Concert "Rules"
 

If you are in the fith row, is it impolite to make a beeline to the stage?

Concert "Rules"
 

I'd say NO - unless you start pushing people around to do it... I'm sure everyone in the front will welcome you and they probably won't care - cause their just so damn happy to have front row..

Only if it's allowed. I wouldn't go uninvited. The people in front row probably had to pay a arm and a leg so it's not nice just to go up there and "crowd" them. Thats just my opinion ( No I never have been front row)

Depending upon how draconian the security is, you may not even get the chance to move out of your row. Each venue seems to be different, so even if the fans around you might not mind if you're up front, some thug with a power trip might send you back to your seat.

But to do this, wouldn't you have to climb over four layers of chairs?

I'm in the second row for the Hershey show... Will it most likely be easy for me to get up to the front of the stage? Just wondering.
-Kate

I'd say it depends on security. At my show (Indianapolis last year), two people climbed over the rows during Silver Springs, and Security made them go back to where they came from. I myself didn't try to move up a row or two, because my seats were 3rd row & I had a nice view of everything from where I was without moving closer.

Yeah, it completely depends on th venue...and just don't be a jerk about it...at the McCartney concert I went to people were coming from all over the arena, shoving those of us who paid an arm and a leg for floor seats out of the way...and I got into a shouting match with an old man from New York....so let the people who are actually supposed to be there have precedence....and if there's room for ya and it's allowed go for it...but yeah...as long as your cool about it you'll be fine...

Yes. It all depends on the security and the crowd, though. The people in the front row probably jumped through hoops to get those tickets, so they'd be pretty pissed to see someone try to cramp their space, and respectively so. Security is *really* tight around the the first few rows, so it might not be easy to get to the stage from where you are. At my show last year, they only let the first three rows move up to the stage and turned people away who tried to get up there form others rows. Good luck, but be respectful to the people who paid loads of money to be there.

At the Nashville show, I was 5th row and didn't try to rush the stage. Someone in the 4th row, climbed over chairs to get to the stage. This individual fell and was tangled in folding chairs. He/she eventually got to the stage. Security also let a few more people go up there. However, as others have said, the people in the front row paid big money to get those seats. We all want to get closer to them, but you have to be respectful of other fans. JMO

this is what the band is going to start playing over the loudspeakers from now on:

Concert Rules.

When You Come To Our Concert
As You Always Do
You Most Follow The... Concert Rules
And The Security Is Ruuuthless
With the rules they enforce
We might even play Crystal
If you just follow the rules
But we are fools

Well I don't want to make a fool of myself and get tangled up in a folding chair! :D I just want to take full advantage of being so close to the stage, I just don't know what is inapropriate. Like everyone is saying sometimes the first several rows can move up to the stage. Does that mean the people behind them can move up to where they had been sitting?

I think it depends on the venue and if you know a lot of people who are really in the front row. I was at the Atlanta show last night, paid a lot for my tickets on front row of the "box" on Lindsey's side (about 15 feet from the stage) and know for a fact that at least 6 or 7 people were up there that had pit and orchestra tickets (not front row). I think it's luck, how lax the security is, and if you know people. I had an excellent time anyway, but was still a bit miffed that people who paid half as much as I did made their way to the front (before the show started) just because of who they "knew" up there.

We got major Lindsey loving anyway, and we weren't even front row. But more on that later in my review ;)

You know, last night really made me incredibly aware that a lot of the Fleetwood Mac internet *superfans* are out for number one. Evidently, it's OKAY to pay for a ticket at the ass end of the pit and the ass end of the orchestra and stand at the stage, passing around your friends ticket stub so you can stay there. I paid more than face value for my seat. There are a lot of people who paid for the platinum package that didn't stand at the stage because these people were taking their spots. IMO, if you are not in the first few rows of the pit, you do not belong standing at the stage. I don't care how many times you've been Lindsey's Come girl, how many times he's thrown you a towel, kissed you, or whatever. It isn't right and it isn't fair to others that have paid good money for their seats for you to set up shop in front of the stage because you're so obsessed, you can't sit a few rows back and let others have the experience for a change. Basically, my advice to everyone would be to act like a total J.O., buy a crappy ticket, have a friend in the front row, lie, be ruthless and and join them. Happy concert going my friends :wavey:

I had an amazing time last night and the concert was incredible. I'll let Meredith post her review and add to it. I'm still undecided how to put everything I want to say into words...however, as you can tell, words don't escape me at the moment :nod:

AMEN!!!! If you wanna be down front, buy a ticket down front. A lot of people worked hard to get and paid a lot of money for those tickets. Show some respect. And by the way, I would've loved to be down front, but I tend to believe in letting the people who actually bought those tickets not be crowded out by people who feel they deserve to be down there for whatever reason.

I witnessed a lot of that crap first hand last night.

Whew! Okay, end of rant.

Exactly. I am just totally blown away by fans behavior on their quest for nothing less than the best. Like I said, if you're within the first few rows, I have no problem with you getting to the front but let those with actual front row seats take their spots and stand there. Clearly, those were someone elses seats last night.

wow
 

Wow, Riss with the blatant honesty! :o Rock on girl. I totally agree. It was upsetting that some of us who can only get to one or two shows this leg and wanted a close experience ONCE were booted out of the way by fans who have been down front 8,10, 12, 14 times . Had these fans paid for seats in the front rows of the PIT like Strand, Chris and Sulamith, they deserved to be down front. However to have an ORCH seat or seat in the back of the PIT that you paid face value for and stand down there passing around ONE front row stub was WRONG. :mad: All it did was hurt the fans who paid tons of money for their seats from brokers. That was the ONLY way to get a seat down close at Chastain. So we paid a ton of money and stood in our assigned seats while others had fan club seats in the back of the PIT and got to be at LB's feet. :shrug: It really made me realize how selfish certain fans can be. I would NEVER want to assume that I am more entitled than the next person to be Lindsey's Come girl or stand at Stevie's feet. None of us wanted to let it ruin our good time and the WELCOME TO THE ROOM, STELLA sign got us plenty of Lindsey love. The man is the sexiest thing playing that guitar right to you! I can understand the desire to be down front, it is amazing to have him look and play right to you but only if you have a ticket for the first few rows should you be there. Or, you should stand BEHIND the people who did pay alot for their PIT seats. Whatever, I learned alot about people at this particular show. Lindsey gave us some major love and attention which just goes to show that good things will happen if you do the 'right' thing.
As for the original question, I would say if you have fifth row you should be able to work your way down closer, maybe not right up to the stage but you should be able to get down closer than fifth row. Just be polite and considerate to those around you ! :nod:

I hope you guys don't mind me asking a question that has a lot to do with the original topic. (I re-registered under a new name, by the way, so this is not really my first post, although I'm not exactly a regular Ledgie...)

I've been reading reviews for a year now, and half of every story is about the seats. 'I have crappy seats', 'I got to cimb over chairs', on and on and on. People get pissed off at each other because they stand while others want to sit but others block the view... I could go on forever. I was in London for the first Earl's Court show, and the hassle about seats was very annoying. (I had second row seats.)

I have no opinion on who has is entitled to have what (especially if I have the feeling that one of my friends is being judged very unfairly) but to me, the answer is very obvious. I live in Holland, and nobody here, in their right mind, would ever organize a rock concert where people are expected to take a seat somewhere and stay there, seated or -gasp!- standing up! There are no seats unless you're at the balcony. The people who arrived at the venue first, get to stand at the front. The only disadvantage is that you have to be there early, and you usually can't go for beer or potty break, because you'll never get to the front again, unless the crowd is really laid back.

