GA Experiences So Far- Good, Bad, Ugly?

[gvox]

I still don't understand the logistics of the thing. If you were in the venue before they were, shouldn't you have the right to choose where you stand, oceane? Or did I mishear you?

 

[oceane]

I still don't understand the logistics of the thing. If you were in the venue before they were, shouldn't you have the right to choose where you stand, oceane? Or did I mishear you?

Yes, I was in the venue before they were, but in all fairness I shouldn't have been, or I should not have been allowed to go out of the circle, at least until they were in.

There were two GA lines outside, when you got there you were given the option to line-up for the 'pit' (inside circle) of the 'pitch' (rest of GA). Mind you, I was personally not given that option and simply directed to the 'pit' line, and only found out later that there was another line if you didn't want to be in the circle. But generally speaking people were given the option.

The problem is that security let the 'pit' line in before the 'pitch' line, and as I said were not preventing people from getting out of the circle if we wanted to. So basically some people who had been lining-up since very early in the morning in the 'pitch' line, hoping to get a prime outside rail spot, were understandably not happy when they saw that a few of the 'pit' people (only about 15-20 people at that time, I was one of them), had taken the key center outside rail spots.

But again, this was security's mistake, not ours, and at that point I don't think that kicking us in the back (which was what some people were demanding of security) would have been very fair either.

 

[gvox]

Don't you just love the good people of Interference?

 

[mama cass]

Female, Americans, and well known to many who have been to shows in NA. I have seen them many times before at the very front, some have been on stage with Bono etc. Some have been active Interferencers too, at least during the last tours, but not sure this time around, but they will probably read this at some point. There was one guy who was quite aggressive with me too (pushed me out of the rail).

I want to say however that although some (not all) of them over-reacted and were bossy and agressive, it was a delicate situation and I do understand why they were angry. So it's not black and white, who was right or wrong, I can see how they would feel that we 'stole' their spot. There was just a certain sense of entitlement, and a following witch-hunt for the 'cheaters' (how they were calling us) that was a bit over the top IMO. Again, we only did what the security allowed us to do, and I could have done without the dirty looks I got the whole time waiting before the show.

Still I want to say that I had an amazing time at the show, and so did everyone around me. Even with the drama GA is totally the way to go

wow... those reactions are laughable and pathetic! glad you were still able to have a great time and that the obsessives didn't spoil it for you...

 

[smileymbcastard]

I am consufed about some things

1 - in some palces there is only one line

2 - in outhers there is 2 one for pit (insude the circle) and another line for ouside.

3 - in sompe palces there are multiple gates which open at whim.

Does it even make sense to line up

 

[digsy]

i watched the outer rail war from inside the pit having decided on that queue, and my opinion as to who's fault it was is quite evenly split.
firstly security - apparently the split line formed outside was not communicated to security inside so they didn't know not to let people out of the pit. big error number on their part.
secondly - while this may not have been the case for everyone who arrived, it was made very clear when i was in queue that you had a choice - you either joined the pit queue or the pitch queue and that was your spot. so for people who chose the pit queue to then go take the places of people in the pitch queue, in hindsight i think was a bit unfair.
as for the pitch queue people - i really felt for them. to have queued for crazy hours on the belief that you were getting first access to an area and then finding out that people who had potentially queued a lot less and were not meant to have access to that area were given it first would really piss me off - i would have been absolutely raging. however what i've heard of the behaviour of some of those people i think sounds pretty unnacceptable. yes it was frustrating and they were probably angry but there are ways of dealing with that and ultimately by that stage the mistake had been made and i'm not certain what anyone could have done to rectify it.
big kudos to the fans who stood up and let the pitch queue people take their place and also to other pitch queuers who didn't kick up a fuss and just took their 2nd row spot without showing too much disappointment.

i don't know what was up with dublin - most other venues allow everyone onto the pitch and then first come first served get into the pit, they seemed to do it backwards by letting people into the pit first and then having problem with people who didn't want to be there (i had issues on the first night, but managed to find my way out).
really made it difficult for themselves i think

 

[smileymbcastard]

i watched the outer rail war from inside the pit having decided on that queue, and my opinion as to who's fault it was is quite evenly split.
firstly security - apparently the split line formed outside was not communicated to security inside so they didn't know not to let people out of the pit. big error number on their part.
secondly - while this may not have been the case for everyone who arrived, it was made very clear when i was in queue that you had a choice - you either joined the pit queue or the pitch queue and that was your spot. so for people who chose the pit queue to then go take the places of people in the pitch queue, in hindsight i think was a bit unfair.
as for the pitch queue people - i really felt for them. to have queued for crazy hours on the belief that you were getting first access to an area and then finding out that people who had potentially queued a lot less and were not meant to have access to that area were given it first would really piss me off - i would have been absolutely raging. however what i've heard of the behaviour of some of those people i think sounds pretty unnacceptable. yes it was frustrating and they were probably angry but there are ways of dealing with that and ultimately by that stage the mistake had been made and i'm not certain what anyone could have done to rectify it.
big kudos to the fans who stood up and let the pitch queue people take their place and also to other pitch queuers who didn't kick up a fuss and just took their 2nd row spot without showing too much disappointment.

i don't know what was up with dublin - most other venues allow everyone onto the pitch and then first come first served get into the pit, they seemed to do it backwards by letting people into the pit first and then having problem with people who didn't want to be there (i had issues on the first night, but managed to find my way out).
really made it difficult for themselves i think

Why was the pit queue lined up for a shorter time than the pitch queue. ?

 

[thelaj]

Why was the pit queue lined up for a shorter time than the pitch queue. ?

The security allowed the pit queue in quite a lot earlier than the GA queue.

 

[gvox]

Which is what is going to happen at every venue, according to what I've read.

I find it hard to fathom how being 1 person behind the rail is worth ruining your night over. So this whole deal was because some with an overzealous sense of entitlement to the rail had to be in the second row off the outside rail as opposed to the 1st row? Wow. Mind you, if you're short, you could always ask a taller person if they would mind you standing in front of them. I don't mind doing that (for cute shawties, that is )

 

[digsy]

The security allowed the pit queue in quite a lot earlier than the GA queue.

,

yeah, about 20 minutes so i think, so by the time the pitch people got in the pit people had taken up a majority portion of the rail.
shitty situation for all because i don't think you can point the finger of blame at anyone in particular which would have made it hard to do anything about it

 

[lauramullen]

Yesterdays queue was a mess when the pit line started to go in. Thye let about the first 100 people through the baracade and stopped it and when we got up to get our tickets scanned only about 3 scanners worked. Everyone had to get out of the line they were in and get into another. I wound up 2nd row right in front of Bono and was standing next to a girl that camped out for 2 days

 

[U2WOJO]

This whole concept of being a more "deserving" fan because you are obsessive (&/or have the free time) enough to wait in line overnight is wrong and it is a shame that the band and their management have reversed their policy of a lottery system that at least somewhat minimized this. I hope it does not take someone getting hurt for them to realize their system is flawed. I'm not trying to say the lottery system was perfect (far from it), but this unorganized chaotic rush is a recipe for at best more hard feeling if not someone getting trampled.

 

[alibee]

wow... those reactions are laughable and pathetic! glad you were still able to have a great time and that the obsessives didn't spoil it for you...

Read more about those laughable and pathetic reactions here;
http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f307/july-25-2009-croke-park-dublin-199650.html

 

[romi]

This whole concept of being a more "deserving" fan because you are obsessive (&/or have the free time) enough to wait in line overnight is wrong and it is a shame that the band and their management have reversed their policy of a lottery system that at least somewhat minimized this. I hope it does not take someone getting hurt for them to realize their system is flawed. I'm not trying to say the lottery system was perfect (far from it), but this unorganized chaotic rush is a recipe for at best more hard feeling if not someone getting trampled.

lets say no one comes early and lines up. The first people, 3,500, show up at exactly 6:30 p.m., or whenever the doors open. Who goes in first?

The only logical solution is that whoever gets their first gets in to choose the best spots. So it makes no difference when the line starts

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

So some people were actually causing problems because they were in the SECOND row? Is that accurate? I'd be willing to bet that most of them have been in the front, numerous times. By whatever means necessary. They should have staged a sit down strike.

Wow, U2 should really do a song called "Sense of Entitlement"

 

[romi]

So some people were actually causing problems because they were in the SECOND row? Is that accurate? I'd be willing to bet that most of them have been in the front, numerous times. By whatever means necessary. They should have staged a sit down strike.

Wow, U2 should really do a song called "Sense of Entitlement"

Goes over to keyboard and 8-track......

 

[financeguy]

Different concert in question, but I think someone in the setlist party thread posted a Twitter thingie that said a group of Irish fans were pushy and rude in the pit at today's concert, at least before the show started.

For what it's worth.

That doesn't suit my speculative theory. So I will ignore it.

 

[financeguy]

Will probably get shot down in flames for this, but I just think this thing of Bono bringing a girl up on stage sort of invites this behaviour. While some of the girls who want to get up on stage are 'genuine' U2 fans, others are not and are there to get their pictures in the local papers or whatever. Why does this have to be a regular feature of U2 shows, it wasn't always such, was it? I seem to remember similar controversies at some stage during the Vertigo tour.

