mcnabb5

Thanks for weighing in dmway. I agree with you. Most of the time the fan run GA line process ends up being a fun and fairly well organized process. Newark was brilliant. The venue security folks worked well with the fans and were quite complimentary about the process as a whole. They hit a home run on the major key to keeping the line sane by stressing that everyone will be organized by numerical order once through security. That tends to be where common decency can break down as folks get hung up in security lines. Some of my comments in that post were directed at people in general who are willing to run you over in the hallway to get a wristband ahead of you, or push ahead of others in line despite knowing they are just wrong. Venue security being clear is very helpful. Sometimes the forum commentary is from fans who think that showing up at 8 am the day of the show will get them the first place in line. Well that's not how people operate. They along with a 300 other people who show up and want to be first. I have no problem with the fan run process and respecting people who can "do the time" in a line. A great spot in line is the reward for making the effort to be there for check ins, etc. It is a fun topic to talk about. We all have had our experiences, good and bad. Just part of the whole U2 journey, isn't it?

Well I may have to look you up in Newark this week. I will be there with my brother, nephew and brother in law. Here's to a great GA experience this week! Thanks for the reply.

I have met Bono outside of MSG. Innocence Tour 2015. The GA line was near the entrance to Penn Station. Around the block you will see the special entrance for staff, players, etc. By the time you are there security fencing will be up and it’s very easy to determine that is the entrance they come in. I was just at the second DC show and the band rolled in around 3:40 or so. So however long you want to stand around the security fence is up to you! Bono was outside in a scorching hot day for 45 minutes as there were a couple hundred people. That isn’t typical, but it is NYC. Best of luck to you!

This is not a post that is going to reinvent the wheel. Any one who has spent any amount of time in the GA line will have had the same experiences. I was hoping that if folks do read this and may have lost their perspective of what being in GA is all about, then maybe they might find it in themselves to recalibrate a bit. I just came back from DC #2. The GA line was run by a super nice guy named, Brad, and a host of others(including my brother, Tim) who were truly nice people. They decided to jump in and volunteer to handle night #2 after getting a crummy response from the guy who was running night #1, who unfortunately exemplified the worst element of the U2 GA line. Those who attend scads of shows and have deemed themselves the experts. He deliberately was evasive about plans for night 2 and actually said that Brad and company weren't fit to run the line as you need a "veteran" to do so. That is a GA code for "I want to be in charge and have a single digit on my hand." Thankfully he was ignored. This same man has run numerous lines I have been involved in and is just not a nice guy. Rude, bossy and friend-less. Standing in the GA line is not a profession, it's a passion. It's about the camaraderie of spending time with fellow U2 travelers, sharing stories of shows you've been to and yes, wanting to get a great spot on the rail. But getting that spot on the rail shouldn't include forsaking your dignity and trampling others' in the process. The smiles and friendly interaction that give way to elbows on a stairwell and pushing someone out of the way to get a wristband. Seeing those same folks across the catwalk, singing along to songs about love, looking so saintly as the band goes up and down the arena leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If you are going to follow a band that talks a lot about respecting people and choosing to be compassionate towards your fellow man, well then a good place to practice is with your neighbors in line. I will continue to enjoy going to U2 shows and being a part of the GA process. To the folks like Brad, Kevin, Jeff and Jaime who I have met over the years and have had great experiences while they were running a line, thank you. To those who seemingly have lost their perspective on what the GA line is all about, I hope you find it. For your sake and ours. All the best.

Thanks!! We totally will.

Our group ended up being around 215-223. The GA queue was massive. Cleveland is amazingly popular!

Thanks! We'll be in Cleveland as well!

It was very orderly and the folks running the queue were great. So yes, it is run by fans. Recommendation, check out FB a few days early and find the Cleveland Joshua Tree page. That's how we found out where the queue was starting. My group signed in yesterday afternoon. There are various check ins after you get your number. It's a commitment, but totally worth it if you can manage it. Stadium security will most likely come out and give out wristbands with your corresponding number on it. Heinz Field actually allowed us to leave after getting our wristband. We have to get back in line at 2:30. It's really been an easy GA queue. I hope that helps!

That's very cool you're taking your kids! Well done. GA is always such a cool experience.

We are lined up at Gate 6 and waiting for stadium security to give us our numbered wristbands. Our crew did well....49-58.

We ended up being 31-38 in line for MSG 1 and the line was conducted and organized really well. No problems at all.

What was the name of that FB page? Once the line is in full swing, you can leave the line here and there, but it is GA courtesy to not be gone for ages. If you check in tomorrow like we will there will most likely be a rollcall sometime Tuesday evening. The 6 AM rollcall on Wednesday morning is when you line up and pretty much stay in line. As I said, people come and go for a bit here and there during the day, but for the most part you hang out in line.

General Robison Parking Garage is located between Heinz Field and PNC Park. That also seems to be an option. And I second the Casino parking idea. We did the same for 360 in 2011 and we never had to pay that day.

Thanks, Matt. For 360 in 2011 we arrived around 7:15 am or so and the line was already 300 strong. My guess is they had the same policy for that show as well. Whether the Heinz Field staff enforces that or not is another matter. I figure you show up early and if they won't let you line up right outside Gate 6 the U2 GA crew will just marshal up somewhere else.

Referencing a previous post, I would much rather hear "Ordinary Love" than " Miss Sarajevo." Since there is a strong attachment to songs that can be wedded to a political/social issue, OL and the life of Nelson Mandela certainly fit the bill.

I noticed that "Little Things" wasn't played in Dallas despite being on the set list. That would've been a great disappointment had I been there. That song has really grabbed me for some reason. I have to agree with a lot of the sentiments expressed in this thread. Being a die hard since 1981, and loving The Unforgettable Fire album, ditching ASOH is a major bummer. I could easily pass on Elevation , although I know that for a live show it tends to pump the crowd up. Many of the songs included seem to there so Bono can comment on a political topic. I get that, but sometimes just letting it rip and playing your butts off works best. The inclusion of Bad after the first show has helped me get past some of my dissatisfaction with the set list overall, and I know that I will love every minute of the two shows I'm going to, but I hope this week off before the Chicago shows helps them refocus the set list.

I am also from the Pittsburgh area and will be going to this show. I also work for a brewery. Great Lakes is good beer......Fat Heads is better. But both are worth the visit!

Absolutely. The last show at Heinz Field for 360 in 2011 went very smoothly for the GA process. I hope we encounter the same thing in a week and a half!

I am certain that GA line folks will be numbered. That's how it has always been when I have done GA. For those of us who would arrive on Tuesday, you check in at the gate where the GA line will be, sign the book, get a number and make sure you make roll call on Wednesday morning, typically around 6 am.

I just rewatched some of our video from IE MSG #1(15 feet from the front of the house, right on the rail) and the arena stage is much lower and the whole vibe is cozier. 360 presented some of the same scenarios. Where to head to is always the question for folks in GA. Multiple shows certainly helps with the choice process!

I saw them in Pittsburgh in October 1987. It was my first bootleg recording of a U2 show. My brother and I ended up in the 7th row middle thanks to my subscription to the U2 World Service. Awesome night.

I saw The Joshua Tree Tour in Pittsburgh in October of 1987. I bought my two tickets from the U2 World Service(Propaganda) essentially blind, having no idea what seats I'd be in. My brother and I walked into Three Rivers Stadium, looking at the numbered section placards elevated on the stadium floor. Wooden chairs covered the field, no GA line back then! We were stunned to find our section dead center in the very front of the floor. I watched the show from row 7 in the middle. Unbelievable night. I bootlegged that show on my Sony Walkman and played those cassettes for years, a prized possession. I can't wait to be on the floor of Heinz Field in June. 30 years was worth the wait.