New procedures for the heart

[U2ITNOL]

Bad news for those planning on lining up early for the heart in Montreal, and possibly other cities...

I just read a posting on the alt.music.u2 newsgroup. Someone called the Molson Center in Montreal to inquire about the GA lineup procedures and getting into the heart. She was told that the heart will be handled differently this time around. Once GA ticket holders are inside the building, Molson Center employees will randomly pick 300 people for the heart, giving everyone an equal chance to get in and discouraging GA ticket holders from lining up early in the morning. To confirm this was indeed the new procedure, she called the Molson Center again later in the day, spoke to a different person there, and was told the same thing.

I wonder if the new Montreal policy for getting into the heart will be the same in other cities? It wouldn't surprise me at all after the GA fiascos that occured in a few cities during the 1st leg, and the infamous Boston #2 where they did randomly pick people but didn't bother notifying anyone beforehand. It also makes more sense to do it this way with the new heightened security at arenas and stadiums throughout the country. Randomly picking people for the heart eliminates the mad rushes, making it a whole lot easier for arena security to search everyone going in. And Bono won't have to see the same faces in the heart every night.

 

[Eliv8]

That would suck

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Imagine
//oo\\

http://eliv8.fws1.com/

 

[unforgettableFOXfire]

LMFAO!

I intend to keep this news to myself, because if my friend James does indeed get tickets, I will have to laugh at him for leaving a day early and getting in line at 3 or 4 in the morning to get a good spot LOL. Ohhhhh how sweet payback is...


It is unfortunate though to hear that all of the true U2 fans will be less likely to get in

Heres to hoping you can get into the heart, may luck be with you. *cheers*

 

[speedracer]

Originally posted by ~unforgettableFOXfire~:
LMFAO!

I intend to keep this news to myself, because if my friend James does indeed get tickets, I will have to laugh at him for leaving a day early and getting in line at 3 or 4 in the morning to get a good spot LOL. Ohhhhh how sweet payback is...


It is unfortunate though to hear that all of the true U2 fans will be less likely to get in

Heres to hoping you can get into the heart, may luck be with you. *cheers*

Once again it must be asserted:

A person's willingness to sit in line for 14 hours in order to get front-row seats for a U2 show does not make that person a "truer" U2 fan than someone else.

 

[MysteryGirl]

WHAT!?!?

First off, Bono will see a new face with me because I've never seen them live before. (Don't ask me why I waited 18 years. But they never come to my city.)

Secondly, if they want to see new faces, maybe they could book shows in new CITIES! They would sell out anywhere they go!

Thirdly, anyone who waits all day to get in the heart deserves to be in there, and I would think that their picking people randomly is actually allowing people to cut line, and that's no way to keep the peace!?

Sheesh!

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"You're dangerous...'cause you're honest"

 

[unforgettableFOXfire]

Well my friend James picked Adam to go to the show over me, and Adam only listens to U2 because he thinks we'll like him more. So basically, I, having listened to U2 for quite some time have just been screwed out of a ticket by a poser bitch who is more-less trying to replace me. That is what I refered to when I said 'a true U2 fan'. Because honestly, even a passive U2 fan is more of a fan than Adam is. ARGH that kid needs to be thrown down some stairs... and again... and again...

 

[Hallelujah Here She Comes]

Originally posted by speedracer:
Once again it must be asserted:

A person's willingness to sit in line for 14 hours in order to get front-row seats for a U2 show does not make that person a "truer" U2 fan than someone else.

You're right. A willingness to wait for an absurdly long amount of time doesn't make someone a "truer" fan. But it still strikes me as unfair to give everyone an equal shot at getting into the heart, no matter when they showed up. I'm sorry, but if someone's willing to wait in line for 14+ hours, I think they *do* deserve to get into the heart more than someone who moseyed in at 4:30pm. Also, there were plenty of cities where there were no problems with the GA line, so perhaps this will only be an issue where there were actually problems.

