Queuing for GA gigs - thoughts, feedback, suggestions?

[RAK1]

no, but he sent champagne.

 

 

 

oh i remember that picture

 

Hope that's not repeated at Bestival this year!!!

I'm back here to bang on about WHY there is STILL this insane need to queue from stupid o' clock?

Queueing from 12/1 o' clock in the afternoon is plenty of time to : 1.Have time to get a good spot. 2.Have plenty of bonding time with everyone in the queue. 3.Avoid tensions running high by the times the doors open, as everyone will have had plenty of rest. 4.Have everyone being relatively fresh before the gig starts.

Would it be SO hard to do this really?

[Suzy]

Would it be SO hard to do this really?

 

 

Unless it was law, or sanctions are placed, , there will always be people who will queue earlier.

 

Le Poisson Rouge even sent an email stating that queuing should not start before 12 noon, but you've seen the photo on Twitter - there were already 20+ people there (including myself) at 10:30 am. If I had come at noon, I would not have been in front and my 5 foot stature would have me looking at someone's back, and risk not having any support to lean on and get my tiny feet stepped on. I chose not to take that risk as it was worth another few hours of queuing to avoid that. Even if we made it an MFC rule not to queue until 12 noon, that would mean other non-MFCers could still take the first few rows by queuing earlier.

 

I think we are even fortunate that we've successfully imposed this number system to Mika fans who are not members here.

[tiibet]

:thumb_yello:

Hope that's not repeated at Bestival this year!!!

I'm back here to bang on about WHY there is STILL this insane need to queue from stupid o' clock?

Queueing from 12/1 o' clock in the afternoon is plenty of time to : 1.Have time to get a good spot. 2.Have plenty of bonding time with everyone in the queue. 3.Avoid tensions running high by the times the doors open, as everyone will have had plenty of rest. 4.Have everyone being relatively fresh before the gig starts.

Would it be SO hard to do this really?

 

You are so right. I mean, it would be lovely to be relatively fresh before the gig etc. But I guess people don't mean it when they say they are not going to queue Everyone says it, but actually there are always quite a few people in a queue from early morning?

 

And my problem is that if I travel to see a gig I'm so excited and looking forward to it, that I cannot relax before I'm very near the venue I'm afraid Sosi saw it in Paris. And we had numbered seats in Paris!!

[Suzy]

And my problem is that if I travel to see a gig I'm so excited and looking forward to it, that I cannot relax before I'm very near the venue I'm afraid Sosi saw it in Paris. And we had numbered seats in Paris!!

 

Ha! I don't think you are unique to this phenomenon of being antsy to get to the venue when you're physically only blocks away.

 

I'm naturally an early riser and I had to hold myself together from the moment I woke up that morning. It took a lot out of me NOT to make morning wake-up calls to all the rooms my fellow MFCers were sleeping in and to make myself busy enough so to help make time pass before I met them in the hotel lobby at the assigned meeting time. I happened to be the only one of the bunch who hadn't yet seen MIKA for a year and a half, so naturally, I probably experienced the most anxiety about getting there early.

[RAK1]

Unless it was law, or sanctions are placed, , there will always be people who will queue earlier.

 

Le Poisson Rouge even sent an email stating that queuing should not start before 12 noon, but you've seen the photo on Twitter - there were already 20+ people there (including myself) at 10:30 am. If I had come at noon, I would not have been in front and my 5 foot stature would have me looking at someone's back, and risk not having any support to lean on and get my tiny feet stepped on. I chose not to take that risk as it was worth another few hours of queuing to avoid that. Even if we made it an MFC rule not to queue until 12 noon, that would mean other non-MFCers could still take the first few rows by queuing earlier.

 

I think we are even fortunate that we've successfully imposed this number system to Mika fans who are not members here.

 

But from what I've seen it's just MFCers that queue this early!

Maybe 1 or 2 non MFCers turn up after 12, not enough to make a big impact on front row places.

And you know how short I am, so I too would have problems not being up front, but would be happy to start queueing about midday.

The number system is a genius idea that I very much endorse, and would be great to build on, if there is a way of improving it.

[Candboys]

I was very happy with the way the number system worked out in NYC. I, too, was up at the crack of dawn but since I was with a nonMFC friend, I allowed her to sleep in and eat breakfast, even refresh at the hotel before heading to the venue. If I had been alone, who knows how early I would have been there!

