WHY bring back a lottery system?!

[starsgoblue]

^^
True but being clean is nice too

If you're staying at a hotel after the concert you gotta go and check in at some point. Nobody cares if you leave for an hour to take a shower. Plenty of people, including myself, did it at the shows I was at. It's not the same as leaving for the entire day or hours on end and sashaying in for the lineup right before doors open. The line is like a bank account...if you put time in, you can take some time out.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i wandered around out of the line for like an hour... as long as you put in your time and always have a representative at the line, or at least get friendly with the people near you in line, leaving it is a non issue.

that said... i highly doubt i'll be waiting in any lines this time around. just not worth it, for me anyways.

 

[Hallucination]

Successful people* don't take a week off of work to sit on their asses on a sidewalk at 7 pm the night before a concert. You seem to think that it's as simple as booking time off of work and that this somehow defines how big of a fan you are. I've been a U2 fan for 17 years. I'm struggling to get time off of work this fall to fly across the country to see them because it's our busiest time of the year. We're also in a recession if you haven't heard that news. If it comes down to me having a JOB so that I can pay my rent and eat versus seeing Bono, then yes, I'm making the choice to not end up at the food bank. But please don't tell me that being an adult makes me any less of a fan than you are.

*Exceptions may apply.

Gimme a break. This is exageration to the extreme. A week to stand in line? Who you trying to kid? Most places you can start lineing up less than 24 hours before the doors open and you'll be perfectly fine. I'm fully aware of the recession as I was just layed off last week. Pretty sure I'm every bit the adult you are. Oh but I'm unemployed now so lucky me I have time on my hands to stand in line. And booking ONE day off a few months down the road shouldn't be much of a problem and if that one day leads to you heading to the food bank than maybe a U2 concert shouldn't be high on your priority list. Maybe you shouldn't be flying across the country taking a week off for a concert if you're hurting that bad finacially. All this is, is a bunch of excuses trying to justify why you don't want to stand in line, not why you can't stand in line. If you're taking a week off to travel to see the band than I'll assume you'll have the day of the show off as well which means no excuse for not standing in line other than not wanting to put in the time. And if that's the case those who are willing to wait want to be up front more than you do.

 

[Hallucination]

Ticketmaster seriously did that? I'm glad they never did it here...



Even though I don't love the idea of a lottery anyone who queues up overnight for a show is creepy. I usually show up two hours before gates unless I know I need to be earlier for a good spot. Overnight is madness

I agree. Overnight isn't for me. Those who choose to do that though all the power to them. I honestly think if you're willing to do that you deserve to be up front.

It's like going to a movie. If you want a good seat and you know it's gonna sell out you go early enough to get that seat. Concerts are just like that but on a larger scale. Why people have a problem with this is beyond me.

Buying tickets to the show is the same thing. First come first serve. Nobody is entitled to anything. You want the tickets you make damn sure you're available to buy them the moment they go on sale. Whether that means bookng time off work or having someone do it for you or whatever it takes. Imagine the outrage if they held a lottery for purchasing tickets. It'd be like the Super Bowl and then none of us would ever get to go. We'd have to pay outrageous prices just for the opportunity to buy scalped tickets which allow us to buy the actual concert tickets.

 

[Salome]

If you're taking a week off to travel to see the band than I'll assume you'll have the day of the show off as well which means no excuse for not standing in line other than not wanting to put in the time. And if that's the case those who are willing to wait want to be up front more than you do.

personally I don't care much whether I get up in front or not
but the point of a lottery system isn't to punish people who want to waste a day sitting in front of a concert venue
the point is that no one has to go and sit in front of a concert venue as there is no benefit to it anymore + so that the band actually gets to see some fresh faces

I don't think waiting an entire day outside of a stadium shows you're willing to put in much of anything
there's not much of a feat of sitting on your arse that warrants a reward

 

[mikal]

personally I don't care much whether I get up in front or not
but the point of a lottery system isn't to punish people who want to waste a day sitting in front of a concert venue
the point is that no one has to go and sit in front of a concert venue as there is no benefit to it anymore + so that the band actually gets to see some fresh faces

I don't think waiting an entire day outside of a stadium shows you're willing to put in much of anything
there's not much of a feat of sitting on your arse that warrants a reward

yep. i plan on buying GA's, and showing up maybe 2 hours before the show. i really don't mind hanging out towards the back for this one and soaking it all in. i've seen them up close 4-5 times now. i'll give someone else the chance this time around.

