in order to have a good time (ha... boner touch my hand).

if you do, hey.. good on you. even with the lottery you can still get close enough for that to happen. but the lottery is infinitely better than waiting out all night like a lunatic.

one of the times i was in the ellipse i got a call on my cell, turned around and saw two friends who literally got their tickets at 6:45 for a 7:30 opener and were only 5 feet from the outer rail of the ellipse. oh the humanity... not waiting in line all day cost them 5 whole feet. wooooooooooo... the horror, the horror.

 

[gareth brown]

Like Axver said the problem with massive bands like U2 is you turn up and you don't just queue. You go through the

politics of the line. It's crazy. I've heard stories of all sorts of people going nuts over queuing and it just takes the fun out of it. We all go there to see a band play live. Just think how those up in the seats feel. They didn't get the floor tickets in time and have to watch the band for METRES AWAY. OH NO. I'm anticipating so many bitchy posts following the gigs it's unbelievable

 

[daygloeyes2]

For Vertigo, if your GA ticket was scanned and the screen said VERTIGO then you would get a wristband to get into the Ellipse or 'inner circle'. It was completely random.

Oh man, that was so exciting! I flipped out.

I don't like the lottery. If you show up at 5 am and line up all day, it isn't fair for someone who shows up at 6 to have a better spot at you. (Not a criticism of the person who shows up at 6, a criticism of the system)

 

[4U2Play]

The Lottery:

If you wait in line all day and scan in, it's awesome

If you show up at 6pm and scan in, it's fucking awesome


If you show up at 6pm and don't scan in, it's OK

If you wait in line all day and don't scan in, it fucking blows

 

[jphelmet]

they need a new system. i got in the ellipse a couple of times on vertigo, and those were by far the best shows. the negative, even in the ellipse- you have the casual fan that walks in, gets buzzed, and then talks on their cell phone the whole time. the guy next to me made no less than 50 calls to tell all his friends that he was in the front row. He was in the front row, and he talks on his phone the whole time!

my time in the heart on elevation, was great. everyone i met was really nice, totally into the show, and there was no one talking on their phone (or at all really- they were there to watch the show). i lined up twice all day to be in the front. once i got lucky, despite being about 50th in line and was front row center. another, front row in front of edge, those are still the best concert experiences of my life. It is certainly hard to do, but if you know for sure you will get in the front its worth it for one show.
the advantage of no lottery, is you can get there an 1.5-2 hours before the show, and get in the front row on the outside of the ellipse. everyone tries to get inside, and its easy to get the front row outside. in a stadium, you could do the same by getting there an hour or so before because of how big the ellipse will be. you don't have to put in a whole lot of time to have a really good spot. with the lottery, you either put in a ton of time, and get all or nothing. i think the back of the floor in an arena is not bad, but in a stadium in sucks- a 100 yards away is never good for a concert.

i see both sides, and this tour i don't have the time to line up all day, and wait. even with that being the case, i still think the lottery is a terrible way to do it. there has to be a better way. the springsteen method, seems to be a pretty good compromise and would seem to cut down on the people camping out overnight.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The Lottery:

If you wait in line all day and scan in, it's awesome

If you show up at 6pm and scan in, it's fucking awesome


If you show up at 6pm and don't scan in, it's OK

If you wait in line all day and don't scan in, it fucking blows

if you wait in line all day and don't scan in, you're still going to have one hell of a spot... so to say it fucking blows is a bit much.

 

[anitram]

I had a similar experience to Headache during the Vertigo tour.

For a couple of shows, I lined up very early (6 am) and was maybe 30-40 in line or something? Can't remember. Out of those, I got into the ellipse once, when a friend got scanned in. No biggie. Then another couple of times we just didn't feel like lining up. One night we hung back by the soundboard, there was lots of room to dance and we had a fantastic time doing that. Another night, we did the same thing until some woman came up to us and gave us wristbands, which was a really cool surprise and then we went in the ellipse and had a great time.

This idea that it "blows" if you line up all day and heaven forbid get a front row spot at the outer rail is nothing less than totally absurd.

 

[*Ally*]

i went to 17 GA shows last tour, and didn't win the lottery once. (i'll admit it, i'm still kinda bitter about that!)

even though i don't love the lottery, i do understand the reasons behind it. i have been very lucky to go to many, many shows and spend LOTS of time in line (on both Elevation and Vertigo), and therefore for me *personally* the non-lottery system would be "ideal". however, i think it's right to give people who aren't able (for whatever reason) to wait in line all day or go to multiple shows the chance of a lifetime! just because someone can't take off work for a day to wait in line for 14 hours does not mean that they are any less of a fan than those who are lucky enough to do so. yes, it's disappointing to not win if you've waited for 12 hours, but that's a risk that you're taking when you purchase GA. In my opinion, it's still better than having seats where scalpers will sell the first row seats for thousands of dollars apiece!!

i may feel differently if i go to another 17 shows (haha, NOT gonna happen on this tour!) and don't win the lottery once, but for now i guess i am ok with it. i would just appreciate the band announcing beforehand whether there's going to be a lottery, so that people can make an informed decision as to whether they want to risk not getting inside the claw (or whatever it's called!). just seems fair to be honest before people purchase their GA tix.

 

[Diemen]

This idea that it "blows" if you line up all day and heaven forbid get a front row spot at the outer rail is nothing less than totally absurd.

This deserves repeating. Get over your sense of entitlement, people.

 

[corianderstem]

I was going to repeat that quote as well, but seeing as Diemen already did, I guess I won't be redundant.