have to get this off my chest

[ophidiophobia]

am i the only one who limits his beer intake as to avoid the possibility of hitting the bathroom during the most epic part of the show? because you know that's how it works. you gotta pee, and hten the best thing ever will happen the minute it's too late to pinch.

I'm not a big fan of drinking during the show for a couple reasons. I don't like trying to fight your way back to the rail after taking a piss, and I'm always afraid of missing something while in the bathroom.

[subinai]

pretty awesome that this thread is now about urination tactics for shows. hahaha.

[Ghosts_on_TV]

I pretty much limit my drinking to pre show, but ill have a beer or two inside sometimes.

[dewalston]

I pretty much limit my drinking to pre show, but ill have a beer or two inside sometimes.

Same here....1 beer when i get in the venue and maybe one more during the show

[EasyRyder]

I had the same experience, darkglow, except I was in the shit of it all. I should have followed you to the seats/lawn...I'm glad to hear you escaped it at least.

I could barely hear half of the dondante jam at alpharetta due to a mass of about 4 obscenely drunk and blabbering/bro-hugging/shoulder squeezing a-wipies. It wasn't until the encore that they wore themselves out enough to quit talking. 

I have no problem with drinking at shows and hard-groovin' (and I'm really sorry if scosby and darkglow do, b/c I was in a rail-rocking mood in ttown  ;) ), but there's a difference between enthusiasm and inconsiderateness. As long as people don't talk too much and live by the 2'x2' rule it's all good in my book...but the alpharetta crowd was a total bummer.

[evenflo46]

A few thoughts.

   --The glowstick throwing got annoying, Bo got the worst of it. They were all consummate professionals though, likely noticing 10k people rocking their butts off.

   --As for urination tactics, At Bonnaroo this year, I took an empty gallon jug with me and   just used that out in the open during the set (victory dance and highly suspicious), the latter serving as an appropriate song considering the looks I was getting.  On a related note, dropping a deuce during the set break of a panic show always pays off.  It makes the second set feel like a first set!

  --Lastly Mildly disappointed in the length of the set. Seemed like the average show length for this tour is 23 songs, and we got 20 and a half. However, the encore and dancefloors >one big holiday (one of the best 1-2 punch to end an mmj show), made up for it. and cobra....THANK YOU!

[dewalston]

I had the same experience, darkglow, except I was in the shit of it all. I should have followed you to the seats/lawn...I'm glad to hear you escaped it at least.

I could barely hear half of the dondante jam at alpharetta due to a mass of about 4 obscenely drunk and blabbering/bro-hugging/shoulder squeezing a-wipies. It wasn't until the encore that they wore themselves out enough to quit talking. 

I have no problem with drinking at shows and hard-groovin' (and I'm really sorry if scosby and darkglow do, b/c I was in a rail-rocking mood in ttown  ;) ), but there's a difference between enthusiasm and inconsiderateness. As long as people don't talk too much and live by the 2'x2' rule it's all good in my book...but the alpharetta crowd was a total bummer.

Whatd you think of the ttown crowd?  I was on Jims side rail and had a good amount of frat boys just yelling and and talking the whole time.  Actually when Neko Case came on they were yelling at them to get off stage and Neko commented that they could hear those asswipes.  Completely disrespectful.  I thought the Alpharetta crowd was better but that is probably bc I had reserved seats for that show and really didnt have many people around me.

That encore was so awesome in alpharetta, just thought id add that.

[EasyRyder]

I had the same experience, darkglow, except I was in the shit of it all. I should have followed you to the seats/lawn...I'm glad to hear you escaped it at least.

I could barely hear half of the dondante jam at alpharetta due to a mass of about 4 obscenely drunk and blabbering/bro-hugging/shoulder squeezing a-wipies. It wasn't until the encore that they wore themselves out enough to quit talking. 

I have no problem with drinking at shows and hard-groovin' (and I'm really sorry if scosby and darkglow do, b/c I was in a rail-rocking mood in ttown  ;) ), but there's a difference between enthusiasm and inconsiderateness. As long as people don't talk too much and live by the 2'x2' rule it's all good in my book...but the alpharetta crowd was a total bummer.

Whatd you think of the ttown crowd?  I was on Jims side rail and had a good amount of frat boys just yelling and and talking the whole time.  Actually when Neko Case came on they were yelling at them to get off stage and Neko commented that they could hear those asswipes.  Completely disrespectful.  I thought the Alpharetta crowd was better but that is probably bc I had reserved seats for that show and really didnt have many people around me.