[identicaltwin3]

Most venues which have a capacity of 10 000 standing places (and there ain't much in Europe, for most venues with a capacity over 4000/5000 tend to have a lot of seats) already have systems in place to manage the standing crowd. If you want to be in the golden circle, you just need to pay a few euros more when you buy your ticket.

So the only thing we'd need,and that would be fair, would be presales so that we have the opportunity to buy these ticks before anyone else. There are usually more than enough anyway so that wouldn't demand any tiering.

 

But again, this is a non debate because 99% of the people who are hardcore enough to queue early and fight for the front row at Mika gigs are MFCers. At the end of the day, it's only a competition between ourselves.

 

Hear ! Hear !Thread closed ? I am serious here you have summed it all up in a couple of paragraphs .

 

Cheers,

 

Id3

[TTel20]

I can see your point about my post sounding bad when I re-read it, but it was not intended in a rude way, so I'm sorry if it came out that way. All that I was trying to say was that English is the universal business language these days, and that -fanclub or Mika related issues aside- it would be in anyone's benefit and interest to learn it. I'm not an english language snob myself at all or even remotely 'racist' like you may have implied (unfortunate choice of word imo). I'm not a native English speaker, and I speak a few languages, so I'm probably the furthest that one could get from what you mentioned. All i was trying to do was point out that languages enrich you and that English is a bit of a necessity nowadays. I hope that it's clearer now

 

no worries it's clearer :-)

I'm not a native English speaker either but I live and work in the UK. I teach languages and I have to deal with the "Whay should I bother learning a language? Everybody should speak English"

I totaly agree that English is an important language in nowdays. Chines is getting important too.

Yes, languages enrich you, well said!

[identicaltwin3]

Unless it was law, or sanctions are placed, , there will always be people who will queue earlier.

 

Le Poisson Rouge even sent an email stating that queuing should not start before 12 noon, but you've seen the photo on Twitter - there were already 20+ people there (including myself) at 10:30 am. If I had come at noon, I would not have been in front and my 5 foot stature would have me looking at someone's back, and risk not having any support to lean on and get my tiny feet stepped on. I chose not to take that risk as it was worth another few hours of queuing to avoid that. Even if we made it an MFC rule not to queue until 12 noon, that would mean other non-MFCers could still take the first few rows by queuing earlier.

 

I think we are even fortunate that we've successfully imposed this number system to Mika fans who are not members here.

 

 

Wake up and smell the coffee... there are no rules here, no sanctions, it's not the army -but I have heard they're hiring personnel, might ask them for a job ?

People will start queuing up when they bloody want to, if they want to sleep outside the venue, nobody is going to stop them.

If some of them leave the queue to freshen up, other, less hygiene-conscious queuers up may bitch about it and accuse them of 'sight seeing', they will still come back to their initial spot, full stop.

 

Actually I shouldn't be posting here, Niki 27 has summed up the situation quite beautifully -remarkable for a person who confesses to living in denial . Wish all people who pretend to live in the real world were as lucid as she is ...

 

Cheers,

 

Id3

[Suzy]

 

So, this thread is to discuss your thoughts and feelings about these queues, what worked, what didn't work, and any ideas you might have to make things better.

 

I really appreciate everyone's feedback so far, thanks!

 

Now, I get that the queuing system is a giant pain in the ass, but with this thread I'm mainly looking at thoughts and feedback about queuing, specifically.

While I do appreciate suggestions about reserved-seat presales (tiered or otherwise) and other arrangements that don't involve lining up, the reality for now is that Mika mostly does GA venues, so even when we do get a presale either through Mikasounds or MFC, it's still going to involve queuing.

 

Does anyone have any positive queuing experiences - when seeing Mika, or other artists?

 

Wake up and smell the coffee... there are no rules here, no sanctions, it's not the army -but I have heard they're hiring personnel, might ask them for a job ?

People will start queuing up when they bloody want to, if they want to sleep outside the venue, nobody is going to stop them.

If some of them leave the queue to freshen up, other, less hygiene-conscious queuers up may bitch about it and accuse them of 'sight seeing', they will still come back to their initial spot, full stop.

 

Actually I shouldn't be posting here, Niki 27 has summed up the situation quite beautifully -remarkable for a person who confesses to living in denial . Wish all people who pretend to live in the real world were as lucid as she is ...

 

Cheers,

 

Id3

 

Yes, Niki has offered valid points, but it did not address what lollipop_monkey has opened this thread for - thoughts and views about QUEUING , not "presale" tickets.

