Solution for GA? Red Zone/Wires/Public admission

[claudeflowers 1]

This won't help me, but maybe it will help future shows, or future tours.

Having seen the absolute shambles of general admission entry in Vancouver and Seattle, I think a formal, structured solution needs to be adopted by the band.

Could future shows allow separate G.A. lines based on how tickets were purchased? So, for example, those who are longtime fan club members were assigned the "Red Hill" group when buying tickets. They would gather in a Red Hill G.A. line at the venue, getting first entry.

Newer fan club members were in the "Wires" group for ticket purchases. Day of the show they would be in a Wires G.A. line and be admitted once all Red Hill ticketholders are inside the venue.

Lastly, those who bought tickets during the public on-sale would be in a third G.A. line allowed into the venue after fan club members.

In short, three separate GA lines, each (loosely, but fairly) reflecting the dedication of the fans.

If U2/Live Nation still insists on using Credit Card entry, I would hope/expect there is a way to flag purchases along these same lines (Red Hill/Wires/Public).

I'd love to know what fans and moderators think of the idea.

 

Edited May 17, 2017 by claudeflowers

[u2rone 37]

I think it's a great idea if it would work. I wish they would stop using Ticketbastard altogether and come up something else_ somehow, someway!!!

[abluerwhite 3]

It's a good idea but scalpers would still manage to get tickets, and could potentially charge even more with the promise of getting preferential queueing. You'd have to figure out how to get rid of scalpers all together.

 

edit: It also forces people out who are genuine fans but cannot afford to pay $50+ annually, or people who want to go together but are in different groups.

Edited May 18, 2017 by abluerwhite

[JasonR02 0]

1 hour ago, abluerwhite said:

It's a good idea but scalpers would still manage to get tickets, and could potentially charge even more with the promise of getting preferential queueing. You'd have to figure out how to get rid of scalpers all together.

 

edit: It also forces people out who are genuine fans but cannot afford to pay $50+ annually, or people who want to go together but are in different groups.

Agreed. Paid membership into the fan club isn't really a true barometer of "dedication". I say this has a paying member since it launched.

[ruffian114 1]

I'm another that doesn't like having fan club status determine entry order for the reasons others have stated.

I think the solution for GA is having barriers up so people are forced to enter in the order they are lined up in. I haven't done GA the last few tours but did for earlier tours at a few different venues and that was how it was always set up and it worked fine. I think a lot of the issues this tour are because credit card entry is slowing down the scanning of tickets. Seeing as the credit card entry didn't seem to stop the scalpers I think it needs to go as well.

My actually deter scalpers without slowing down entry idea... have something where the actual scannable ticket is sent to people's phones the day of the show and for the small percentage of people that don't have smart phones give them the option of doing will call instead. 

[willdo 0]

I heard part of the problem with Seattle is the security was half staffed (stupid) and people had tickets on their phones and the people had issues pulling the tickets up on their phones. 

[nyru2 23]

Not a good idea. Long time fans deserve early access to buy tickets but not entry or a closer view.  

[ruffian114 1]

11 hours ago, willdo said:

I heard part of the problem with Seattle is the security was half staffed (stupid) and people had tickets on their phones and the people had issues pulling the tickets up on their phones. 

My understanding is that GA is exclusively credit card entry so no one should have been using their phones. Also while I can't speak for the GA lines the ticket lines had adequate security staffing. Each line (and there were many lines) had 2 people, one for bag check and one for the metal detectors. People were moving through pretty quickly wth the exception of those that had nonallowed bags (which wasn't really the venues fault given that they had sent an e-mail with the rules and had tons of signs up) the security lines were actually being held up because the ticket scanning lines were backing up. I can also say my credit card held up my line for a few minutes because they could get it to scan righ. 

[Franna1 0]

It was done this way for the early leg Vertigo show I attended in New Jersey.  (I think we were asked to bring our fan club ID cards, though I don't remember them actually being checked). If I remember correctly, things worked MUCH more smoothly than they have since.  I also remember people from U2s team there to supervise.  Regrettably, I've never seen that again.

[daviddevaul 2]

Pearl Jam gives priority access of tickets based on seniority and/or fanclub-only presale lottery.  Their GA pits at arenas are fanclub only.  I see no issue with this.  $40/year is not that big of a deal.  I can't see too many tours after this for U2, so it's either too late or about damn time to institute some priority entrance, etc.  

