Floor seating etiquette
 

Hi all :D

My partner and I will be attending the Vancouver show on 18/11/14, we are travelling all the way from New Zealand to see Fleetwood Mac!!! it will be our first time seeing them as they cancelled their Oceania leg of the tour last year when John fell ill. I just got my tickets this morning and can not even attempt to explain how excited I am to both see my favourite band in the world for the first time and visit both Canada and America for the first time too!!! :] I am wanting to ask other people who have attended a past FM show what proper floor etiquette is? I'm seated in row 20 on the floor and I was curious if people mind if you go up further just for one song or a good photo? I would love to run to the front and just stay glued to the stage for the entire night of course! lol but I know people paid A LOT of money to get up to the front and it's not really fair to have a couple of kids cutting in and blocking their view....I just want to know if it's totally inappropriate to go up just for a bit, because I have seen some posts from other people who have just gone for it lol but I don't want to get yelled at by someone or worse escorted out by security and miss the concert!!!!

p.s: my seats are on the left, who usually occupies the left hand side of the stage?

most times security doesnt mind if you go up for a photo or two but if they arent paying attention then i say go for it -ha! at the pittsburgh show last year i was 3rd row but since they let the first 5 rows go to the front of the stage i ended up at the front near Stevie (she was more towards the left) and there was nobody in a 10 foot range so there easily could have been 10 or more people up there with me. i would just go with the flow and see what happens at the time.

First, CONGRATS on getting tickets! It was so unfortunate last year that they canceled that entire leg of shows.

As for your question, I had floor seats last year for Fleetwood Mac in the middle of June and here's what I've learned from that experience:

• People usually never sit when they have floor seats, even though there is a chair there

• It isn't worth it if you're short in height - unless you make an investment to wear heels and would be comfortable standing in them all night

• People will get mad at you for standing, depending on who is around you that night (and if you stay standing it may be worse) Just pray you don't have people like that around you. When I went, there was a rather large man and I think his wife that sat next to my mom, and didn't like the fact that when the lights went down, and the beginning of Second Hand News started, that they realized they'd have to be standing the whole time. Some people don't peruse the internet watching tour videos like I do to get a sense of the atmosphere at these things.

As for rushing the stage, I personally have never done this, and I rarely go to concerts, but as I've read about others on here, it may be best to do it right when the lights go down, and sprint your way up there, depending on how tight or not venue security is.

Hope this helps!

Security generally won't let you travel closer to the stage than your tickets allow, but some venues are more lax about that than others.

If you're looking at the stage, the lineup is usually Christine, John, Stevie, Mick, and Lindsey from left to right.

Dallas 2009 AA Arena, I was the whole time stood up sticked to the stage, even before the show begun, and security never minded. And my seat was like road 20. Took lot of pictures.

NYC MSG 1997 security was very controlling thèy didn't let you stand up or dance for a while, it was so annoying
However in 2012 I saw Elton at MSG and it was more flexible. I remember everybody sung Crocodile rock stood up.

Basically like mentioned already.Plus putting up with the drunks.People talking all the time.

Some venues the security are pricker bushes and some venues the security dont give a crap about photos,videos or getting closer.

Can't believe there are still such things as floor seats in large arenas. I've seen Springsteen several times and with him all floor tickets are general admission, no seats, and sold for the same price. I had assumed it was the norm for rock acts nowadays.

Same. I saw Bob Dylan in Philly a few years ago and made the mistake of getting actual seats instead of general admission floor tickets. But as soon as the lights went down, my friend and I slipped under the rail and ran into the crowd haha. It was fantastic, but I doubt the same would fly at a FM concert.

THIS is my aim. i'm waiting for the general public sale though and would like to fly from Oz to Vancouver via Auckland :D flights now are soooooo cheap it's like the Mac gods are encouraging our fan!girl behavior.

floor seating ... i have barely sat in my seat during a show. but it depends how far back you are. and it's generally a bit more acceptable to stand if you're on the aisle. some people will b!tch about your standing. hopefully everyone else is standing with you :nod:

interesting. i saw Dylan in DC a year ago, he was in the same venue as FM, just not nearly as full, and there were seats on the floor, not GA. and nobody was going to the stage like at FM, all first rows were just sitting in their seats. if he was selling GA floor, they'd either have to cancel the show or it would look sad and empty.