 

I've smelled and drank my coffee already this morning, thank you very much. Think you may need to have some.

 

CHEERS (back to you! With coffee mugs in hand)

[guylainem123]

CHEERS (back to you! With coffee mugs in hand) [/font][/size]

 

tim hortons i hope

[identicaltwin3]

Yes, Niki has offered valid points, but it did not address what lollipop_monkey has opened this thread for - thoughts and views about QUEUING , not "presale" tickets.

 

I've smelled and drank my coffee already this morning, thank you very much. Think you may need to have some.

 

CHEERS (back to you! With coffee mugs in hand)

 

Thanks by no thanks, cafeine's poison, I wake up on orange and lemon, much less lethatl.

Enjoy yours. Coffee, I mean.

 

And I still think that the army approach to queueing up is irrealistic and slightly laughable.

 

Cheers,

 

Id3

[Blue Sky]

oh yay, the old rude ID3 is back.

[Suzy]

And I still think that the army approach to queueing up is irrealistic and slightly laughable.

 

Cheers,

 

Id3

 

 

Well hopefully one day, I, or someone may actually meet you at a gig where you can have a queuing experience to share your expertise.

Edited June 29, 2009 by Suzy

[Blue Sky]

oh that's right, ID3 didn't make it to any gigs this time round.

[laura*]

:bored:

[IngievV]

Nice weather today...

[robertina]

ingie

if i browse 'mika we are golden' on google, your site comes before the MFC.

well done girl!

 

oh i forgot what i wanted to post...

ah yes

 

guys, keep it calm down here, ok? thanks

[sariflor]

no worries it's clearer :-)

I'm not a native English speaker either but I live and work in the UK. I teach languages and I have to deal with the "Whay should I bother learning a language? Everybody should speak English"

I totaly agree that English is an important language in nowdays. Chines is getting important too.

Yes, languages enrich you, well said!

 

Oh yes, of course I agree that Chinese (Mandarin) is a very important language in business these days; It's growing a lot, and if you speak it you can be sure to have a good edge there. Same with Spanish, and even though these languages are so widely spoken, English still remains the "main" language though, which is what I was trying to convey.

I know exactly which mindset you're talking about, and I do find it silly, but luckily I don't think that there are that many people out there in the great scheme of things that think that way.

Anyway, I'm glad we clarified that , as it was really not my intention to offend at all.

 

Yes, Niki has offered valid points, but it did not address what lollipop_monkey has opened this thread for - thoughts and views about QUEUING , not "presale" tickets.

 

I've smelled and drank my coffee already this morning, thank you very much. Think you may need to have some.

 

CHEERS (back to you! With coffee mugs in hand)

 

Oh Suzy, have I told you recently that I you?

 

And I still think that the army approach to queueing up is irrealistic and slightly laughable.

 

Cheers,

 

Id3

 

If you think that the "army approach" to queueing is unrealistic and laughable, it sure can only mean one thing: you haven't experienced these queuing situations.

If you had been there even once, you would know how chaotic, aggressive and crazy the "queuing" is when we don't organise it in a structured and controlled way.

Just get yourself to one of these GA gigs and you will see (and have a first hand opinion).

[LeiRe]

If a "true" fan is not registered and active here, IMO they can't be much of a very involved or interested fan

 

There can be lots of different reasons why a person doesn’t post much on a forum. As someone said, it’s not only because of language barriers (which is a handicap), it may also depend on personality. Some people don’t feel the need to say how cute he is everyday, or simply don’t like to express their feelings and opinions publicly to the world, not even in their own native language.

 

And someone may care about Mika’s music, career, whereabouts and whatever, but not care much about what other members are wearing, reading, cooking, etc. today. A high amount of comments posted here do not relate directly to Mika.

 

Personally, I can assure you I didn’t miss anything about him during the time I was not registered here.

 

With regards to participation in projects such as the yearbook or the documentary you are preparing. I REALLY find them funny and amazing and think he truly appreciates all that effort and dedication on the part of his fans, but I don’t think everyone is willing to be filmed and sent to him in a DVD, or appearing in a book. I’m not, and it doesn’t mean I’m not an interested fan.

 

For instance, in Milan I was also asked to say a message to him for his mum to film, and I politely said no, thank you. I just don’t feel like it, as I’ve never felt like giving him presents after gigs so far.

 

Every option is quite respectable, in my opinion, and none of them implies a higher degree of dedication.