[vertigojds 102]

U2 had priority entrance for fan club members in 2005; they dropped the idea when LiveNation took over running the tours. 

The band and their management used to arrange all of the details themselves, and things ran smoother. Now, they've sold their business to Live Nation and just take the check - they are no longer directly involved with things like setting their ticket prices, admission policies or running their fan club, and it shows. 

[abluerwhite 3]

5 hours ago, daviddevaul said:

Pearl Jam gives priority access of tickets based on seniority and/or fanclub-only presale lottery.  Their GA pits at arenas are fanclub only.  I see no issue with this.  $40/year is not that big of a deal.  I can't see too many tours after this for U2, so it's either too late or about damn time to institute some priority entrance, etc.  

The only problem with fan-only GA is that the tickets still manage to go on sale for thousands of dollars ($4000 for the PJ show at my city was the lowest price)

[Manohlive 875]

I do not understand why everyone keeps blaming U2.  They have nothing to do with it.  The promoter bears the fault, not U2.  If you don't get there early enough then it's on the fan, not the band.  I'm not trying to be a jerk but it's true.  In Chicago, Soldier Field rents out their venue.  The promoter books it and establishes the rules.  It is not U2 who is doing this.  Also, these are stadiums and not indoor venues.  One also needs to consider what happened in Manchester.  There is extra security and the people working these venues are very much on edge; no pun intended.  Either get there early and bite the bullet of it taking longer or do not go.  No matter, please stop  blaming people who have nothing to do with all of this.

It is usually the idiots who do not read the rules and have a thousand things to drag out of a bag who slow down the lines.  Why are we even allowing people to bring  bags into these venues with what is happening in the world? 

Get there early.  Call the venue and ask if you have any doubts.  The world is not going to end if a person is further back than they had wished.  This is ludicrous.  It is not U2's fault.  They could easily have set up chairs and had no GA.  Coldplay did and seats on the field were $250.

Elitism sucks even if we are longtime U2 fans.  It merely prolongs poverty.

Edited June 1, 2017 by Manohlive

[vertigojds 102]

23 hours ago, Manohlive said:

I do not understand why everyone keeps blaming U2.  They have nothing to do with it.  The promoter bears the fault, not U2.

Because U2, as one of the world's wealthiest, most influential, and powerful bands, has the clout to arrange their tours however they'd like.  In the past, they worked closely with venues and tour promoters to establish practices that were fan friendly.  Before the 2009 tour, U2 sold their touring business to Live Nation in exchange for a big check, and Live Nation has been treating fans terribly by comparison.  U2 made the choice to sell their touring business to Live Nation; they were not forced to do so and were under no obligation to do so. 

It is proper to hold U2 responsible for actions that happen in their name.

[Manohlive 875]

6 hours ago, vertigojds said:

Because U2, as one of the world's wealthiest, most influential, and powerful bands, has the clout to arrange their tours however they'd like.  In the past, they worked closely with venues and tour promoters to establish practices that were fan friendly.  Before the 2009 tour, U2 sold their touring business to Live Nation in exchange for a big check, and Live Nation has been treating fans terribly by comparison.  U2 made the choice to sell their touring business to Live Nation; they were not forced to do so and were under no obligation to do so. 

It is proper to hold U2 responsible for actions that happen in their name.

Isn't their name their own name and not ours to invoke?

I knew about the Live Nation deal when it happened.  I wrote in another thread and questioned if 360 could have been possible were it not for that deal.  The music business changed and became an even nastier precipice at the feet of musicians.  People do not pay for music any longer.  I still buy cds, but it's getting harder and harder to find a good record store.  It's almost impossible, save small independent ones and their stock is usually limited to a specific genre.  Musicians do not get paid for their labor and their own intellectual property. It is stolen and compressed and turned into much less than it was.  The artist does not get paid,  In return we pay hundreds to see a concert.

I would not like working hard, not getting paid, decide to give the fruit of my labors to Itunes, have them give it to everyone for free, and then get criticized for doing so. I'd hate it.  Yes, the downloading of their last cd became a bit of a debacle. It's proportion was nowhere near the bitching and whining and pissing and moaning which ensued.  It's easy to criticize.  I did it when that deal was made, however; the music business has gotten even dirtier than it already was. 

I might, upon further reflection, make the deal so I could be spared a good deal of the f#$@ing hassles of such a nasty business.  It would give me more time to chill while those filthy sons of guns duke it out among their own selves.