 

[gareth brown]

i agree with Salome, the whole first come first serve idea is FINE when you've not got people doing (nay, abusing) it constantly. When a band is sick of seeing you at the front and puts in a lottery to stop you there's no use complaining about it and acting like you're getting a raw deal! take the hint

 

[cdparky]

i agree with Salome, the whole first come first serve idea is FINE when you've not got people doing (nay, abusing) it constantly. When a band is sick of seeing you at the front and puts in a lottery to stop you there's no use complaining about it and acting like you're getting a raw deal! take the hint

So what about the people who go to 1 show and want to hold in their own hands whether they get in the gold circle / ellipse / claw / guantoflope / crab (or whatever we call it this time)? Should those be stopped from doing that to prevent a few obsessives - who will find a way in anyway - from being at the front? From my perspective I'm not remotely bothered about being on the rail at the front, but I do like being near the stage and having the relative freedom to move about that it affords.

 

[jphelmet]

Joshua Tree- Popmart: Seats on field, and had to be member of Prop or wealthy to get the best seats
Elevation: GA- had to stand in line to get best seats
Vertigo: Had to be lucky, or know how to beat the system to get best seats.
360: Complain about how you shouldn't have to line up, pay more, or anything other conventional way one attains the best seats- but you still deserve a chance to be in front.

Not sure what is most annoying, but at least Pre-Vertigo I knew where I would be before I left the house.

 

[bollox]

i love how people here get so uppity about what makes them a 'bigger fan' of the band. frankly, if you're willing to give up food/shelter/sleep/health/employment to queue up and get a better spot at the u2 show, then i will readily concede, you are a bigger fan than i am. congratulations! you're also probably out of your mind, but, do what makes you happy, yeah?

 

[beegee]

Some of the comments in this thread are so silly. I camped overnight to see the band on the Vertigo tour. I took a few vacation days from my job. The line leaders wrote a number on my hand and that was that, I was free to do whatever until it was time to line up.

I rented a van so I would have somewhere warm to sleep. I had a hotel room a few blocks away but hanging out all night meeting the other campers was more fun. Some of them I had met before at other gatherings and some I had a chance to talk to for the first time. I had a cooler with cokes and water which I offered to my fellow campers. I had folding chairs so I didn't have to sit on concrete. In the morning I went to my hotel room, showered and changed my clothes.

I don't consider myself creepy, or a stalker. I didn't give up food/shelter/sleep/health or employment. I'm just an adventurous U2 fan who loves to have fun and meet new people.

 

[corianderstem]

The way you describe it makes it sound a lot more fun than some of the other experiences I've had/read about!

Can I do GA with you?

 

[beegee]

Please do!

 

[DeVaul]

I was #1 outside MSG for Vertigo, does that me sorta creep?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Successful people* don't take a week off of work to sit on their asses on a sidewalk at 7 pm the night before a concert. You seem to think that it's as simple as booking time off of work and that this somehow defines how big of a fan you are. I've been a U2 fan for 17 years. I'm struggling to get time off of work this fall to fly across the country to see them because it's our busiest time of the year. We're also in a recession if you haven't heard that news. If it comes down to me having a JOB so that I can pay my rent and eat versus seeing Bono, then yes, I'm making the choice to not end up at the food bank. But please don't tell me that being an adult makes me any less of a fan than you are.

*Exceptions may apply.

dude i hear ya on the job thing, i really do. but if it's a struggle to go, don't go. nobody's gonna think any less of ya, 'cause no one really cares. anyone who feels the need to prove that they're a bigger fan than the next guy is a pathetic douche anyways.

i had to pass up a free ticket to the hawaii vertigo show that had my two favorite bands of all time playing together. it was heartbreaking, but i coach basketball and would be a giant hypocrite for telling kids they can't go on vacation during the season if i up and went to hawaii for 3 days in the middle of the season, so i stayed home.

u2 may be a large part of my life, but it's not the most important thing in my life... and frankly anyone who believes u2 is the single most important thing in their life is rather sad.

so i feel ya... i like the lottery, and i don't need to be within spitting distance of larry to have a good time.


that all said... there's really no reason to ridicule the people who can take off from work. i have taken time off from work to do u2 related things, i have slept on concrete, i have waited in lines for amounts of time that i'm embarassed to tell my non u2 friends about.

if you can afford to take the time off to do it great. if you can't, no worries. you can have just as good a time anywhere else in the stadium if you so chose to.

