GA Experiences So Far- Good, Bad, Ugly?

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The Claw Explained!

Hi Everyone,

I'm trying to work out the best thing to do at Dublin2 for GA, i have read hundreds of posts tonight and my head hurts now!

From what i have read so far, inside the circle but at the middle of the catwalk seems to be prime spot. . . . . but can someone explain the layout to me coz i am confused by the only pics i have managed to find. Is the catwalk at the 'back' of the circle or the front (ie facing towards the rest of GA).

Even better, does someone have a pic they can post here?!!!

Help! :huh:
 
Last edited:
bonoschild2009 said:
So, how was the Dublin 1 GA experience? How early was the queue formed?
Click to expand...
3749860191_6417c8ee53.jpg

This was over 24 hours before the concert started according to atu2
 
My hotel in sheffield wont let me check in till 2, im hoping there will let me leave my bag behind the desk some where and check in after the concert.
 
i'm gonna get to cardiff very early
i'm gonna push my way to the front as usual

Boo all the support and wait for the lads

BEWARE
 
The Ga Queue in Dublin was well organized. If you wanted to campout they let you inside the stadium grounds. There is seperate GA entrances for the inner cirlce and the pitch. The first night they put everyone into the inner circle till it was full and then filled the pitch. That angered some people, but they straightened it out for the second night. There a bunch of seperate queues for the 2 entrances, but they only let them in 1 at a time. Wrist bands were given out the scond night and stamp the first night before we were let in and they sorta searched bags too.
 
i thought the separate lines for the pit and pitch was stupid... they should of counted the number of people that fit into the pit and had the overflow go into the pitch line behind them. Cuz they told us pitch people that there wouldnt be any pit people on the pitch. so when we finally got let in the rail was taken..:mad:
 
lauramullen said:
The Ga Queue in Dublin was well organized. If you wanted to campout they let you inside the stadium grounds. There is seperate GA entrances for the inner cirlce and the pitch. The first night they put everyone into the inner circle till it was full and then filled the pitch. That angered some people, but they straightened it out for the second night. There a bunch of seperate queues for the 2 entrances, but they only let them in 1 at a time. Wrist bands were given out the scond night and stamp the first night before we were let in and they sorta searched bags too.
Click to expand...

U2Fanatic4ever said:
i thought the separate lines for the pit and pitch was stupid... they should of counted the number of people that fit into the pit and had the overflow go into the pitch line behind them. Cuz they told us pitch people that there wouldnt be any pit people on the pitch. so when we finally got let in the rail was taken..:mad:
Click to expand...


So I'm still confused by this. The first night you HAD to go in the inner circle (pit) if you were among the first in line but the second night you get to decide pit or pitch if you're among the first? I like the deciding part. I think if you're among the first you should get to decide, hence the getting there early, to make sure you have the spot you want. If I have this wrong, can someone clarify?
 
I like the idea the first people being let into the inner circle with the circle being closed when it's full. I don't like it when they let people in constantly until shortly before the show. It should really be a "first come, first serve" system. Everyone lining up early enough should be into the circle.

For those in Dublin: How did you find out which one was the entrance/line for the inner circle? Was the front of stage area so full/crowded again?
 
Hi everyone, just thought I would give me experiences on the 3 shows I went to last week in GA, Amsterdam 1 & 2 and Dublin 1.

The first show in Amsterdam we arrived at about 5.30pm and got into the front bit beyond the ramp (the "inner circle"?). We were on Edge's side and it was very heavily crowded. The sound was great but the view wasn't, with the screens being directly above us and not being able to see most of the stage or ramp, we didn't see a lot. A lot of people pushing around to get closer, we actually moved after Vertigo and went to the back of the Arena to have more space to ourselves (and a better view as it happened).

I don't think they are actually letting in too many people into the inner circle, its just that some of it is situated behind the stage where you can't see anything unless the band comes along the ramp or you are watching the screens. This bit of the inner circle had about a dozen people in it where hundreds should have been, but everyone was determined to be at the front. This is why I think there has been the crush some people are talking about, as 1/4 of the inner circle lies empty and the other 3/4s are overcrowded.

The second night we decided to just settle for a space further back (luckily as it rained heavily when we would have been queuing). We arrived at about 8.30ish as Snow Patrol were playing and got some drinks before finding a spot. We were about halfway down the field and there was much more space. Watched most of the gig on the screens which didn't bother me and the sound was great.