Edited June 3, 2017 by Manohlive

[vertigojds 102]

4 hours ago, Manohlive said:

Isn't their name their own name and not ours to invoke? I do not find it proper to hold anyone responsible for their actions as I'm more concerned with my own. 

I couldn't disagree more.

I'm not talking about what the members of U2 do in their personal lives.  Their own personal business is, and remains, their personal business.  It's not my concern what they do with the money they earn.  It's not my concern who they date in their private lives, who they marry, who their friends are, which charities they participate in, etc.

But when it comes to making music and the business of touring, that is absolutely something I can comment on.  They are selling me a product.  I am their customer.  At times, I have felt the quality of the product being sold or the manner in which it was being sold did not live up the expectations that they themselves established.  When that has been the case, I have voiced my opinion in what I've always intended and hoped was a polite and reasonable manner.  I'm sure that not everyone has agreed with everything I've said, but this is the first time I believe I've heard someone suggest that I do not have the right to be critical.

U2 are free to make a deal with Live Nation to run their business.  I am also free to point out how Live Nation is not running their business as well as it was run when U2 ran it themselves.  As a longtime U2 fan, U2 have been the ones to condition me what to expect from them and their brand.  If they're not living up to the expectations that they themselves have set, it's entirely reasonable for me to point that out.

Edited June 3, 2017 by vertigojds

[Manohlive 875]

21 minutes ago, vertigojds said:

I couldn't disagree more.

I'm not talking about what the members of U2 do in their personal lives.  Their own personal business is, and remains, their personal business.  It's not my concern what they do with the money they earn.  It's not my concern who they date in their private lives, who they marry, who their friends are, which charities they participate in, etc.

But when it comes to making music and the business of touring, that is absolutely something I can comment on.  They are selling me a product.  I am their customer.  At times, I have felt the quality of the product being sold or the manner in which it was being sold did not live up the expectations that they themselves established.  When that has been the case, I have voiced my opinion in what I've always intended and hoped was a polite and reasonable manner.  I'm sure that not everyone has agreed with everything I've said, but this is the first time I believe I've heard someone suggest that I do not have the right to be critical.

U2 are free to make a deal with Live Nation to run their business.  I am also free to point out how Live Nation is not running their business as well as it was run when U2 ran it themselves.  As a longtime U2 fan, U2 have been the ones to condition me what to expect from them and their brand.  If they're not living up to the expectations that they themselves have set, it's entirely reasonable for me to point that out.

I just signed in to edit a bit of what I said.  I think we are both defending a band we love.  I also think we are looking at it from opposite poles.  I agree with what you said in response to what I wrote.  You have the right to do whatever the heck you want to do.  I have the right to agree or disagree.  I think that's what makes this site so great.  It's also a major reason why I don't mind paying every year.  We obviously both love this band very much.

My criticism was more about people stealing the intellectual property of artists more than anything else.  I'm writing three very intense works.  One is a book on the opioid epidemic America is facing.  It really pisses me off because I've lost people I loved dearly.  I'm watching one struggle to beat his addiction.  I'm so frightened for him.  He's succeeding but it takes such a toll. One time and he could be gone.  I've been working on this book all day every day.  I need to learn to tame my emotions from writing these things before I post something.  It's very difficult because I'm so fricking angry at Purdue for marketing Oxycontin.  I cannot tell you how angry I am.

If this came out as me criticizing you, I very sincerely and humbly apologize. 

[Manohlive 875]

35 minutes ago, vertigojds said:

I couldn't disagree more.

I'm not talking about what the members of U2 do in their personal lives.  Their own personal business is, and remains, their personal business.  It's not my concern what they do with the money they earn.  It's not my concern who they date in their private lives, who they marry, who their friends are, which charities they participate in, etc.

But when it comes to making music and the business of touring, that is absolutely something I can comment on.  They are selling me a product.  I am their customer.  At times, I have felt the quality of the product being sold or the manner in which it was being sold did not live up the expectations that they themselves established.  When that has been the case, I have voiced my opinion in what I've always intended and hoped was a polite and reasonable manner.  I'm sure that not everyone has agreed with everything I've said, but this is the first time I believe I've heard someone suggest that I do not have the right to be critical.

U2 are free to make a deal with Live Nation to run their business.  I am also free to point out how Live Nation is not running their business as well as it was run when U2 ran it themselves.  As a longtime U2 fan, U2 have been the ones to condition me what to expect from them and their brand.  If they're not living up to the expectations that they themselves have set, it's entirely reasonable for me to point that out.