That encore was so awesome in alpharetta, just thought id add that.

I remember hearing Neko say that, but I didn't hear them yelling- what wieners they must've been. I did hear someone yell at Neko to play Wonderful at Alpharetta though  ::).

I can't really speak for the t-town crowd b/c I was flanked by none other than the trusty darkglow and scosby. It seemed like there was some talking behind me, but my head was so close to Jim's monitor that I couldn't hear very much even after Circuital.

Besides the rail-jumping lunatic who snatched a set list off the stage, I wasn't too bothered by the crowd. The vibe seemed pretty powerful and focused from my standpoint.

[jack_ass]

the drunks blow my mind that they would pay to go to a show that they are never gonna remember....the talkers piss me off more though, i paid good money, drove many miles, i don't care what you have to say to your kindergarten friends, i came for the rock, if you are shouting to be heard over the band you should be killed, or at least ejected forcefully...STFU!

[DejaView2011]

Tonight's show in Charlotte was filled with many of the same obnoxious, rude and insesitive people you speak of. I empathized with everything you wrote. But to counteract the bad ju-ju tonight I gave out a free pit ticket, handed out almost 100 free MMJ bumper stickers and gave someone one of the big Circuital magnetic eyes off my car. What goes around comes around.... I hope. Great show though. But way too short.

[CHIMMJFAN]

Honestly, I have recently limited all beer consumption to pre-show in hopes on not having to take any bathroom breaks.
Generally, I get so into the show I feel almost as if the planet has paused to let MMJ play and then carry on. I seem to miss out on what is going on around me during the shows, lol.

CHIMMJFAN

[DejaView2011]

Honestly, I have recently limited all beer consumption to pre-show in hopes on not having to take any bathroom breaks.
Generally, I get so into the show I feel almost as if the planet has paused to let MMJ play and then carry on. I seem to miss out on what is going on around me during the shows, lol.

CHIMMJFAN

Amen brother. I can hold it if I have to, but I won't miss a single minute of the Jacket live. It's just like taking a sabatical from life.

[darkglow]

Honestly, I have recently limited all beer consumption to pre-show in hopes on not having to take any bathroom breaks.
Generally, I get so into the show I feel almost as if the planet has paused to let MMJ play and then carry on. I seem to miss out on what is going on around me during the shows, lol.

CHIMMJFAN

Amen brother. I can hold it if I have to, but I won't miss a single minute of the Jacket live. It's just like taking a sabatical from life.

i was able to take multiple bathroom breaks at T5.. there was hardly ever an issue squeezing through the crowd to get back up with my friends in the front..

but like i said it was very disorienting when i tried to get back down into the pit during the height of the glow stick throwing and people raising their voice over the band to tell that funny joke they heard..

at one point.. early on before MMJ came onto the stage to open the set.. i was able to get back up to rock out with Easyryder his gal. everyone seemed alert and anxious.. and were willing to let me slide up past them

[sweatboard]

Surreal is a word that gets tossed around a lot and I've never known what it means because I've never worked with a famous actor....however I was at the Alpharetta show and looked around during Don Donte and saw 90% of the pit on cell phones or talking and that's when it hit me......"I'm actually really in a surreal moment" !!!!!

[mjk73]

This is not just a problem at Jacket shows. I fucking hate people, sorry. Tired of the douchbag brahs and trendy as fuck hipsters who pollute the venues ruining it for others with their non stop talking or the too cool for school attitudes. I'm tired of the little immature 16 year olds you think they need to act like Hulk Hogan in the pit. Booze is not the reason (for a few out of control people it might be) but it's as Tracy said, just a total lack of respect for the artists and fellow concert goers..

As for the drinking, only pre show and only to the point of buzzage. I hate waiting 10 minutes to take a waz and it just plain bothers me that 99% of the dudes do NOT WASH THEIR HANDS. Just wrong. You have to watch them causually walk out with piss spattered hands. And most of the time the drinks at the venue are grossly over-priced.

[Hatfield]

My last Jacket show in Cary, NC was the same way.  Lots of hipsters on cell phones trying to look pretty.  It isn't just "people".  I don't how MMJ got this group of fans, but after seeing over 60 Widespread Panic shows, I am pretty spoiled.  The most out of their mind person there is still there for the music and following the flow of the show, giving their energy to the stage and show, not to their twitter account.