For Dublin 1 we went for about 4pm and there were THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS there already. We had already decided we were going to go for the outer railings to be by the ramp for a few reasons:

- We could see the screen comfortably from there
- Didn't have to arrive at a silly time
- The whole concert was in front of us, instead of the ramps being behind us.
- The 2-3 metres of space left for the ramp meant that the view of the main stage was clearer as there were fewer heads directly in front of you.

The queuing system seemed a little messed up at Dublin 1, as people that were there before us seemed to be let in after we were. We were told to walk not run, which almost everyone stuck to, and we got a space near the middle of the ramp about 5 rows back. Everyone sat down with their spaces secured and only one couple tried to push toward the front. That was until we all stood up for the support acts, at which point a group of men jumped through all the holes in the crowd and pushed there way in front. My view wasnt ruined too much but it still really annoyed me, and there were some much smaller people there than me (I'm about 5" 9). The gig was great and a few songs in all the bad feelings were let go as the band were amazing!

The GA experience left me with a few thoughts. I almost always do GA at gigs and usually it is with younger crowds and smaller venues, so I am used to young drunks pushing to the front to see their band. Amongst a crowd of 2,000 its not too big a deal, 90% of people arrive at showtime and any view is good. But when you queue for hours outside, for a huge concert, with a fanbase made up almost entirely of adults, I don't expect the same behaviour.

I'm only 19 myself, and I was shocked at how some obsessive 40-somethings were behaving, arriving late and pushing to the front, with their cameras out all show. I took about 20 photos from all 3 shows, including pre-show of the claw. But to see 3 grown men who came together, push to the front, then all get out their cameras for the entire show and take identical photos, well it made everything seem just a bit silly really.

U2 are my favourite band, and Croke 1 was my favourite gig ever, but some U2 fans are wankers. On the other hand, we met some great people who we chatted to and during the gig we all helped each other with getting a good view of stuff and sharing our dwindling supplies of food & drink, it was a real community atmosphere among some, ruined by the few.

My other thought is that there has to be a lottery system of some sort to stop the madness! Queues forming a day before the gig isnt fun for anyone, and I know it shows dedication but what about the people who have to work and can't just put their life on hold. U2 get a lot of travelling fans too, and most hotels in Europe won't let you check in until the afternoon, so arriving on the day they have no hope.

So, my week of U2:

Still :heart: the band
:up: for 90% of fans
:down: for the rest

If they tour Europe next summer I will be doing something similar again, though with a mixture of seats and GA, I can't travel to places like Dublin and Amsterdam to spend 12 hours a day in a queue!

Hope this comes in useful to some here, if your doing GA then go for the railings by the ramp,the inner circle isn't all that!
 
zuropa_fit said:
So I'm still confused by this. The first night you HAD to go in the inner circle (pit) if you were among the first in line but the second night you get to decide pit or pitch if you're among the first? I like the deciding part. I think if you're among the first you should get to decide, hence the getting there early, to make sure you have the spot you want. If I have this wrong, can someone clarify?
Click to expand...


That is the way it was. Night one you didn't have a choice and Night 2 you had a choice. There were 2 seperate lines on night 2 for inner circle and pitch. In Croke the inner circle and the pitch lines enter at different areas.

I think Amy was talkng about night 1 because people went out of the inner circle and went back around to get on the outside. That is what the security people told the couple in front of me. The security assumed everyone wanted to be in the inner circle, but there a lot that did not
 
lauramullen said:
That is the way it was. Night one you didn't have a choice and Night 2 you had a choice. There were 2 seperate lines on night 2 for inner circle and pitch. In Croke the inner circle and the pitch lines enter at different areas.

I think Amy was talkng about night 1 because people went out of the inner circle and went back around to get on the outside. That is what the security people told the couple in front of me. The security assumed everyone wanted to be in the inner circle, but there a lot that did not
Click to expand...

nite 1 you did have a choice... if you were in the inner circle and wanted out mind you only if you decided right away you could get out. They were trying to fill the inner circle but there were people who they set aside for a couple minutes and then let them into the pitch. We initially were in the inner circle but it was so crammed with people it was insane so we left and went to the outside rail.

my 2 cents...
If they are going to have two seperate lines then they need to count the pit people until they get to their max for the inner circle and then any overflow should of gone in the pitch line behind the rest. I mean what's the point of having seperate lines if the people in the front of the pitch line end up 2nd row or worse when they get on the field because pit people have taken the rail. :shrug:
 
So how did the different entrances work? i mean if your ticket said one entrance but you wanted to get into the circle entrance etc?
 
