ddarroch

I'll be trying for a GA (or 3) for this one.

He/she posts regularly on the @u2 forum, under the username The Bonzo.

Although I'd take the suggestion of the leak on u2.com with a grain of salt at this stage. That forum user, along with being the only person to have seen this leaked presentation, also said he was at the Arsenal v Monaco game, 3 rows from U2. Met them at halftime, where Edge hinted to a central stage. Says he has pics to prove it, we're still waiting. He also said he was escorted inside London's O2 arena, to check his seat location, very unusual to be allowed to do this. So, all in all, one very lucky U2 fan, or something's fishy, & someone's telling porkys. Guess we'll know soon enough.

Crap, looks like you're right. On AXS you can actually get 6 tickets together (though only in the corners). I'd been looking at the 30th Oct, as I'd like a GA or cheap seat for this show (have a GA for the 2nd Nov).

I wouldn't say that. There is a lot of speculation about the stage layout, on here, @U2 forums, & interference. Like you, some are predicting an end-of-stage/catwalk/b-stage layout (as shown on the San Jose map). While others are predicting it will a central stage in-the-round (as shown on TM, & possibly accidentally shown in a leaked presentation on u2.com). So the truth is, nobody knows what the stage layout will be (or where RZ will be located). So GA tickets will give people the most flexibility, once the stage layout is known. While RZ will offer the most convenience for people on the floor (& will no doubt be in a good location, though maybe not the best). Unfortunately, for those looking for seats, they just have to cross their fingers & hope they will be in a good location. Not a great feeling when you're opening you wallet, & spending a lot of money.

Yeah, good ideas. I was thinking that a ticket limit of 4 tickets may be too high for the arena legs, but limiting it to only the more senior members is a great idea. Would also make it more attractive for members to renew between tours, not letting their subscription expire (like I did). So more money in U2's pocket!

and mainly single tickets, in poor locations in the corners. Come on U2, time for London 6!

I wouldn't say that vtech. I'd speculate (lol) that Denver was only added to plug the gap left after LA shows were canned. Originally there were to be 8 LA shows scheduled, & there's no way that will be happening, due to poor ticket sales.

I did Phoenix RZ in '09. From memory I got there at maybe 4'ish, around half an hour before gates opened. When I arrived there was a decent sized line. There is still a bit of competition for a rail spot, I ended up on the rail, but a little more side on, the more central spots were taken straight away. I'd recommend a rail for a 12 year old, better sight lines & something to hold on to. So you might have to get there a little early, or you could get lucky & have someone give up their rail for a child, but I wouldn't count on it. Last time there were fold down chairs at the back of RZ, which could be good for the kids while waiting. The bathrooms were port-a-loo toilets, outside RZ, but inside the stadium, & not far. There was a bar, which was serving drinks before the show (& maybe merchandise from memory). Not sure what was available, as I just drink water at concerts. Looks like RZ will be much smaller for the arena shows. You're all going to love it!

What would you have them do, post the setlist before shows go on sale? They can play whatever they like, I'll be happy just to be there.

Come on London 6! Then I just need to find a cheap seat for London 4.

No. I got a very comprehensive email from a Live Nation/u2.com rep about this. It's one code per leg of the tour, not per subscription year. Which is a pity, because my subscription rolled over just before the London 5 presale.

I've been in the GA line by myself on a few occasions, in Sydney, & Slane. I've always met really nice people, & had a great time at the show, often with my GA neighbours. It's definitely a good idea to get friendly with your neighbours in the line, who can hold your place in line if you need a bathroom break, or a quick bite to eat.

I use what I guess you'd call a premium-compact camera. It has the option of fully manual controls, with image quality somewhere between a DSLR & a compact camera,in a reasonably compact body. It's a Canon S90, which I bought before the '09 US 360. Since then there's been a few iterations, they're up to the S120 now, which gets good reviews. Back then there was only a couple of premium compacts to choose from. Now I believe there's plenty. This could get very complicated! How much do you know about photography? Concert photography is tough! You've got a low-light environment (though U2 is well lit compared to many bands). You've also got quite fast moving subjects, so you need quite a fast shutter speed, which limits the amount of light in the pictures. To resolve this you need to increase the cameras sensitivity to light, the ISO. But high ISO increases the amount of noise in a photo, that's the graininess you see in low light shots. This is where DSLR's excel, with their large sensors. This is also where compact cameras suck, with their small sensors. Premium compacts are somewhere in between. The other way to introduce more light in a photo is to use a lens with a large aperture. An average compact has an aperture, or f-stop, of f/2.8. My camera has an f-stop of f/2.0, which actually let's in double the amount of light compared to the compact. The other problem with compacts are they're fully auto, & that won't cut it in concert photography. The problem with using Auto is the camera doesn't know what you're shooting (& none of the scene modes are any good). The camera sees all that black background & tries to lighten the shot (so the average pixel is a grey). This results in overexposed shots, where the band members are blown out (white ghosts). Even when I tried to shoot in Auto, with my exposure compensation turned right down to its minimum setting of -2 (telling the camera I was happy with darker shots), the band members were still over exposed & blown out. So you really need to shoot in manual. Complicated? Yeah, but what does it really mean? You need a camera with; - manual functions. - a large aperture lens (f-stop of f/2.0 or lower). - a large sensor (to reduce noise in higher ISO settings). - a compact body & lens, to make it manageable. For me, the options are a premium compact, or a micro 4/3, with a pancake lens (ditch the telephoto lens people, if you're not close, don't pretend you are). Hope that helps. Sorry for the thread hijack, lucky it's not too busy here.

This certainly sounds like it could be my most luxurious GA experience. Certainly beats a night out in Vancouver in near freezing temperatures, or days spent on baking concrete in the height of a Sydney summer. Peter, do you know how strict they are about camping outside the dome, the night before the show? In the US camping wasn't allowed, so it was "take a number, & come back in the morning". Sounds like they're not too strict about people staying in line either, if people are visiting restaurants & the cinema. Do they at least number everyone, to keep things organised? I've got a room just down the road, at the Pilot Inn, the night before the show. Got to work out if I'll be camping outside the dome, or spending the night in the comfort of a hotel bed. I'll at least want to leave the line in the morning, to shower, have breakfast & check out of a hotel I may not really have used. Also, what time do they move people inside the dome? Is it around 9am?

I prefer GA. If you're prepared to work for it & get there early the view & energy in GA is incomparable. My first 360 show was RZ in Phoenix. A little more chilled, with a good overall view of the stage (which is why I chose RZ for my first 360 show). The energy just wasn't there, looking across the back to the inner circle crowd, who weren't going nuts. A pretty poor crowd all around I guess, though the people right up front seemed to be getting into it. For my 360 GA shows, I've arrived very early, & got prime spots. Either front rail, which can't be beaten for views & energy, or centre outer rail, with views & energy a little bit better than RZ. Only exception was the shit fight at the Rose Bowl, where I ended up inner rail of the catwalk. Not a great view for a short guy, & not a great crowd, as there were quite a few people who were just there to get there 5 seconds of fame on a DVD. As for this tour, who knows what RZ will be like. Much depends on where it's positioned, with maps so far showing it'll be near a b-stage, or near Edge. Oh, & having the toilets for RZ on the last tour was a nice touch. You certainly don't want to have to go when you're at the front of GA.

Can't hurt to try. They're likely to have much more reliable info than what I gave you. I came by my info trawling the internet on fan forums. First time I've ever been on a Britney Spears forum, or a MJ forum

Don't quote me, as I've never seen a concert there, but it sounds like GA lines are let inside the dome, when it opens, to queue outside the arena. If that's the case, a midday arrival may mean quite a pleasant GA line experience, out of the weather, inside the dome. For what it's worth, I think I'll be one of those U2 crazies, camping out for the Nov 2 show.

How so? The scalpers may not be into U2, but they sell the tickets to U2 fans... Yeah, mostly. But, there are definitely a number of folks with serious $$ who would buy GA tix to a U2 show, even if they weren't that into the band, music, etc. Possibly, but they can't have made up a large portion of the GA crowd. In any case, they'd be at the back, get to the front & it's certainly energetic!

Completely obstructed, unlikely. Partially obstructed, who knows, nobody's seen the stage layout. There's a couple of possible stage layouts doing the rounds. One, as you described, & as shown on the San Jose map, is end of stage, with a catwalk, & a b-stage at the opposite end, surrounded by the RZ's. The other shown on the other TM maps, & described by a poster on @U2 forums, is described as in-the-round, with a rectangular stage running most of the length of the arena, with RZ's at one end (& possibly an orchestra at the other end). In both cases people have speculated that there will be a double-sided screen, above the stage, running the length of the arena. If this is the case, the ends of the arena may have restricted views, as they cannot see the screen. Also for arenas with steep seating, like London's O2, the ends of the upper tier may have restricted views of the band, possibly due to the screen, or maybe the PA system. Interestingly, for MSG, or looks like the lower level end of arena seats at the RZ end are expensive platinum tickets, while those at the other end are labelled with restricted views. So who knows, it's all conjecture at this stage. Which is a pity, as people are forking out a lot of money for tickets.