Should Stevie drop the Edge Walk?
 

Okay, so I walked out of the Rosemont show having shaken Stevie's hand during the Edge Walk, AND with gum stuck in my hair, courtesy of the lovely ladies who stood beside me at the stage. I am not a fighter. I am not mean, rude, or a drunk. I had a pit ticket, (though not in the first row), and the consent of the security guard for everyone inside the pit to go to the stage for the Walk. I did not push anyone, or do anything I thought was out of bounds. I simply asked the girls beside me if they could possibly move over a bit to make room for all of the people who were coming behind me. I thought, erroneously, apparently, that there was an understanding among Stevie fans that our common goal was to allow as many fans as possible the opportunity to shake Stevie's hand. That was the way it was for years, in my experience. But now, I think people are getting meaner. At the last show I attended, there was a fight during the Walk and a lady ended up thrown to the ground.
Maybe people can no longer handle being kind to one another, and maybe it's time for Stevie to stop allowing us this opportunity to connect with her for that short time. I don't know. What do you all think?

You can create a poll when you start a new thread. There are options below that allow you to create a poll with your thread.

But for the record, I vote numbers 3 and 4.

Thanks--I think I got it! I'm struggling between 2 and 4. When I have a front row seat, I gladly share the edge of the stage with people who come up from behind me. But not if people are going to be so nasty to me and those around each other. I think Stevie wouldn't want us to treat each other this way in order to get to her.

Sorceress, where were you in terms of the stage? Camchristo and I were right by the girls, and everyone was polite in that area. There was an obnoxious person just in front of Carlos, but I never saw her do anything as rude as what you experienced. I'm sorry that happened to you.

I've never had the experience myself, though I can imagine it can get a bit scary when people get rough about it .... I know there have been reports of Stevie herself calling for a bit of civilisation during the walk -- shouting at people to take it easy and all the rest.

But I think it's great that she does it, and she should keep offering that chance to her fans.

I had very first row in Detroit back in June....I was the middle of the aisle yet a couple of idiots from Pittsburgh still jumped into front row....a drunk lady and boyfriend in their late 20s.

I've been close to a hundred rock concerts at the young age of 22 so I'm quite used to obnoxious rock & roll fans however I wasn't fond of being squeezed up against the stage when I finally had "my moment" with Stevie :-)

I think the Edge Walk is tremendous but I'd think by now she has shaken pretty much everybody's hand that wants to be shaken.

There is one person running around here and Seven Wonders that was in 3rd - 10th row for a few different shows this past summer, including Rosemont, that keeps shaking Stevie's hand. That is disappointing as you know the user is pushing their way to the front at least at some point :-/

I was in 4th row for Stevie at another concert this past summer but didn't even bother jumping to the stage as there were too many people in front....4TH ROW! Rather we just waited for Stevie to wave to us :-)

1st row is quite the exhilirating feeling ;-) I've had the opportunity twice but will not go smashing into people for the opp, as nobody else should. Too bad that's easier said than done :-/

I think she should do away with the "edge walk" and make it more spontaneous. Don't make it so obvious of when it's going to be, because even before people hear the intro of that guitar riff, they already start pushing. she could do it 4-5 times throughout the evening during rocking songs maybe, and go to different areas of the stage. Granted, this might require her to take her mic off the stand and I know she's not gonna do that. But maybe she doesn't have to. She can carry it :laugh: I just remember seeing aerosmith and there was a catwalk thingy and I was right next to it. Steven Tyler walked up and down it a million times, but only 5 or 6 times did he lean over so you could touch him. And that, my friends...is when I got crabs :(

:lol:

IDK if after so many shows, people would get the hang of it and know when it's gonna be but :shrug: right now it just seems so staged. The security guards know when it's coming, we know when it's coming and so does everyone else who isn't even at the concert.


my $0.02.

Yes, absolutely, get rid of it.

I believe it is time for it to go. Stevie doesn't want to see anybody hurt. That would cast a haunting shadow over the glittering ballroom
~*~ all these years ~*~

http://www.fourseasons.com/image_lib..._web-large.jpg

This is a good idea. Stevie must gain something from the contact with fans or she would have stopped doing the walk long ago. Actually reaching out to people spontaneously would give her the opportunity to still have the contact without the mad rush (when most of the problems occur). Of course, then it would be more difficult to have that body guard with her to prevent her from being pulled off the stage--or falling off the stage, whatever. And, people who pay attention would know it would take place only during songs when she's wearing gloves, since she became worried about fan cooties a couple of years ago and never does the walk without the gloves anymore. (Not that I blame her! :laugh:)

So it's not just me who's noticed the increase in rudeness. Sheesh. I do know that for myself, I will not be involving myself in the rush anymore. If I'm in the front row, great, but I'm not going to be part of the problem by adding another body to the mob otherwise.

Get rid of it
 

IMO The edge walk has become much more dangerous over the past few years than it was in the 80's. I have seen several fights break out in the pit....clawing, scratching, pushing is very common. Stevie is aware of it and yet she continues. I wish she should get rid of it. I usually sit in the first few rows for shows and I hate the massive crowd that comes forward before Edge starts. (I sit in the first few row because I like to be close to the stage for any performance, not just Stevie). But as I have grown older, I find myself leaving the Pit area when that rush to the stage starts. At my age, I have no desire to stand in a mosh pit for Edge and the one or two songs afterwards. I don't really bitch about it, I have learned to accept it over the past 10 years, but it does suck that I do not get to see her sing the last few songs "up close". I also worry that fans are getting hurt. I have been to countless Stevie shows and it just seems to be getting worse. She won't stop doing it though. It feeds her ego. Why else would she do it if she knows that people are getting hurt time and time again. If she wanted to reach out and touch her fans "if only for a moment" she would do meet and greets like every other artist out there.

right on. although it would be technically difficult for her to do it i'm sure, it would seem more appropriate that essentially telling your fans that the only way they can touch your pinky finger is to start running for the front with elbows up.

i don't condone getting physical with other fans, but in all honesty, at the CV show in chicago, i made it to the stage and was not going to let myself be pushed around. i just don't think the edge walk inspires a good attitude among the fans...i felt a little weird afterwards...yes, it was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life, but i felt kind of like a savage fighting to hold my position the whole time.

i'm surprised that the venues continue to allow for it to happen..from a security standpoint, it seems like a bad idea. i wonder if they are told by stevie's people or if it just common knowledge that 'this is how it works?'

Hardly.

Because it's what is expected.

The way Sorceress was treated disgusts me, but it wasn't Stevie's fault. It was the fault of the jerks who selfishly wanted to deny others the privilege of touching Stevie's hands. Why? They wanted more elbow room? Security kept the non-pit people out so it wasn't crowded for them, and Sorceress is hardly the type to push and shove. She paid just as much as they did for her seat. She wasn't blocking them. They have some nerve. What you wanna bet if the situation had been reversed they'd been up there too?

It's easy for those who have had the opportunity to touch Stevie's hand to just shrug and say "Stevie should drop it!" You've got yours, after all. But people are forgetting not everyone is as hardcore as they are. The assumption that there will never be a new fan eager to touch her hand for the first time - maybe someone who's never been that close before - is flawed, IMHO. I assure you that it is not accurate that 100% of Stevie fans who want to touch her hand have done so. I daresay many on this forum can attest to that fact. What if YOU were that fan? What if YOU were the one who finally got close enough, only to discover that it was stopped due to some unruly fans and violent first row elitists?

Nobody complained about the rush when Lindsey let people touch his guitar at the end of GYOW. I remember very well getting crushed at Mac shows at that point, and it wasn't any more spontaneous than the Edge walk. What's the difference?

The idea about multiple walks during the show doesn't solve the problem; the same people in the front couple rows will get to touch her hand again and again because no one else will be able to get down in time - although you can be sure some folks will try, causing even more chaos. That seems kind of pointless.

I believe that limiting the amount of people who can come up is a good practical solution, if not ideal. The first few rows, such as the pit section, would be enough. It is a compromise between those front-row people who would push others out of the way and the semantic issue of too many people crushing up. Unfortunately, not every venue has a clear division between the front few rows and the rest, and it would be difficult for security to block people in that situation. I also know that it would be disappointing to people who were on the fringe, as I have been before, but frankly, only the first folks up there get to touch her hand anyway, so it's an exercise in futility for the rest to run down there and attempt to do so.... unless you're one of the shovers. Those are the people who are violent - the people who were really too far back to make it in time, but want to get up there anyway. Therefore, the limitation to the first few rows would solve that problem. I think it should be done when possible to at least minimize the problem, if not solve it.

Regardless, I believe the benefits of the Edge walk for the majority of her fans outweigh the displeasure of the few who have done so before and now find it an annoyance.

^Let me clarify my position a little bit. I do find it an annoyance, yes. But not just because I've shaken her hand before. I would find it an annoyance even if I hadn't. I feel weird about the whole thing. Why? Well, frankly, I agree with danax6. I think Stevie does it because she thinks it is what is expected of her. I don't think she really enjoys it or sees it as connecting with her fans. I think she might enjoy saying "hi" to the little kids that are up there on occasion, but beyond that? Not so much.

Does that make sense? I go to the show and always try to sit in the first few rows because I really enjoy the music and the performance and I like to have a good view of the show. I like to sit close at any show. I don't really have any delusions of connecting with Stevie by shaking her hand. She's shaken so many hands she wouldn't remember from one show to the next.

In general, you connect with someone when you get to know them. Shaking her hand is not getting to know her. Now if I could sit down and have dinner and drinks with her, we might connect. I'm not trying to be ****ee, just trying to explain my own thoughts on the matter.

There's got to be more to it than that. Yes, she probably fears disappointing those who come to her shows, but would she really value pleasing people over the safety of her fans? Granted, gum in the hair is not a safety issue, :laugh:but I think we've all acknowleged the potential for something more serious. Point being, she must gain enough from it to make it worth the risk. Ah, but who knows the mind of Stevie?

This is an interesting discussion--everyone is making good points. I'm over the other night now, but still think the whole question is worth examining.

Hell No,It's a classic.Not to bust stones, I think FM should have some kind of a walk.I love to have a chance to shake Lindseys hand or even MIcks or Johns also in that matter.

[ And, people who pay attention would know it would take place only during songs when she's wearing gloves, since she became worried about fan cooties a couple of years ago and never does the walk without the gloves anymore. (Not that I blame her! )


When did she start that. I had first row at Allstate for TISL in Chicago and she didnt have gloves. I noticed this summer in Chicago and last Friday at Rosemont the gloves??? What prompted this, germs???

Glenn

i don't think that she should drop the edge walk she has been doing it for years at her shows.

Not really.

Honestly, I think the ~safety of her fans~ is the last thing on her mind.

If they want to run up there like a stampede of angry gazelles, only to then elbow each other blue, scratch each other's eyes out and kick each other in the shins... that's their problem. It's not Stevie's job to look out for those who act like they are still 13 and at a Backstreet Boys concert.

The Edge walk is stupid. Get rid of it, Stevie.

What people are describing as Edge Walk Hell- sounds like my entire experience at my last Stevie show. I had third row seats which of course translated to being at the stage for the entire performance. :) What I experienced was lots of bullying and bull**** from people to be in the front, only to talk loudly during the show and take pictures.

I'm torn about the Edge Walk. It took me 20 years worth of concerts to make it and it really was exciting to have Stevie hold my hand for that brief moment. :) It wasn't like I felt that we had *connected* or anything- it was just fun! On the other hand, if people are being total a-holes and making it an unsafe environment, I guess I can see the viewpoint of wanting it gone.

i have never been front row for any of her concerts and to do the edge walk because i can't afford those prices they charge for the front row seats.

Kathy, believe it or not, I paid face value for the third row seats- same thing with Fleetwood Mac during SYW.

well, mine may not be the popular opinion, but w/e. I honestly don't think she should drop it and I don't have the energy to really back up why I feel that way, but again, w/e. :)

I'm with you Jaz! I don't think she should drop it either! Most of our venues, here in Texas are SOOOOO "Over-run" and Monitored with our "Gustapo police" that people CAN"T act like idiots up toward the stage! They only let the "Pit" seat crowd up to the stage anyway! It all works out - and I definitely think Stevie needs to keep that part of her show!;)

I totally agree. I did have the chance to shake Stevie's hand
for the other side of the mirror tour. When the time came, I just
couldn't do it. People was pushing and I think her shaking hands is going
thru the motion. If she see's alittle child it makes a difference.
Saying hi instead of a handshake would be better. But I felt
weird trying to shake her hand. I let her pass me and onto others
who were reaching out to her.:shrug:
I would rather have 30 seconds and tell her how grateful I am then
to push and try and shake her hand.
Does that make sense????

Darla

Yea I agree on wearing the gloves.I whould too.Hum Maybe Stevie should start a new trend, by throwing the gloves out to the fans. at the end of EO17. Like Lindsey chucks his giutar pick out to the crowd at the end of the concert.ya I can see the gloves posted on Sleezbay for $500 bucks already.

I don't think Stevie should drop the Edge walk~ only if she decided to just trip up the pace and do something different~ I think this gives her the opportunity to experience how adored she is by her fans~ only a Stevie audience could do this for so long~

Well 42 people say to keep it so it is the popular opinion. I agree, keep it. The onus is on the security at the venue, I've never had an issue with the walk.

Also, I think she wears the gloves when it's cold, not because of germs.

I too always sit in the front. I like to feel the concert.
If it makes the fans feel good and Stevie then so be it, let the walk
stand. I just wave and if she waves back I am happy.
:blob2:
Darla

Yes, because my hand flesh touched Stevie's hand flesh on the Gold Dust tour. :nod:

Well, yes, it's true that Stevie often seems to be cold (wearing layers, big coats, etc) even when those around her are not. But, she doesn't wear the gloves for the entire show. She puts them on for some songs and not others--and always before the Edge walk for the last few times I've seen her. I do think it's connected with shaking hands, and like I said, I don't blame her if she's worried about germs or whatever. Maybe she wears them for the walk because they are slippery and it is easier to pull her hand out of the grip of an overzealous fan. :shrug: At least she's not putting on latex gloves or pulling out her Purrell on-stage. :)

If she ever did away with the walk I would be crushed.:shocked:

I too think she should keep it, because like Nancy said, it's not her fault but that of selfish fans. And as well, it really IS just like the GYOW madness...in fact, I've been more assaulted during the GYOW guitar-playing craziness than the one and only time I was able to run forward for the Edge walk! Yet to me...it's horrible and rude and I am shocked and appalled at the gum-in-the-hair story...but it's the unfortunate price you pay for that moment with your heroine/hero, IMHO. I *do* think that it should be limited to the first few rows...it sucks when you're further back, but really, it's *really* not fair to those down front. And it just makes for a madhouse if you have the entire theater converging on the front row. I think maybe the first 10 rows or something should have the ability to go down there, not during the *entire* show, but the encore or whatever. You know? Give it a time and space limit.

(So says she who has admittedly seat-hopped like crazy, including one memorable night in Detroit where she never even saw her 17th row seat, and got to shake Stevie's hand because of it. ;) However, there's a line you have to draw between fandom and assault. Running forward and squeezing a bit to try to get closer is honestly to be expected at a rock concert...shoving and punching and clawing and yelling is just wrong, and I think it's up to fans to be a little more respectful and venue security to remove people who are doing these things.)

I was a Stevie concert virgin till last week so I would like to see the Edge Walk kept in hopes that one day I will be able to get close enough to shake her hand too! I think it's nice that she does that BUT I think that just the people in the first rows should be allowed to do it. It should be a part of their experience for scoring the "hot" seats.. lol. I really do think it's disgusting though that people feel the need to shove & HURT people just to get to her. If everyone "behaved" it would give more people an opportunity to experience it without feeling like cattle during a stampede.. lol.

Take AWAY the edge walk? Our longest held tradition as fans? That's blasphemy! I would venture to say that most people in the front row who don't want people "blocking their view" or encroaching on their precious space, are not real hardcore fans anyway. We all know that generally those who score front row seats, half the time don't give a crap about the artist they are seeing.

I absolutely agree. If she ever comes back to Europe I'd have the time of my life, Edge walk or no, but I'd hate to think that it was dropped after all this time because of people being rough. A few posters say it's "got too dangerous" -- was it less rough a few years back, or when she started doing it in the 80s? Just curious...

Good point. :nod:


Yeppers.

True. It really isn't fair to have people from ten and twenty rows back getting their moment because they were rough.