Camping Out For Shows

[ELS]

Do you do it? Do you understand people who do it?

 

I noticed the people lined up in front of the Riv early yesterday afternoon and figured it had to be a few folks from here. I've only done it for a few shows (one of the final Ryan Adams and the Cardinals shows, Morrissey, etc.) and have been debating whether or not to do it this week.

[choo-choo-charlie]

What do you mean by "understand" people who do it?

[ELS]

I was talking to some friends at the Riv the other night and they said it seemed dumb to wait several hours just to be a few feet closer to the stage. I think it can add to the experience (building anticipation), but they saw it as nothing more than a waste of an afternoon.

[tinnitus photography]

after reading a few posts in the Morrissey forum, those fans scare me.

[ELS]

Luckily the show in I waited for had a pretty normal crowd. They're an odd bunch...

[SarahC]

I think it's fun to do, because being up front really enhances my concert experience. It makes waiting exciting and sometimes you get to see the band before the show.

 

I think the longest I've waited before a Wilco gig was 6 hours, and it wasn't GA. I was just trying to say hi to jeff... didn't manage to that show. But it was still fun trying, and it gave my friends a good story to tell when they want to show how ridiculous I get about WIlco.

[Chris_H_2]

I love when I'm standing second from the rail at a GA show immediately behind someone that waited in line for 8 hours compared to my 20 minutes.

[Analogman]

I love when I'm standing second from the rail at a GA show immediately behind someone that waited in line for 8 hours compared to my 20 minutes.

 

The first time I ever did such a thing - there was a dude standing behind me that had just showed up as the doors opened. (The guy who yells Heavy Metal Drummer on the live album.)

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

...It wasn't waiting in line, but MY SON and I showed up at 4:30 for the Dallas show.

No need, it was a seated venue.

 

But that's the way we roll.

[tinnitus photography]

is there some sort of weird capitalization macro going on?

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

is there some sort of weird capitalization macro going on?

 

Nope,

The peanut gallery made such an issue over the nickname I use for MY SON that I no longer use it.

[SarahC]

Nope,

The peanut gallery made such an issue over the nickname I use for MY SON that I no longer use it.

 

why let them get under your skin? family nicknames stick, and i think they're cute (for instance, my sister is known to close family and friends as Bob)

[opsopcopolis]

I used to be a rail rider, but now I prefer back by the soundboard. It just sounds better and is usually less of a shit show. I've waiting a long amount of time in my day though. For the U2 show at Gillette a few years ago I got to the stadium at around noon for a 5 o'clock doors for7 o'clock show. Lots of standing at that one. Totally worth it though, to be inside the ring

[tinnitus photography]

I used to be a rail rider, but now I prefer back by the soundboard. It just sounds better and is usually less of a shit show. I've waiting a long amount of time in my day though. For the U2 show at Gillette a few years ago I got to the stadium at around noon for a 5 o'clock doors for7 o'clock show. Lots of standing at that one. Totally worth it though, to be inside the ring

 

i shot that show and remember when the gates opened and it was a mad rush to the front of the stage. the running of the U2 fans in Foxboro.

[Doug C]

I used to be a rail rider,

Further proof that sexuality is often amorphous.

[opsopcopolis]

i shot that show and remember when the gates opened and it was a mad rush to the front of the stage. the running of the U2 fans in Foxboro.

 

haha, yeah. It was definitely a little crazy for a few minutes there. It was a very cool experience being so close to such a massive band though especially with the however many thousands of people behind you

[SteveMck]

I like to have a few cocktails when I'm at a show. So if you wait in line and get up close, do people save your spot if you have to use the restroom or want to go the bar?

 

We got into The Riv at the tail end of Eleventh Dream Day so it was pretty packed by then. We just chilled in the back and grooved back there.

I made it to the main floor for the encore when it had cleared out a little bit.

[opsopcopolis]

^ not really, no. If you want to keep your spot you don't leave (at least at most of the shows I've been to)

[Beltmann]

The peanut gallery made such an issue over the nickname I use for MY SON that I no longer use it.

I've always liked the nicknames, Crow! Don't let Internet strangers bring you down.

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

still doesn't explain writing "my son" in all caps every time.

[jsarnerphoto]

I like to have a few cocktails when I'm at a show. So if you wait in line and get up close, do people save your spot if you have to use the restroom or want to go the bar?

 

We got into The Riv at the tail end of Eleventh Dream Day so it was pretty packed by then. We just chilled in the back and grooved back there.

I made it to the main floor for the encore when it had cleared out a little bit.