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"I buy socks."
--Adam, when asked what he does with the money he would have spent on drink

"Do you know," lectures Larry Mullen Jr, "One of Hitler's first military acts was to carpet bomb the village of his birth? He was obsessed by obliterating his past."
"We should do that to the Q photo library," muses Edge. "Destroy all evidence of mullets!"

--Q Magazine interview, "The Elastic Bono Band"

 

[speedracer]

Originally posted by MysteryGirl:


Thirdly, anyone who waits all day to get in the heart deserves to be in there, and I would think that their picking people randomly is actually allowing people to cut line, and that's no way to keep the peace!?

Um, no. Randomly picking people is going to eliminate the line. Anybody who shows up at 3 or 4 am is likely going to be told to go home and come back later whenever the arena employees arrive for work.

 

[speedracer]

Originally posted by Hallelujah Here She Comes:
You're right. A willingness to wait for an absurdly long amount of time doesn't make someone a "truer" fan. But it still strikes me as unfair to give everyone an equal shot at getting into the heart, no matter when they showed up. I'm sorry, but if someone's willing to wait in line for 14+ hours, I think they *do* deserve to get into the heart more than someone who moseyed in at 4:30pm.

I know that a lot of "true" fans save up on vacation days, get their projects done early, etc. so that they can take the day (or several days) off and line up early. But you have to realize that some people simply can't do that (at least not without seriously jeopardizing their jobs).

I'm a graduate student, I'm training to be a professor, and I can tell you that you can't cancel a 2:30-4 lecture for 500 students just because you want prime seats at a concert. So I don't think people should be encouraged to take the day off work to line up.

[This message has been edited by speedracer (edited 10-04-2001).]

 

[oviedo]

Maybe other cities' resident U2 experts can post on whether the procedures will change there, too? How's about Chicago???

 

[Kid Icarus]

Uh, don't believe everything you read, eh! I remember back in the spring when U2 played montreal somebody posted a message to the same effect...turned out to be BS

 

[mikal]

The people at the Molsen Center are flat out lying to you. Many venues said a lot of things before and during the 1st leg that weren't true. The venues just don't want to be liable for the fans waiting in line.

Also, how would they pick people? A process of picking people would take too long and in the end would cause more problems.

So unless you hear the same thing from every other venue, I wouldn't worry.

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11 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[U2ITNOL]

Originally posted by speedracer:
Randomly picking people is going to eliminate the line.

Not entirely true. Even if they decide to do the random picking for the heart in all cities, some fans will still line up early for a spot on the outside tip of the heart, which is just as good as being inside, except for the pushing and shoving.
I'll accept whatever they decide to do for the heart as long as they inform us ahead of time. I'm just happy for the opportunity to be "elevated" one last time this year.

[This message has been edited by U2ITNOL (edited 10-04-2001).]

 

[*Ally*]

well, i don't know for sure if this is true or not. but if the band was so concerned with the way the heart procedure worked on the 1st American leg, then why didn't they change things up in Europe? I went to shows in London, and the heart procedure was exactly the same as it was here last spring.

also, i read the following post on the U2Tour group- it might clear some things up about montreal...

From: Hayley Coristine <h_coristine@s...>
Date: Thu Oct 4, 2001 9:33 pm
Subject: Montreal GA procedures!!


Hi all,
Ok. Hopefully this will clear things up about the Montreal GA procedures. A
few people emailed me/posted saying that the "handpicking" thing was an
urban legend- which it was, just the same as it had been last time. I wasn't
afraid of a repeat of the Boston fiasco (ie the "beautiful people"), just of
a repeat of the confusion of Montreal #1.
In any case, I went to the Molson Centre today and talked with a woman there
and basically what had happened is that the notion of "handpicking" was all
due to crossed wires and misinterpretations. Ever played broken telephone? I
think that's how it started. Someone mistook the "this is different from
most concerts, U2 have free reign to do what they want when they get to the
arena (meaning that they will change the setup of the floor, ie PUT THE
HEART IN!!!) and somehow it ended up as "U2 will choose who's in the
heart".
Anyway, here's the deal: the woman (I think her name was Anne-Marie) said
that she was aware of the problems of the first show and that GA procedures
would be just as they had for the SECOND show. We will line up at the box
office entrance, first 300 allowed into the heart, etc, etc, etc. She told
me she would notify the people at SFX and tell them to tell the people
working the phones on the General Info line to get things straight when they
tell people what the procedure will be.

So things should work out ok. I'm going to keep calling the Molson Centre
every day just to make sure they're not telling people nonsense, but
hopefully everything should be cleared up.

Hayley
--

 

[Mysterious_Ways]

I posted this in another place but... Montreal said the same exact thing last time. They had absolutely no clue what was going on. In fact at one point they said the band was going to come out and pick the people to be in the heart. It was mass confusion and a total fiasco. So as they say - I would take that info with a grain of salt.

Plus - there are great spots outside the heart that GA ticket holders would want - Therefore not eliminating a line. In fact it would possibly make it worse because the same amount of people would be going for less spots.

I guess we'll find out what the procedure will be on the 10th!

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...Its no secret that a liar won't believe in anyone else...

 

[speedracer]

Getting a spot just outside the heart isn't that difficult. All you have to do is stay on the floor while everyone else is getting beers and using the facilities during the intermission. I'm serious.

 

[Mysterious_Ways]

Well if you are like me - you just hold it no matter how bad you have to go! A spot on the rail outside the heart is just as golden as the inside. If I get a piece of rail I don't let go!!!! Hold on for dear life!!!! Just stop drinking anything about 2 hours before the show and you are good to go! (no pun intended)

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...Its no secret that a liar won't believe in anyone else...

 

[SkeeK]

Originally posted by ~unforgettableFOXfire~:
ARGH that kid needs to be thrown down some stairs... and again... and again...

lol

 

[anitram]

I don't trust any of them as far as I could spit.

 

[womanfish]

I don't know if this is true, but I highly doubt it. Lets just look at it logically. They are going to have everyone on the floor go in (a few thousand people) and then a couple of dopes in backwards hats are going to say hey you, come on in, but don't bring your friend or group or friends you're with???????? NO WAY! And the uproar of the crowd would be tremendous. If this is true, they are risking serious fights and injury, where there were none on the first legs of the tour.

I say it's bullshit

 

[mikal]

*Ally*,

Thanks for clearing it up! I knew it wasn't true, but didn't have any facts to prove it.

So get there early everyone! But if you're going to Chicago, don't get there too early, cause I want to be in the heart!

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11 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Naya]

T*barnac d'incomp?tents ! grrr

Don't listen to the security at the Molson Center. They told us so much bullshit before the first Montreal concert and everything was screwed. We got told that the band themselves would choose the people who would go in the heart, that it was the number on our wristband that determine if we would go in the heart...All lies !

Ally thanks for posting that email...it's my friend who sent it !! Hehe

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Originally posted by mikal:
*Ally*,

Thanks for clearing it up! I knew it wasn't true, but didn't have any facts to prove it.

So get there early everyone! But if you're going to Chicago, don't get there too early, cause I want to be in the heart!

Me too!!! I gotta get in it, this is my first time with GA!!!

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"I suppose I do everything in extremes-laugh a lot, cry a lot, fight a lot, make love a lot, eat too much, drink too much, try too much, cry too much. Pass the onion..." -Bono

~April~(AIMOPLemonGirl)

*~The Official POP_Whore of Interference~*

 

[Nick Carter's Angel]

That's really funny that some people were actually told the band would come out and pick the 300 people for the heart. Sounds like again cluelessness, and for L.A. a whole new arena of cluelessness since Staples has no experience of this "heart" yet.