When I was at Cruel World a couple months ago, there was a guy (5-10 years younger than me) standing next to me who kept trying to do that move, but we were packed in near the front center, so I was just standing there thinking "Dude, maybe you should just take the L and go stand outside of the crowd so you can stretch..." Meanwhile, I (39 years old) stood in the exact same spot from 11:30 AM to 6 PM without food, water, or having to pee or poop, and I survived and thrived.
Whenever this topic comes up I always feel like the minority. Hah. I'm 41 years old and I actually get kinda stoked when I want to see the full line-up on a show. Even if it means a late night... It's usually worth it.
They managed to build a new main stage in 2 days, not as massive as the stages they are used to, but still great work by their team
I am not built like this at all lol. For Oasis at Wembley this month my friends want to get there super early so we can secure a front row spot. I don't know how Im gonna hold my piss and not eat or drink for that long.
meh for a regular show I can show up at 6:30-7 and stand in one place and be fine, particularly if I'm not drinking alcohol. For a festival, not a chance.
The other side of the coin for me is that I'm not a very social person. Physically, I'm fine with it all. But emotionally and socially... If I feel socially "tapped" (i.e., haven't had a night alone at home in a few days) then I'll probably minimize the time spent at a show or even skip it. I've tried to make a concerted effort this year to avoid doing that because in 100% of cases, if I force myself up off the couch and out to the show? I wind up feeling better after. I've been pretty successful at it this year which I'm proud of myself for. The other exception is festival aftershows. If I've been on my feet for ~11 hours in the summer sun I'm gonna be hard-pressed to make it to the end of the headliner's set knowing I have to wake up and do it all over again in the AM. I try, but it never ever plays out that way.
This is me... I skipped a Sunday show a few weeks ago as I was just in a dark mood that day and tired and I felt sleep and rest was what I needed, and I felt awful the next day and then felt like going out would have the better option to improve my mood. I don't like seeing full shows when I go solo which is a fair amount. The standing around between bands while everyone groups up is always awkward. I know no one cares, but I hate at that moment feeling like a loser by myself. If it's a small show, I've made some 'friends' during that time, but if it's a packed show and everyone starts chatting with who they came with, it's hard to interject without feeling like I'm being a nuisance and I end up just being self conscious for the 15-20 minute change ups between sets.
Totally! I try to really think about what I'll get out of the show emotionally versus like, sitting on the couch and watching TV with my fiancee and two cats. And sometimes that wins out. It helps that my partner knows me well enough to push when I'm considering canceling. "You've been talking about how excited you are to see Band X the last month. You've mentioned it every day. Are you sure you don't want to go?" The support is helpful in parsing through my own bullshit. LOL I go to at least 75% of the shows I go to alone. Sometimes it bothers me, other times I could care less. A lot of it depends on the bands, the vibes, etc. If I find myself getting in my own head about it when I'm there I just look around -- there's almost always people there who are alone as well. One thing I do that has helped with that a ton at smaller shows is dipping out between bands. Obviously this requires re-entry but it lowers my bar tab, keeps my social anxiety levels down, and gives me some room to breathe (figuratively and literally).[/QUOTE]
Fellow 41 year old here as well! I still am usually checking out the openers if I'm interested. Also we are childless and live in a major city so everything is easily accessible via public transportation which makes show going a lot easier.
There is a special place in hell for whoever came up with the idea of a "virtual queue"...especially the LiveNation one.
I feel it's infinitely better than smashing refresh and praying over and over again. Now the dynamic pricing that changes based on the virtual queue is a whole other thing, but I guess the 'transparency' on paper is a good thing?
I am -begging- someone to bring back announcing ticket pricing BEFORE the on-sale. There's no reason to hide it, yet there's zero way to see even a range of ticket prices for anything sold by Ticketmaster.
A friend posted the queue for Paul McCartney presale. 107k people ahead of them for a 19k arena. Absolutely cooked
Acts don't want to do it because they don't want any bad PR, simple as that. They want to hide behind Ticketmaster/AXS.
I would say we need to bring back buying tickets in person but god only knows that could turn into more problems then its worth