 

I doubt most people would save your spot if you just walked off without saying anything, but I've been up front at many shows and I've never encountered anyone who wasn't more than happy to save (and even defend) my spot when I asked politely, whether I had been chatting with the person before the show or the request was my first interaction with them. I've even accomplished it non-verbally if it was during a song.

 

Having said that, getting through the rest of the crowd and back to your saved spot can sometimes get a little dicey because people often assume you are just trying to get over on them. That happened separately to a couple of people I know when we were up front at the Metro show. I have devised a couple of pretty simple solutions for those occasions, though. They work so well that when it was my turn to use the bathroom on Friday, I encountered no resistance and was back so quickly that my friends thought I had decided not to go and turned back!

[Magnetized]

 

I have devised a couple of pretty simple solutions for those occasions, though. They work so well that when it was my turn to use the bathroom on Friday, I encountered no resistance and was back so quickly that my friends thought I had decided not to go and turned back!

 

Do tell! Do you do something memorable on your way out so that everyone will remember "that guy" on the way back in?

[LouieB]

Waiting around at Lincoln Hall maybe my last time doing it. I am getting too old for this shit but others may say I am too old to even be there so go figure. It is fun to hang with the peeps all day as long as it is not so cold.

 

LouieB

[jsarnerphoto]

Do tell! Do you do something memorable on your way out so that everyone will remember "that guy" on the way back in?

 

That's pretty much it. I've always been polite and apologetic as I make my way back through the crowd, just because it's the right thing to do. Lately, I decided that I might as well expand on that to ensure there are no suspicions or conflicts on my way back to the stage. So now in addition to just saying "I'm sorry, excuse me....excuse me, I'm sorry" on the way out, I pick a general route that I can follow in both directions and along the way I try to add some levity and build some good will by introducing myself by name to as many people and groups as I can and saying things to the effect of "I'll be coming back this way, please remember me and don't yell at me (or hit me, or stab me or whatever)." Sure, I get some confused stares, but most people understand and appreciate what I'm trying to do. On the way back, if I can approximate the same route, 3 out of 4 people will remember me and even help me get through, and the 4th will see this and realize I'm not trying to pull anything. It's fascinating to see people's reactions on the way back: I'll say "excuse me" and some people will whip their heads around preparing for a conflict and then all the tension disappears from their faces as they recognize me. Most of the time, a few people will joke about having never seen me before and we'll have a laugh and I'm back at the stage before I know it.

 

Of course, if you're not the extroverted type, there's always method #2 - a foolproof technique I came up with at Solid Sound 1 as a joke, but it's actually a pretty good idea. I'm always prepared to use it, although I've never needed to because my usual method is faster and even sort of fun. Method #2: When you're at the stage and the show hasn't started, take out your cell phone, take a picture of yourself at the stage, and show it to anyone that gives you a hard time. I would imagine this would cut short any objections rather quickly!

[Magnetized]

That's pretty much it. I've always been polite and apologetic as I make my way back through the crowd, just because it's the right thing to do. Lately, I decided that I might as well expand on that to ensure there are no suspicions or conflicts on my way back to the stage. So now in addition to just saying "I'm sorry, excuse me....excuse me, I'm sorry" on the way out, I pick a general route that I can follow in both directions and along the way I try to add some levity and build some good will by introducing myself by name to as many people and groups as I can and saying things to the effect of "I'll be coming back this way, please remember me and don't yell at me (or hit me, or stab me or whatever)." Sure, I get some confused stares, but most people understand and appreciate what I'm trying to do. On the way back, if I can approximate the same route, 3 out of 4 people will remember me and even help me get through, and the 4th will see this and realize I'm not trying to pull anything. It's fascinating to see people's reactions on the way back: I'll say "excuse me" and some people will whip their heads around preparing for a conflict and then all the tension disappears from their faces as they recognize me. Most of the time, a few people will joke about having never seen me before and we'll have a laugh and I'm back at the stage before I know it.

 

Of course, if you're not the extroverted type, there's always method #2 - a foolproof technique I came up with at Solid Sound 1 as a joke, but it's actually a pretty good idea. I'm always prepared to use it, although I've never needed to because my usual method is faster and even sort of fun. Method #2: When you're at the stage and the show hasn't started, take out your cell phone, take a picture of yourself at the stage, and show it to anyone that gives you a hard time. I would imagine this would cut short any objections rather quickly!

Hey, I'm glad you took my question seriously, because I too like to be up close, but sometimes you just gotta go for a quick moment. Of course, you never have any real problem leaving, but getting back in is a whole other story. Shyness is not an issue for me, so method #1 is probably a good option, but I like having method #2 in my hip pocket as well. I hate conflicts and smoldering resentment from fellow concertgoers, so I really like your good karma approach.