It seems that the 'earlybird GA experience' is really great, pretty consensus-y sounding to me, no?
I would love to do that sometime, but just have not yet been in a position to. But the thing about the non-earlybird GA experience is that it can be very very variable, I think. Unless you're waaay more zen then I can be
Like, when I got to the Palace (Detroit) at 3or 4 pm, the people in line were not all that friendly, there were a lot of people there who, I dunno, just go to shows because they get tix from their buddies working concessions somewhere or at the radio station, come very very early to drink like for the sake of picking up some chicks later and are just swaying drunk, could care less about U2, and wander thru the crowd like it's a frat party. Then too back there are more people who, shall we say, don't have that nice U2-fan quality lol, and cut and spend all night back and forth for beer, even on the floor, gosh. I got myself up against the edge-side rail maybe 20 or so people deep from the front of the ellipse outside, and it would have been a fine view really if there weren't very tall people holding cell phones up half the night standing in front of me once things got really going in the show, because even the not-so-big fans were into it by now. I might have been in the worst possible floor spot for Vertigo tour arenas...*middle* of the floor, where there is still some movement toward the front all night, milling, but no decent personal space, ya know?
Looking at the pix of shows in arenas, it makes me realize that the stage in such a setting--as compared to stadiums--is not really that high up? How much taller is the stage going to be for U2 360? Won't it be much harder to see them because it will be like looking into a wall til you scan upwards by 15 or more feet? except when they're out on the walkways I guess...