Honestly, I would scope out a security guard--pre-show, and tell them you'd like to take a picture once in a while and get up a little closer to do it, if that's okay.
There are some guards out there who are very nice and understanding...especially to those who treat them with respect (considering the fact that I saw a drunk girl at one of the last FM concerts I went to not only slap another woman at the concert, but slap the guard who went to escort her out...it's not an easy job and I really do think they are open to helping out people who actually treat them like human beings and not monsters who are out to spoil their fun).
Anyway, good luck and I hope you get to move up! Have a great, great time.

I've been to quite a few concerts, but I've never done floor nor been so close to the stage.

Questions: How is the sound right in front? Can you actually hear the songs well/even hear performers un-mic-ed? And who is best to be closest to, actually acknowledging and playing to fans? Guessing Lindsey...

not too good. yeah you can hear songs and what they are saying, but it's not nearly as clear as a bit further on the floor, or on the sides. if you want good sound, right at the stage is not for you.

yeah. Lindsey interacts with people he sees in front of him and responds to stuff people say. especially when he's not the one singing but just playing guitar.

So if I do it, I should bring my Tusk album sleeve and wave it up to him? I would definitely do it (the prices though are incredibly steep for a concert)....but I would probably hate being pushed around and would need to get to the stage to lean on.

I have a pretty good seat at the 8th row center... I'm wondering some of the same things... Should I try to get to the stage? Can they see you in the 8th row? I'd love to just make eye contact. Anyone know if that's possible? And that would be so cool to get something signed.. Def bring your tusk album! :-)

I'm sure it looked more crowded because he, for some reason, was playing at the Liacouras Center at Temple University. It's nowhere near as big as something like the Wells Fargo Center, so it didn't look nearly as empty. But if I remember correctly, the majority of the crowd was on the floor - and not packed tight - and the seats weren't too full.

Maybe if the ticket prices were significantly lower, FM could fill the stadiums like U2 and (shudder) Bon Jovi. I know FM plays a different kind of show, less theatrical. And I know, aurally, stadium shows are not the best concerts, but it would certainly be exciting when you see people everywhere, all around you, all into the songs.

The Tusk album signing was one of the great stories on this forum last year. Someone was able to get Lindsey to sign it during a show, which was amazing, and got some fantastic pictures. Another moment was when someone in front stole his guitar. It does seem like the people right in front have an experience unlike anyone else in the house.

Thanks everyone for the advice, we will gauge the crowd and think about going for it lol I just want to make the most of it because it is the first time I will be seeing them and who know's if they'll make a trip to New Zealand in the future :shrug:


Absolutely the Mac gods want us there! lol hope you're able to get great tickets and make the trip too :D my partner and I were talking about trying to attend one of the concerts after the dates were announced, trying to figure out ways we could see them and fortunately he remembered that he has relatives on his Step Father's side who they stayed with when he and his family visited Vancouver when he was a kid. Then we had to consider the end dates for school as we are both university students and by some stroke of luck uni officially ends a few days before the concert in Vancouver, so now the hard part of saving for the rest of the year begins lol :laugh: definitely worth it though to see FM and for the vacation of a lifetime!!! very interested to see the differences between New Zealand, Canada and the USA...I imagine November is going to be very chilly in Vancouver? I've heard it doesn't usually snow though?

At the Hollywood Bowl and Anaheim last year, security was very strict and very few people were allowed up to the front. At the Anaheim show, I did see one of the security guards leading a few young ladies up to the front but for the most part, they strictly held the line for the first five rows (which is understandable considering the prices for those tickets). When I lived in Arizona, it was much easier to move up to the front, especially towards the end of the concert.

I went up to the front in Anaheim. It was a breeze!

This is risky, though. Some of them will say no and that means if you try to go up when the lights come down, you look like you're defying them. A lot of these guys are on power trips and nothing pisses them off more than "defying their authority."