[iLikeBeer]

This is not just a problem at Jacket shows. I fucking hate people, sorry. Tired of the douchbag brahs and trendy as fuck hipsters who pollute the venues ruining it for others with their non stop talking or the too cool for school attitudes. I'm tired of the little immature 16 year olds you think they need to act like Hulk Hogan in the pit. Booze is not the reason (for a few out of control people it might be) but it's as Tracy said, just a total lack of respect for the artists and fellow concert goers..

Fiction Plane - Hate

Sorry, but this song popped in my head when I read that first line of your post mjk!      

I too hate the douchebag fratboys and sorority girls who are at the shows more for the social scene or so they can say they were there than for actually appreciating what is going on up on stage?!

I've been kind of lucky at the shows I've been to in not experiencing too much of this.  Most of the time though, I like to just chill back on the lawns of venues as opposed to trying to get close to the rail.  Meadow Brook was actually my first pit experience with this band and I gotta say, I came away from that experience feeling very good about it.  The pit wasn't too crowded at all and it seemed that everyone in there was really into the show.  Although, every show I go to, I'm so focused on the band and the music that it's hard for outside distractions to get to me.

As for everyone's beer rules, I too try to limit my beer consumption to pre-show.  I may have one during the opening act but outside of that, I don't like the prospect of a) holding my beer while I'm trying to rock out and b) trying to decide when I can get away to relieve the blatter!   :D

Besides, I much prefer the MMJ experience after burning one anyways...   :P  8)

It's funny how much this echos the Phish threads just before the hiatus and now - a bunch of kids who are there for the "check-in" if you will, and not for the music.

Ugh.  Don't remind me of those Phish crowds.  That's one of the reasons I stopped going to Phish shows was because of all the wannabee hippies acting like they're struggling from show to show, meanwhile they're living off of their parents' trust funds and driving their BMW's?!   ::)

[grizzy]

In fact this twit behind me had her back turned most of the time.

I think we were right by you. Was the girl in question a heavyset one (very heavy actually)? I made remarks to my wife and brother how she spent more time with her back to the show then facing it.

As a whole I've been in worse pits...thought this one was pretty tame with very few invading your space that you already had. We had plenty of friendly people in our immediate area and had a great vibe.

My brother and I also went the liquor route and got our pee's in pre show.

The glowsticks are fun when thrown straight up at a cool moment in a song but I'm at a loss why you'd pay $50 to see an amazing band and then throw something at them while they are playing.

[megalicious]

We started out one person behind the rail (Carl's side) and ended up getting pushed back six or seven people deep. There were a lot of rudeass bitches around us, including these dudes who talked for the duration of Neko's set. They even loudly proclaimed, "I wish this bitch would get off stage."

And then there was Broseidon, Lord of the Pit. It was this dude who'd obviously never learned the art of maintaining. He was rolling hard and tossing glowsticks around. Total asshole. I ended up leaving the pit after Black Metal because I just couldn't stand all the shit that was going down.

I guess I am just getting old; perhaps that's why these antics irritate me. But then again, when I was a college kid in the pit at shows, we always had fun and everyone around us was in to the music and considerate. But then again, I smoked a lot more weed in those days...

But yeah, people can be assholes. I saw some jerk throw a glowstick at Jim and was mortified. This band, these people, came to our city out of kindness to raise money for the United Way to help us rebuild our city and you're going to be disrespectful? Weak.

I just had to brush it off and try to stay positive. I mean, shit; how often do you get to rock out to MMJ?

:)

[parkervb]

My last Jacket show in Cary, NC was the same way.  Lots of hipsters on cell phones trying to look pretty.  It isn't just "people".  I don't how MMJ got this group of fans, but after seeing over 60 Widespread Panic shows, I am pretty spoiled.  The most out of their mind person there is still there for the music and following the flow of the show, giving their energy to the stage and show, not to their twitter account.

i'm guessing this was last spring at Koka? I was there and i contributed it to the # of colleges locally and the crowd was there to party on = a Friday night as opposed to see one of the greatest live bands of our time.  TTown is another college town obv so maybe this was part of the issue. I am going to the C-Ville show on Wednesday and school is just getting back so we'll see