A few people I've spoken to at the first two shows have told me that when they tried booking tickets that for them seeing Springsteen they basically had one rule - GA or bust.
It seems that for many, once you've been in the front row for an E Street Band show, there's no going back. (to the back)
And with General Admission comes great pressure to reach the stage.
With Brisbane 1 I was lucky to arrive and be placed 121 in a group of 200 GA holders.
After arriving three hours before the gates opened I was given the number and a green wristband.
Then as the gates opened instructions were shouted out that once inside we had an hour before meeting outside a specific door, where we would line up in order and then be marched into the venue before anyone else.
After we were in, the rest were allowed in to fill up the remaining space.
For the second show with another GA ticket I left nothing to chance.
After hearing at midday that by 10am they were already at 53, I jumped into a taxi and told him to floor it to the Entertainment Centre.
The driver seemed to love this as he belted through a couple of amber lights and at one point started trailing a passing police car with its sirens on to beat traffic.
I was there by 1pm and this time had 107.
As I was earlier the GA set up was a little different. First you put your name down and was again given a number. Then at 3pm, a roll call was made to see who was still here.
At this point we had to get in line and have our tickets marked, and new purple wristbands handed out. Then again informed of which door to meet at and how we would be let in.
In total Brisbane 1 required about 5 hours of waiting in line and in front of the stage. Brisbane 2 I waited around 7 hours.
There was no word if this system would be the same in Sydney or Melbourne, but venues have advised early GA admission is on a 'first come, first served' basis and not a 'pit lottery' which is big in Springsteen's US shows.
And if you are going to do this then the general rule of thumb is you already have your GA ticket in hand ready to go. And I would advise using a buddy to help keep the line during toilet and drink breaks. It's a lot easier in a group than it is to go solo.
The only question for me is after being front row for the first two concerts, can I convince my girlfriend who is joining me for Sydney 1 with a GA ticket, to wait in line that long?...
It seems that for many, once you've been in the front row for an E Street Band show, there's no going back. (to the back)
And with General Admission comes great pressure to reach the stage.
With Brisbane 1 I was lucky to arrive and be placed 121 in a group of 200 GA holders.
After arriving three hours before the gates opened I was given the number and a green wristband.
Then as the gates opened instructions were shouted out that once inside we had an hour before meeting outside a specific door, where we would line up in order and then be marched into the venue before anyone else.
After we were in, the rest were allowed in to fill up the remaining space.
For the second show with another GA ticket I left nothing to chance.
After hearing at midday that by 10am they were already at 53, I jumped into a taxi and told him to floor it to the Entertainment Centre.
The driver seemed to love this as he belted through a couple of amber lights and at one point started trailing a passing police car with its sirens on to beat traffic.
I was there by 1pm and this time had 107.
As I was earlier the GA set up was a little different. First you put your name down and was again given a number. Then at 3pm, a roll call was made to see who was still here.
At this point we had to get in line and have our tickets marked, and new purple wristbands handed out. Then again informed of which door to meet at and how we would be let in.
In total Brisbane 1 required about 5 hours of waiting in line and in front of the stage. Brisbane 2 I waited around 7 hours.
There was no word if this system would be the same in Sydney or Melbourne, but venues have advised early GA admission is on a 'first come, first served' basis and not a 'pit lottery' which is big in Springsteen's US shows.
And if you are going to do this then the general rule of thumb is you already have your GA ticket in hand ready to go. And I would advise using a buddy to help keep the line during toilet and drink breaks. It's a lot easier in a group than it is to go solo.
The only question for me is after being front row for the first two concerts, can I convince my girlfriend who is joining me for Sydney 1 with a GA ticket, to wait in line that long?...
No comments:
Post a Comment