So my point is: I don't get why in some countries it is the rule to have seating. Does anybody have any idea how that became the rule? Have there been accidents with large crowds? I'm just really interested to find out, because it seems to me, after reading all these stories for so long, a system that creates a lot of stress, and I don't think it was the habit in the early days. I'm not sure though, hence the question, I guess.

Thea

Thea...
 

The Who concert was in Cincinnati. In 1979, I believe.

It is also a HUGE fire evacuation issue. If there are, like there were on Sat. night in Atlanta, over four times the amount of people standing between the front row and the stage and something happens, those people will have less of a chance to get out.

I think if you get a legitimate chance to go to the front of the stage and are not blocking someone or it is not too crowded, I am all for it. I even know people who switch places with friends further back throughout the concert. But, on Sat. night I saw people passing around the same ticket to re-use at the security access point. That is just calculated and an act of theft to these eyes. But, if people are okay doing it, that is between them and their conscious. I am not judging them. I am just saying hereimn how I would react if they got in front of me. Again, if the security guard let's you up front knowing full well you do not belong there - so be it. But to use a Pitt ticket to get up to the front row and then send that same ticket out of the Pitt for someone else to reuse is just wrong in my book. I try to look at everything in the terms of how I would like it done to me. If I had paid for a front row ticket and saw someone reusing a Pitt ticket to get them and their friends with lawn seats into the front row and then in front of me, I would have them removed - who wouldn't if they were not suppossed to be there and were blocking the view that you paid for and they did not :shrug:

My $0.02

Thea, to answer your question, a concert in which you can sit wherever you'd like is called general admission. It is done on a first come, first serve basis. Not many large bands do this anymore because it causes many problems. Fleetwood Mac has three price levels as far as tickets are concerned..not including the fanclub. Do you think it's fair that people with seats in the orchestra rows move down to the front and share ticket stubs or butt in front of other people that actually paid to sit there? I don't. No offense to your friend but it's not cool and the behavior in Atlanta was absolutely deplorable.

I really don't understand the drama over this. Me and a friend of mine did the exact same thing for a friend of yours and that was ok. Every show where I have been lucky enough (or spent a fortune to) sit in the front row, there have been row crashers. As long as they're not squashing me, I don't care. The more the merrier. I didn't see anyone getting squashed up there (until the drunk guy fell on me). I was in the 7th row and my view was not blocked by anyone in the front, either.

I think it's sad that there has to be such bitterness. What's done is done. If you didn't have a good time, I'm sorry for you. God knows, my concert experience could've been better. Maybe next time.

Am I missing a memo here? What ever happened to going to a concert to have FUN?! People, this should be a dream come true for us! They are letting multiple rows up to the stage! The ticket hunt now isnt just a quest for front row seats, but seats in the first 3 or 5! Why isnt anyone else as happy for this alone!? Maybe I am out of the loop, but honestly, Im sure if anyone here had a chance to be in the front, they would be up there without the blink of an eye.

Thats just my honest opinion...

~Alex

Well. Drop $350 for a ticket, fly to Atlanta to see the show and watch people come up to the front row from 40 some rows back and switch stubs with their friends and be okay with it. Maybe a lot of us had some feelings about it because we wouldn't ever do it.

And Tracy, I don't agree with sharing anyones ticket stub and I even told the person you are speaking of so. There is no bitterness and there is no drama. You sat two steps away from me..I know you know who I was...I think you know I had a good time. I just wish people didn't have to be so tragic...that's all.

I still don't get it. Why sit? Why have chairs in a rock concert?
And the problems that general standing causes, I have never heard of, and I've been to many big concerts here. Of course some people can't stand up that long or don't want to; they have the balconies with great view (the buildings are a bit different than you have).
Certainly the hassles of seats (with a number even) are a lot bigger. This thread is only an example.

But I know that this is not the subject of this thread and I'll leave it. And to answer your question: yes, I actually think that was fair. The long explanation would only bore the other visitors here. Plus, I wouldn't convince you.