 

[jphelmet]

dude i hear ya on the job thing, i really do. but if it's a struggle to go, don't go. nobody's gonna think any less of ya, 'cause no one really cares. anyone who feels the need to prove that they're a bigger fan than the next guy is a pathetic douche anyways.

i had to pass up a free ticket to the hawaii vertigo show that had my two favorite bands of all time playing together. it was heartbreaking, but i coach basketball and would be a giant hypocrite for telling kids they can't go on vacation during the season if i up and went to hawaii for 3 days in the middle of the season, so i stayed home.

u2 may be a large part of my life, but it's not the most important thing in my life... and frankly anyone who believes u2 is the single most important thing in their life is rather sad.

so i feel ya... i like the lottery, and i don't need to be within spitting distance of larry to have a good time.


that all said... there's really no reason to ridicule the people who can take off from work. i have taken time off from work to do u2 related things, i have slept on concrete, i have waited in lines for amounts of time that i'm embarassed to tell my non u2 friends about.

if you can afford to take the time off to do it great. if you can't, no worries. you can have just as good a time anywhere else in the stadium if you so chose to.

 

[Liesje]

Successful people* don't take a week off of work to sit on their asses on a sidewalk at 7 pm the night before a concert. You seem to think that it's as simple as booking time off of work and that this somehow defines how big of a fan you are. I've been a U2 fan for 17 years. I'm struggling to get time off of work this fall to fly across the country to see them because it's our busiest time of the year. We're also in a recession if you haven't heard that news. If it comes down to me having a JOB so that I can pay my rent and eat versus seeing Bono, then yes, I'm making the choice to not end up at the food bank. But please don't tell me that being an adult makes me any less of a fan than you are.

*Exceptions may apply.

Then don't do it If you can afford to fly across the country for a concert then I don't think you're quite at the food bank point yet.

I'm only planning on seeing one show so far, and only b/c it's on a weeken, it's close (3 hrs drive each way), and it's just a few blocks from a relative we could stay with or use their shower if we wait in line. The only time I've ever flown for a concert was b/c it happened to also be my honeymoon (which was 3 months after our wedding b/c we had to raise the money). I don't do any shows that require that much time/money and I rarely even get a hotel room unless I can go in with 4+ other people.

Last time I saw 10 shows even though I initially planned on 3 (all within a few hour's drive), but I was a student so it was easy to ditch classes and take off work here and there. I also had a lot of offers like "I can get you a GA ticket at face value and give you a ride if you want to come along..." OK! This time...not so much. But I'm not sweating it.

PS. I met plenty of successful working professionals in the line I did last time. Some can get off work, some can't.

 

[bonoz]

Analogy: A football (soccer) game. Players work hard for the 120 minutes. Then the penalty shootout works out the winner. It is a very dreaded, unwanted way to decide the outcome of a match where both sets of players worked their bloody hearts out.

The lottery system is a bit like that; depends a lot on one's luck. Just pouring cold water on the fire of one's effort. I don't want that deciding who gets in or not. I don't want people who got later in line than me to be ahead of me in the show. That's just cheating.

 

[jahorro]

Lottery in Europe

The lottery system seemed feasible in North American arenas which were smaller venues (usually with one entrance), but I have a difficult time seeing a lottery system unfold in Europe. When I was there in 2005, places like Milan and Dublin were an absolute gong show, with multiple entrances and a crush of mad fans rushing the gates. I guess we'll know for sure come Barcelona - and I can foresee that first show will not be a smooth operation!

 

[kafrun]

In Hawaii there wasn't a mad rush and they only used one or two entrances. It was very controlled. So controlled that I think it took us half an hour to get from the entrance to the field Stop-start-stop-start-stop-start - NO RUNNING!

I'd like to see the lottery in the stadiums were there's even less of a chance of getting up close for those not camping out. I personally don't mind the craziness, but hey, give a chance to those not up for it.

 

[popbellydancer]

In Hawaii there wasn't a mad rush and they only used one or two entrances. It was very controlled. So controlled that I think it took us half an hour to get from the entrance to the field Stop-start-stop-start-stop-start - NO RUNNING!