 

[mama cass]

Read more about those laughable and pathetic reactions here;
http://www.u2interference.com/forums/f307/july-25-2009-croke-park-dublin-199650.html

thanks alibee! that sounds horrible! i feel so bad for the guy that was taken out

what nasty selfish bully-bitches! yeah and i hope the tarts involved are reading this!

god, i really hate bullies...

 

[U2WOJO]

lets say no one comes early and lines up. The first people, 3,500, show up at exactly 6:30 p.m., or whenever the doors open. Who goes in first?

The only logical solution is that whoever gets their first gets in to choose the best spots. So it makes no difference when the line starts

Explain why the lottery system did not have the quantity of people willing to camp out from the wee hours of the morning and/or even overnight? When you make the process for the inner area a "random" lottery, you minimize the carrot and therefore the willingness of people to camp out. Yes some will still want to assure themselves a spot in the first few rows on the rail (if they don't scan in via the lottery), but no where near as many what you create with the current system.

 

[romi]

Explain why the lottery system did not have the quantity of people willing to camp out from the wee hours of the morning and/or even overnight? When you make the process for the inner area a "random" lottery, you minimize the carrot and therefore the willingness of people to camp out. Yes some will still want to assure themselves a spot in the first few rows on the rail (if they don't scan in via the lottery), but no where near as many what you create with the current system.

That's not correct, there were even more people camping out last tour, and for longer times. That's because you had to assume you would not win the lottery and have to fight for the next best spots

 

[corianderstem]

That doesn't suit my speculative theory. So I will ignore it.

If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find some pushy Americans who were there, too.

Will probably get shot down in flames for this, but I just think this thing of Bono bringing a girl up on stage sort of invites this behaviour.

Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. I wish he'd stop that. It causes way too many bad situations and bad feelings. It sounds like he's not doing it at every show so far this tour, so yay for that.

However, what an awesome experience for those who get to dance with him.

 

[gvox]

I don't care who's fault it was, at the end of the day it was what it was and for fucking pete's sake, it was ONE ROW BACK FROM THE RAIL. ONE ROW. ONE PERSON. This was worth ruining many people's experience, at a U2 show. It doesn't matter who was 'morally right' or any of that shit. The reality is that security created a situation, and at the end of it all at worst there was one person between these fucks and the rail. ONE PERSON.

I think the completely unconcionable animals who stepped on people (apparently, literally), punched, kicked, and screamed just to get one person closer to the rail should be outed on Interference and banned, if they truly are Interference members. We ban people for words on a screen, for god's sake, what about this completely unacceptable type of behavior?

I'm sorry, it's just crazy.

/rant

 

[cathalmc]

Sounds like some of the people who lost their place at the outer rail were a bit over-aggressive in asserting their claim to it. But of course they were entitled to claim their spot. Those on the rail should have surrendered their spot.

Gabriel, how can you disregard the morality of someone's claim to the rail when they'd queued for a very long time for it, yet in the same post suggest people should be banned from Interference for real-world behaviour? It seems like you're making a moral judgement there.

Anyway, if you start down that route then who's gonna be the judge and jury? Who's gonna draw up the list of rules of real-world conduct for all Interference members? Who's gonna ride my wild horses?

 

[cathalmc]

Bono bringing a girl up on stage sort of invites this behaviour. Why does this have to be a regular feature of U2 shows, it wasn't always such, was it?

I actually like it when he brings a girl onstage for a dance. It's only happened once in the shows I've seen on this tour so far though so it's not a regular feature. Although he did bring three blokes onto the stage in Berlin to play Angel of Harlem.

Are non-U2 fans really going to queue up overnight for the slight possibility that they may be brought onstage? It's a lot of effort for a very slim chance of success.

 

[*Ally*]

wow, this really is turning into a witch hunt, isn't it. no pictures needed, i will self-identify as one of the "skanks", "bitches", "animals", "tarts", "fucks" (hmm, what else have i been called in threads relating to the July 25th show?). i do not have time right now to write a full post, but I will do so at some point over the next few days to explain the other side of the story, which has not yet been told. for now, a few things:

1) I never punched, kicked or threatened anyone with violence. I was, however, kicked multiple times and nearly punched by a man who weighed at least 70 pounds more than i did.

2) I never asked for anyone to be escorted out of the venue. One of my friends did ask someone if he would move to the 2nd row to make room for a girl who was no more than 5 feet tall. He refused.

3) I do not think that I am "entitled" to anything. However, after having queued for 12 hours and followed security's rules for those 12 hours, i DO think that I was more "entitled" to a spot on the outer rail than those who simply took advantage of security's mistake at the last minute and left the pit to get a rail spot before the "pitch" line had been let in. The fact that the 20 people in front of me refused to move from the rail after seeing the "pitch" line get completely screwed over smacks more of "entitlement" to me than anything else.

4) If 2nd row is so great, then why did the 20 people on the rail ahead of me (who had been in the "pit" line and been mistakenly let onto the pitch first) refuse to move to the 2nd row when asked?

5) I did not cut in front of anyone in line. I saw the 2 Polish girls, but know nothing about them. My friends and I waited for 12 hours in line, and only left to go use the port-a-potties.

6) Thank you to Digsy and Cathalmc for trying to see things from our perspective.

7) Today I read posts by people who were not even at the show calling me a "skank", "bitchy bitch", "bully", "fuck", "animal", and "tart," asking for my picture to be posted (so that I can be burned at the stake at the next show I attend, presumably), and requesting that I be banned from Interference. Trust me, a banning will not be necessary, as I, for one, will not be posting here regularly anymore (aside from defending myself in this post).

8) Things ran much more smoothly on Monday's show, which I also queued for. 2 lines again, but no one from the "pit" was allowed onto the "pitch" until 30 mins after the "pitch" line had been let in. Worked out much better this time around.

9) U2 is the best band in the world, and the concerts that I saw were amazing. 95% of the fans I met over the past fews days were wonderful as well.

 

[DRay9911]

Sounds like some of the people who lost their place at the outer rail were a bit over-aggressive in asserting their claim to it. But of course they were entitled to claim their spot. Those on the rail should have surrendered their spot.

from everything i've read, it doesn't sound like they lost their place and were trying to get it back. sounds more like 'hey, we're girls and we like u2....let us up front!"

if it was a group of 3 and they did all leave to get food/go to the restroom, they were VERY stupid to leave all at once. it's easier to save an area with 2 people than 0 people.

-dan

 

[cathalmc]

Right we've got the witch, anyone got a light?

Sorry, I know it's not funny to be called such an impressive list of insults by fellow U2 fans.

No need to thank me Ally, I think some perspective would be great all round. I know I'd be pissed off if I'd queued for ages for something and been reassured I would receive it, just to see someone else walk up and take it.

 

[DRay9911]

wow, this really is turning into a witch hunt, isn't it. no pictures needed, i will self-identify as one of the "skanks", "bitches", "animals", "tarts", "fucks" (hmm, what else have i been called in threads relating to the July 25th show?). i do not have time right now to write a full post, but I will do so at some point over the next few days to explain the other side of the story, which has not yet been told. for now, a few things:

1) I never punched, kicked or threatened anyone with violence. I was, however, kicked multiple times and nearly punched by a man who weighed at least 70 pounds more than i did.

2) I never asked for anyone to be escorted out of the venue. One of my friends did ask someone if he would move to the 2nd row to make room for a girl who was no more than 5 feet tall. He refused.

3) I do not think that I am "entitled" to anything. However, after having queued for 12 hours and followed security's rules for those 12 hours, i DO think that I was more "entitled" to a spot on the outer rail than those who simply took advantage of security's mistake at the last minute and left the pit to get a rail spot before the "pitch" line had been let in. The fact that the 20 people in front of me refused to move from the rail after seeing the "pitch" line get completely screwed over smacks more of "entitlement" to me than anything else.

4) If 2nd row is so great, then why did the 20 people on the rail ahead of me (who had been in the "pit" line and been mistakenly let onto the pitch first) refuse to move to the 2nd row when asked?

7) Today I read posts by people who were not even at the show calling me a "skank", "bitchy bitch", "bully", "fuck", "animal", and "tart," asking for my picture to be posted (so that I can be burned at the stake at the next show I attend, presumably), and requesting that I be banned from Interference. Trust me, a banning will not be necessary, as I, for one, will not be posting here regularly anymore (aside from defending myself in this post).

this copy/paste was long enough, can't wait to see your full post.

nobody is going to try and get you banned from here...it's just nice to see who the rest of us have to put up with at these shows.

there's a lot of "i didn't, but this other person..." and "i never, but one guy..."

bottom line: someone beat you to the spot, deal with it.

I know I'd be pissed off if I'd queued for ages for something and been reassured I would receive it, just to see someone else walk up and take it.

doesn't matter how long you wait in line, it doesn't guarantee you anything.

-dan

 

[cathalmc]

from everything i've read, it doesn't sound like they lost their place and were trying to get it back. sounds more like 'hey, we're girls and we like u2....let us up front!"

The issue was that many people queued for a very long time specifically for the outer rail - and they had been promised they would get it by the security outside the stadium. But when they got in, they found out that the whole outer rail was taken by people who had been allowed to leave the pit by security inside the stadium. People, like me, who had queued for a lot less time.

And then the fun started ...