 

3 minutes ago, Manohlive said:

  I'm sure that not everyone has agreed with everything I've said, but this is the first time I believe I've heard someone suggest that I do not have the right to be critical.

If this is how I came across...I am especially sorry.  It was not my intent.

Edited June 3, 2017 by Manohlive

[Manohlive 875]

20 minutes ago, Manohlive said:

U2 are free to make a deal with Live Nation to run their business.  I am also free to point out how Live Nation is not running their business as well as it was run when U2 ran it themselves.

I could not agree more with what you said here in your response.  It's Live Nation and not U2.  My head was thinking about a very intense play I'm trying to break the back of writing.  I stop writing one and my head starts trying to discern more on another.  It's an occupational hazard.  I did not pick up on this.  I was wrong in not rereading what your wrote.  I should know better.  Please pardon me.  

I was going to listen to The Joshua Tree.  I then thought better of it as I'm seeing it live tomorrow.  Instead, I listened to Achtung Baby.  Something was bothering me during that awesome guitar which begins Zoo Station.  It was not until I got to Ultraviolet that I realized I did not leave what I wrote in response to your comment, let it sit, then go back to it and edit before I hit send.  That is what bothered me.  I realized that my comments came off as criticism and not my own opinions.  They also come off aggressively because I want Purdue put out of business.  I do not understand why those guys are not in jail yet our prisons are full of black people who made the mistake of smoking a joint in the wrong place at the right time.  That anger is very obvious in how I presented my opinion.  All I can do is say I am sorry...I am working on separating writing all day and then playing in Zootopia and other sites.

Edited June 3, 2017 by Manohlive

[jeffwalsh 5]

On 5/29/2017 at 9:23 PM, abluerwhite said:

The only problem with fan-only GA is that the tickets still manage to go on sale for thousands of dollars ($4000 for the PJ show at my city was the lowest price)

Those aren't fan-club tickets. You don't get anything in advance if you're in the fan club. You have to pick it up with ID the day of the show, non-transferable. Just like people complained on here with GA showing up online, every venue has a small number of tickets for season ticket holders to sporting events, etc., that don't have any of the rules of the band, etc.

[Manohlive 875]

12 minutes ago, jeffwalsh said:

Those aren't fan-club tickets. You don't get anything in advance if you're in the fan club. You have to pick it up with ID the day of the show, non-transferable. Just like people complained on here with GA showing up online, every venue has a small number of tickets for season ticket holders to sporting events, etc., that don't have any of the rules of the band, etc.

I did see Red Zone tickets being scalped on Vivid Seats for as high as $1,400 yesterday.  I thought Red Zone tix could not be scalped.  Think those profiting from reselling them will give those profits where they are intended?  It has become such a dirty business on so many levels.  Can Red Zone tix be scalped using a legit ticket reselling business?  I doubt that jerk will get $1,400 for those tix. It's for tomorrow's show.  I hope he gets stuck with every one of them.

[vertigojds 102]

Manohlive - no apologies necessary, it's all good

[Manohlive 875]

On 6/3/2017 at 1:45 AM, vertigojds said:

Manohlive - no apologies necessary, it's all good

I'm happy to hear that, thank you.  I thought about you at the show last night and laughed because I'm taking a break from writing.  Oh my gosh, what a show.  I purposely avoided most info so it would be a surprise.  Edge transcriped MOTD for guitar?  That was fricking awesome.  Anyhow, as we waited; I thought about our debate and laughed and hoped you were in the crowd or having fun where ever.   Thanks.

[Manohlive 875]

I was at the GA entry at 5:20 or so and there was no line.  None.  I had been told it was going to be nuts.  Soldier Field is a great venue UNTIL you have to leave!  I left that part out purposely.  Wow.  It takes almost an hour just to get to the Field Museum.  I've done it many times but it's still a royal pain in the butt.

The GA in Chicago seems to have gone well.  We got in there a little after six and one still could have been on the rail but off to the side.

[redsoxsrule 2]

On 5/17/2017 at 7:05 PM, u2rone said:

I think it's a great idea if it would work. I wish they would stop using Ticketbastard altogether and come up something else_ somehow, someway!!!

the band phish and Dave Matthews band use their own fan sites for tickets for fan club members. Then the people who aren't able to get Fan  club tickets later on have to go through Ticketmater