I'd like to see the lottery in the stadiums were there's even less of a chance of getting up close for those not camping out. I personally don't mind the craziness, but hey, give a chance to those not up for it.

in hawaii i was at near the front of line 1, and my friends at the front of line 2 going in. it was controlled until we got on the field, then it was the scariest mad rush i've ever seen/been part of. (disclaimer, haven't been to european shows) but yes, it was a mad rush, and one of my girlfriends got knocked over by some rude boys with their faces painted and almost trampled. but hawaii isn't a good example cuz that place displayed for 3 days prior that they didn't know what they were doing, which makes sense as they hadn't hosted a concert in like 20 years.

anyway, stadiums are so big, and there is sooo much more rail space that i don't think it will be as hard to get some sort of rail if you don't camp.

and in europe they will never do a lottery because queuing for GA is a religion and people wouldn't have it. i just don't know why if that's the case in Europe, that the US has to have it. imo. obviously i'm not a lottery fan.

 

[skjuls]

in hawaii i was at near the front of line 1, and my friends at the front of line 2 going in. it was controlled until we got on the field, then it was the scariest mad rush i've ever seen/been part of. (disclaimer, haven't been to european shows) but yes, it was a mad rush, and one of my girlfriends got knocked over by some rude boys with their faces painted and almost trampled. but hawaii isn't a good example cuz that place displayed for 3 days prior that they didn't know what they were doing, which makes sense as they hadn't hosted a concert in like 20 years.

Yep, a mad dash which was horrible. I didn't make it up to the front because I lost my friends but they saw somebody hit their head on the front rail. Dangerous.

It was controlled until we got to the entrances to the headphones and then it was "LET THEM LOOSE!" basically.

 

[Outsider]

i like the lottery, and i don't need to be within spitting distance of larry to have a good time.

I don't think Edge is even within spitting distance of larry


I agree with the previous comment stating that there is so much space, even those that can AND can't camp out will get a decent spot.

 

[kafrun]

I must've missed the mad rush or just been lucky to get to the rail unscathed Sounds scary.

 

[Outsider]

^i must've been on your side. I didnt see any kind of rush and I got to the inner rail just fine. A LOT of stop-go-stop...

 

[kafrun]

The only rush I saw was the people who bolted for the main stage once they got in the ellipse. The b-stages are a better view anyway

 

[anitram]

anyway, stadiums are so big, and there is sooo much more rail space that i don't think it will be as hard to get some sort of rail if you don't camp.

It might actually be even worse, because it looks like the great majority of rail space (perhaps as much as 2/3 of it, depending on the diagram) is going to be taken up by the VIP (RED) section seats.

I was in favour of the lottery on the last tour when I was a student and, like Lies, had all the time in the world to line up. And I'm in favour of it now when I absolutely can't take time off and can't line up. I didn't see anything unfair about it then or now.

If the band came up with the idea, they obviously did so for a reason and not because they just wanted to be mean to people sleeping outside.

 

[oceane]

I have nothing against the lottery, but I do think that the particular lottery system used during Vertigo was not the best, i.e. it did not prevent lining up early.

If you do a lottery, at least do a smart one where a number is picked randomly and that is where the line starts, but do it early enough (like before 6pm) that at least people who care enough to show up earlier than during opening act will get closer than those who can't be bothered.

In any case it would be nice to know before the first show of the tour how it will work. I'm going to Barcelona with a big group of friends, none of which have seen U2 before, all doing GA. It would be great not to make them line up early for nothing!

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

In Hawaii there wasn't a mad rush and they only used one or two entrances. It was very controlled. So controlled that I think it took us half an hour to get from the entrance to the field Stop-start-stop-start-stop-start - NO RUNNING!

I'd like to see the lottery in the stadiums were there's even less of a chance of getting up close for those not camping out. I personally don't mind the craziness, but hey, give a chance to those not up for it.

That would have driven me nuts.

I think the line at MSG was like that... After we went through the initial line and scanned, we were cattled off to another area and then had to wait a bit more until the finally let us loose. It was this huge adrenaline rush having scanned then it had to be contained for a while longer.

 

[skjuls]

The only rush I saw was the people who bolted for the main stage once they got in the ellipse. The b-stages are a better view anyway

Well that was the rush. Most people wanted to be on the front rail. There was a lot of pushing behind me because I was up front in the line. I don't think you guys chose the same entrance as me so your side might not have been as gung ho as my side.

I ended up on a B-stage anyway.