Three dollars and 63 cents

I was going to order, but this a GA show and there seems to be no rush at the moment. How big a place is this??

 

LouieB

NBO is annoying in that they stop selling advance tickets in the days leading up to the show, even if they're not sold out. They say that you have to buy them in person on the day of the show, but that they may or may not sell out before show time. It's not such a big deal at the Pines since it's all general admission, but for their indoor shows, they won't even show on their online seating charts if seats are left. I missed out on seeing Ray LaMontagne in December because I didn't want to drive the three and a half hours up there only to find out it was sold out or that my friend and I couldn't sit together. If you're coming in from out of town, the only safe bet is to buy your tickets in advance.

The Pines is pretty small, so even if you're in the back, which I was last year, it's still better than at most other venues. I didn't mind paying the $8.50 service fee because it's a locally-owned operation that runs the Calvin, the Iron Horse, and the concert series at the Pines, and they always get a lot of great shows up there. It's better than coughing up the same amount to Ticketbastard.

If they really blow me away, I might make the trip up to Vermont, too, but I'm not sure yet.

I was at the show up there last summer, and I'm going with the same group of people this year. We got our tickets in the presale yesterday. Thankfully my best friend lives in Northampton, so I have a place to stay, and I know the area pretty well.

Northampton is a cool little town. I recommend walking around downtown if you get into town early enough. The center of downtown is Bridge Street, which is accessible via exits 19 and 20 of I-91. Downtown there are a lot of artsy little shops and some great used book stores. The brewery has great microbrews, and the food there is pretty good. My favorite place to eat is Teapot, because they have great sushi for a great price. There's also a great Indian restaurant on State Street, but I'm not sure if it's open on Sundays. If you're going to get groceries for a picnic, be prepared for sticker shock. I'm not sure where you live; I live in upstate New York, and groceries in Northampton are a bit more expensive than I'm used to. The two main grocery stores in town are the Stop and Shop and Big Y.

The park is a nice place. I don't remember about picnic tables, but there's plenty of places to spread out a blanket in the grass. I'm not sure about bottles, but we've taken beer in cans and never got hassled about it, as long as we got rid of them by the time we lined up. The Pines is also a great venue. This will be my third summer in a row seeing a show there, and I can't wait. It's so small, and everybody is really laid back. We got there relatively late last year and my friend's friends brought their kids, so we decided to sit near the back by the soundboards. I was kind of disappointed, since I'd wanted to try to get down closer to the front, but the view was great from even that far back, and we had plenty of room.

The hotels you mentioned are both really small, so it's not surprising that they're already booked. You might be better off trying a chain hotel in Hadley or Amherst, both of which are less than 15 minutes away via Route 9 (which will take you right past UMass) or I-91. Northampton is a nice town, but it's also expensive, so I think you'll get a better deal at a place closer to the highway, and it will be easier for you to get on the road in the morning.

I joined here last year and never got around to posting, but I'll probably be on here more now with the album coming out soon