I'd be friendly and respectful - build goodwill with the guard - but I wouldn't directly ask.

I agree, never ever understood the idea of seats at a rock-concert in such large arena's/stadiums. Esp. on the arena-floor. If you want to be seated, buy a ticket for the tiers (is this the correct word?).

In The Netherlands the rock-concerts at such venues usually have no seats. It's just general admission. You have to be early to get a good spot. Last year I saw Mac twice in Amsterdam whiten an arm length of the stage.

In Antwerp though there were seats on the floor.

Which brings me to the question of why there are seats? IS it a safety-issue (security afraid of large difficult to control crowds) or is there money involved?

because the majority of FM's audience are old geezers, like themselves. :p

Hahahahaha.I'm one of them.LOL........

FM Floor Experiences
 

I have never seen FM specifically at Rogers Arena (though I plan to this tour), but have seen them many times throughout the Pacific Northwest, starting with the Dance Tour. In general, they are a band that allows rushing of the stage. Only once have I not been able to do this, as long as my ticket was somewhere in the front floor section. To be near a center aisle is better than an outer aisle, as there is usually a security guard posted along the outer edge with nothing better to do than wrangle you, and you will stand out like a sore thumb trying to get up there from the outside. You can also wait until the lights go down to head to your seat, tell the usher you already know where to find it, and then casually head to the front instead of your seat. The worst that can happen, unless you're drunk and/or causing an outright disturbance, is that you'll get sent back to your ticketed seat. But this has never happened to me at an FM show. Last time, a couple of people were disgruntled that the aisle next to their seats was filling up and were yelling, "Hey! We paid a lot for these seats!", but no one was technically bothering them. It was the "principle" of it to them apparently. I took the sympathy route and said I was sorry, and they got over it after a while.

A comfortable alternative to high heels if you are short are those "shape-up" type tennis shoes, if you want an extra 2-3 inches added to your height. In front of Lindsey is definitely the place to be if you want interaction. He will interact and talk with the first few rows off the mic when he is not singing, and sits on the floor in the front of the stage during Mick's drum solo. He will also sometimes sign an autograph or two (of which I've gotten once), just have a good pen ready for him, and sometimes he will crouch down for the audience to strum his guitar strings during Go Your Own Way. Do be aware that there are often young ladies who position themselves in front of Lindsey, specifically for blatant flirting and flashing of boobs, so if you will find this offensive/distracting, you might want to go for a different spot.:p

I agree. They've seen/heard it all a million times, so if you're specific in your conversation with them, they're going to know you have plans other than staying in your seat and have their eye on you. Better to be casual and blend in, and keep your "plans" to yourself.

In some venues, it's easier to get up to the front than others and now that these prices are so steep, chances are good that the very front may be more protected by security. At some arenas, there's an area to the side of the stage where you can move. Sometimes you can move up a few rows at a time and then see if you can move up to the front. It might be easier to scope out the upper levels above the stage which might not even have be sold.

I miss the days when it was really easy to move up to the front, especially at the end of the show. That was such a magical time with the band, especially when Stevie spent a lot of time with people accepting flowers and stuffed animals, etc. and the rest of the band shook hands. Security pretty much let everyone go up to the stage as long as they were cool about it.

Thanks for the tips EveryHour, looks like my tickets aren't ideal for attempting the feat that is making it to the stage haha I'm row 20 so I might be too far back, and I'm on Christine's side and it sounds like Lindsey's side is where it's at for interaction lol also I'm definitely closer to the outer than the center so looks like I might be staying put for the night :laugh: but just being there will be fine by me.......maybe I'll try to be a ninja when the lights go down :cool: lol


....really wishing it wasn't seated on the floor, I was in GA for the last concert I went to here in NZ at Vector arena which was Nine Inch Nails/Queens of the Stoneage....that was a rowdy crowd and I still managed to get very close to the front and have a decent view for someone who's only 5'3, I did consider the $750 VIP tickets at first for FM to guarantee a first 5 row seat but like many have said it was the principle of it - I just don't know if I would want to meet Mick after having to eat 2 minute noodles for a month just to pay for his VIP tickets :laugh: