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Post by warpedfan11 on May 9, 2014 20:05:17 GMT -5
Anyone have any experience or advice on staying at one stage all day (or several hours) to get a good spot in the crowd for a band? Besides learn to go without going to the bathroom?
In all seriousness...don't even worry about your spot. Only one time was I really close. And that was for Radiohead in 12. I was on the rail. About twenty minutes before the show I tapped out. The way I looked at it was....I love them....but I wasn't about to die for them. Weaseled my way back until I was comfortable and had a blast
In all seriousness...don't even worry about your spot. Only one time was I really close. And that was for Radiohead in 12. I was on the rail. About twenty minutes before the show I tapped out. The way I looked at it was....I love them....but I wasn't about to die for them. Weaseled my way back until I was comfortable and had a blast
There's so much to do in four days.
Take it all in.
I agree that there is so much to do from my experience! The only reason I'm even considering this is I'm thinking of it for Jack White on Saturday, and I would loooove to see every act on the what stage on that day before him.
In all seriousness...don't even worry about your spot. Only one time was I really close. And that was for Radiohead in 12. I was on the rail. About twenty minutes before the show I tapped out. The way I looked at it was....I love them....but I wasn't about to die for them. Weaseled my way back until I was comfortable and had a blast
There's so much to do in four days.
Take it all in.
I totally agree with this.. If you get so overly concerned about getting close for every show you want to see, you're going to miss out on so many other amazing things going on around you because you're spending half of Bonnaroo just waiting at a stage..
In all seriousness...don't even worry about your spot. Only one time was I really close. And that was for Radiohead in 12. I was on the rail. About twenty minutes before the show I tapped out. The way I looked at it was....I love them....but I wasn't about to die for them. Weaseled my way back until I was comfortable and had a blast
There's so much to do in four days.
Take it all in.
I agree that there is so much to do from my experience! The only reason I'm even considering this is I'm thinking of it for Jack White on Saturday, and I would loooove to see every act on the what stage on that day before him.
I get that.
The only thing I would want to see on Saturday at the Main Stage is Jack White.
It's funny. But as the years go on I end up making my way to What less and less.
Edit: I realize that makes me sound like a hipster snob. I don't even know how that happened.
Oh!! I thought of one time where waiting all day at a stage paid off. A childhood friend of mine waited all day at Outside Lands last year and ended up getting her wrist signed by Sir Paul McCartney. The next day she had the signature tattooed.
I've never waited for an artist for more than an hour. Sitting at one stage all day seems like the worst idea imaginable. Missing tons of amazing music just to get a few feet closer to see somebody else? Meh.
I sat on the rail at This last year during Jack Johnson's entire set, just so I could be thisclose to Billy Idol.
Don't judge.
I headed to Billy Idol for Jack Johnson's show, too. I didn't go to the front. I sat in the middle of the tent and rested my old feet for a while. When the show started, I was plenty close.
Post by warren2621 on May 10, 2014 11:48:45 GMT -5
three hours is the most i get in line in advance. waited about three hours for jayz and was about 8 rows of people back. waited 2.5 hours for Nas and was on the rail
Post by pondo ROCKS on May 10, 2014 11:51:01 GMT -5
The longest at Bonnaroo waiting for a set was to see Bad Brains on the rail. Pelican was up first and I got there 75 minutes before they started. I wanted to see Pelican as well but Bad Brains was the main idea. My goal was simple: to get a setlist from Bad Brains. I also agree with others that say don't waste a whole day just for one act.
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Post by Paroxysm714 on May 10, 2014 12:50:27 GMT -5
Mine has to be for Oysterhead in '06. I wanted to get really close, so I got there before Steel Pulse & watched their show, then waited for Oysterhead. Got to be about 10 feet from the rail (back before there was a pit of any description), and saw what I thought at the time was the best show of the day. MMJ turned that around late night.
Strangely enough I haven't really "waited" for anyone else. I just bounce around like a crazy person the whole fest.
We just picked a good spot at the What stage last year for Paul near the VIP hill, spread out a blanket, and took turns roaming around. It was a fabulous day, we jammed to Trombone Shorty, (then I went to check their set at Sonic Stage), Local Natives, Passion Pit, Wilco, then Macca. It was really low stress and it's really relaxing when you can just spread your blanket and rest on the farm. I guess we were there for a total of around 12 hours and enjoyed every minute! Once we made up our minds, I didn't stress about who I was missing, just excited to see the next set!
If you Pee in shifts its easier to stay camped and get back to wherever you are.
In 05 I was at what all day waiting for allman bros and DMB. We peed in discarded bottles we found on the ground. I learned my bladder can hold more than 20 ozs the hard way.
Nowadays I don't worry. If I'm in centeroo I go where the music I most wanna see is playing. I'd rather ser the shows I want with a less than ideal spot than miss something to be a lil bit closer.
Post by c234567892 on May 10, 2014 22:44:52 GMT -5
I got really close to The White Stripes in 2007. But that was because I got to Which early to see The Decemberists and stuck around and moved up. So probably about 3 hours from the time the stripes came on. Waited about 2.5 hours for Big Boi in 2011. I'm about to wait all day for Outkast at Lollapalooza though.
Post by 10goldbees on May 10, 2014 23:52:52 GMT -5
I showed up during Trombone Shorty for Sir Paul. We got a spot on the left right up on the rail of the pit. My group and I took turns going to the bathroom and grabbing food. No one ever gave us a hard time about leaving and then coming back to the spot. Right before Wilco started it got pretty crowded so we decided that no one would leave after that.
Honestly, it was so freaking worth it to have such a good spot for Paul. I LOVED everyone we saw that day so I don't feel like I missed out on anything. You can obviously get a great spot for any artist via any number of methods but if it's worth it to you, you can do a What wait really easily.
Post by palmettokid on May 11, 2014 15:24:05 GMT -5
Can't speak to Roo (haven't been yet), but at other festivals, I made a conscious decision to shoot for the rail when the gates opened to claim a spot. This does mean sacrificing some bands on other stages, but I feel like the worst band front row is better than the best band from behind the control tower. Missed a lot of good up and coming bands on smaller stages, but was also introduced to some undercards I wouldn't normally seek out.
For sustenance, I eat breakfast, try to down 2-3 waters early, hit the freshly cleaned interior port-a-johns for some "thinking time" on the way, and take a single bottle of water to the rail. There is a lot of fan turnover between bands for the first couple of acts, so I'll sometimes sneak a quick potty break around 4:00pm. After that you move, you lose. I'm 46 and have easily made it 8-12 hours.
To answer the question "is it worth it?": YES. Because going into my fourth year of festivals (maybe 7 or 8), I've seen almost all of the bands I had wanted to see (and missed) at future festivals. It seems like the same bands are playing musical chairs...if they don't play this year, they will likely make it next year. The exception being that if someone were reuniting for a given season, I would take that into account.