KUEFC09U2 said:
So how did the different entrances work? i mean if your ticket said one entrance but you wanted to get into the circle entrance etc?
Click to expand...

there wasn't different entrances for GA...Just one entrance and then once you were in they divided people into two lines at least this is how it went for Dublin2. I have no idea what is gonna happen for Dublin 3. Good luck to those people..I have seats for that nite.. Don't think I want to have that stress for a 3rd day..
 
After being in the queue since 5am on Friday, I was very surprised to be told on the way in that I had to enter the pit. I asked a few different security staff if I could get out to GA but was told that this was not possible. I saw a few other people begging the security staff to get out to GA but again they were told that they couldn't get out and the only option was to go over to the side or back of the pit, if they weren't happy with being in the overcrowded middle section. I joined the seperate GA queue on Saturday and we were all told that nobody from the pit would be allowed entry to GA in front of us. Upon entering the pitch, I was very angry to see most of the barrier full with people that were let out of the pit into GA. This is the type of mismanagement on the part of security that causes issues with crowd control and on a different day, someone could easily have been injured. There were some very angry people in the pit on Friday that were not allowed out, and some rightfully angry folk in the GA area on Saturday that had queued all day only to find their places taken when they got in. I don't think anyone who had camped overnight for either show would've been happy if Red Zone people had taken the spots at the barrier in the pit. If this happens again, I can see a major incident taking place. People have travelled hundreds / thousands of miles, spent thousands of dollars and camped out in miserable weather, so they are naturally going to to angry when things like this happen after they have gone through so much before even getting into the stadium. I think major mistakes were made on both days. Maybe a lottery system for pit entry should be re-introduced if security can't manage the seemingly simple task of getting people into the various sections? This may also stop the ridiculous camping out for 2 days before each show. I suppose we'll all be camping out for a week before each show the next time U2 tour? I just hope that for Monday's show, everyone that queues gets to where they want to be. We are all here to enjoy the shows and not have our experiences tainted by poorly executed crowd control. I for one will never queue for a U2 (or any other) show in Croke Park again.
 
Reading this thread has pretty much dashed all hopes I had of not camping out. :sad:

Oh well. I'll be with two of my fellow interference gals, and have lots of fans to talk to in line. :up:
 
further complicating matters is that from what've seen in pictures and heard from people, the first row inside the ellipse, the view is obstructed by the front of the stage itself, because it is so high.....
 
as much as people like the whole "being right in front of (insert band member here)", i think the best place overall is at the back against the rail inside the pit...that's where i would go.

it doesn't look like the pit isn't that deep, so you aren't that far from the stage...and B, edge and adam come out on the rail quite a bit.

i think the poor sightlines & the surge forward are the biggest factors. i'd rather be at the back and not have to worry about that.

-dan
 
daygloeyes2 said:
Reading this thread has pretty much dashed all hopes I had of not camping out. :sad:

Oh well. I'll be with two of my fellow interference gals, and have lots of fans to talk to in line. :up:
Click to expand...

Camping out is a waste of time IMO. All that does is give you a very good chance (but no guarantee as things don't always go in perfect order) to be on a rail front stage or front outside circle, but yesterday in Dublin you could have shown up at 2pm and still got inside the circle, where it's pretty crowded but you can still easily find a really good spot.

Yesterday I was one of the people who was in the 'pit' line, but then when I got in it was already very full (despite the fact that I was towards the beginning of the line and had been there since early morning--not sure what happened there), and when I saw some people standing outside I though I'd give it a try. Not only was there no one telling us there was anything wrong with doing that, a security guard actually showed me the way out without having to ask.

When the 'pitch/outside' people arrived, they were understandably not happy with the situation, but the way some of them reacted was very aggressive and over the top. I was talked to very nastily and forcibly pushed out of my spot on the rail. Again I know the way things went was not fair because people were told if they got into the pitch line they would have priority over the outside rail, but everyone should understand that this was a mistake from security, and the fans who took advantage of it (some of whom had no idea they were doing something 'wrong') should not have been bullied the way we were.

I think there is a very simple way to deal with that, as it has been for previous shows as far as I know: have only one line, one gate, but when people get inside they should be free to choose if they want to be inside or outside the circle, and wristbands should be given upon entry into the circle.

In the end I was 2nd row center outside the rail and it was amazing, I had a fantastic time, and I am fine with the fact that the people who had waited longer than me ended up in front of me. But the aggressiveness of some was uncalled for. :down:
 
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