 

This whole "MFCers" are better fans that others mentality is really working on my nerves now. And as a long-term MFCer, I feel entitled to say it. I've been following some bands and artists for years without joining any online forum or fanclub, and if one of their "true fans" dared saying they have more "rights" than me because they joined a forum, I'd consider it stupid. Enough said./rant over

 

 

I can't understand why we keep having this discussion since there is absolutely nothing stopping anyone from joining MFC.

 

I was referring to the suggestion made that join date would be taken into account to get tickets or enter venues first, or whatever else. If so, there would be nothing stopping anyone from joining MFC, but that would surely prevent them from getting good spots at gigs, since they joined too late.

 

It IS very complex...it isn't as simple as 'those that signed up in the first six months' or whatever because, as has been said, many of those people are inactive now.

 

Not only that. Once again, this website was created as a forum, it was not an official fanclub at the beginning. The fact that some people joined here instead of other forums is purely coincidental. If join date was going to be a factor, it should start counting from the moment the forum was made official on, but not before.

 

as much i recognize the value of some very active members, i'd never forget mika is considering real fans also the die-hard ones outside the MFC.

but, as we are interested in THIS community, we will do our best to drag here more fans as possible, and to do that, we should make the future members confident that they'll never be 'second class' ones in mika's eyes.

we are very welcoming here and in real life, and also if we will consider the most active fans (the ones who registered early and built this community) our 'diamond point', we should never forget that new fans will help us to keep this place active and lively.

 

I like your point of view, but reality is new ones will never have the same “rights” as older ones, again, if join date is ever a factor to get to things first.

 

I do think I've followed calvin enough to call myself a hardcore fan. I'm not on any CH forum or fanclub tho. I don't even read what they say about him on larger communities like popjustice.com because I don't need them to find all the info I want. And I would HATE IT if I felt compelled to join a CH fansite to have a chance to be front row.

 

That’s the impression I get sometimes

 

"Meh" fans aren't glued to their computer to be the first ones to buy ticks and get the best seats. They don't queue all day to be front row. Only the most dedicated do, wether they've been hardcore for years or just 2 weeks. You cannot measure dedication with rational criterias (membership, time, or number of tatoos) because there is nothing rational about the feelings u can have for an artist or a band.

 

 

Many fan clubs offer presales based on how long you've been a member. That's just life.

 

And again. Member of an official fanclub, not member of a forum.

 

By the way, when and how exactly did it become official? Can anyone tell, please?

 

Plus Mica may be very happy to have die hard fans in the front rows but he is very anxious to get new audiences and customers as well as keep the veterans happy. So his strategy is very likely always to maintain a delicate balance between the two groups, the music lovers who go to his gigs -sometimes several times a year- and buy his records but have other priorities than posting on a forum, and the fans who follow the MFC flag and are proud to be part of a community.

 

I guess that is what he will eventually do. I don’t think he would ever make that kind of distinctions between fans, and really hope so. Otherwise he would disappoint many more fans than he would please.

 

I believe that the best operation would be first bought first given access to the venue, whether it is sitting or not.

If people at the entrance can check on numbers given by John D with the help of MFCers, they could do that with the numbers written on the tickets, couldn't they ?

 

I also think that’s the best option, as long as everyone gets notice of presales at the very same time.

 

In my opinion, the numbering system works generally well, though.

 

1., fans could be allocated points based on the date they joined (number of posts can be completely irrelevant if someone keeps posting 73 hi’s a day ...and there are also fans who prefer just to read – partly because of language skills and also because several people have no time to chat during the day)

e.g: it can be done on a monthly basis like fans joining in Jan 2007 get 30 points, those in Feb 07 get 28...etc

 

Tedious, I know. Sorry

This was not an official fanclub in Jan 2007. That makes no sense to me.

 

Seriously, I would feel slightly ridiculous and even more embarrassed if a newbie were allowed a fifth row seat, for instance, and I were sitting in front of the poor bugger because I took an account on the forum one year before he did.

 

 

Again, I don't think M management and Sire himself would like it known that people have to register here in order to get decent seats. Not very good publicity.

 

No good

 

oh that's right, ID3 didn't make it to any gigs this time round.

 

[Droopsy]

 

I also think that’s the best option, as long as everyone gets notice of presales at the very same time.

 

 

You know what, it will never be fair for everyone. In the case you're referring to, people without credit cards or people who couldn't order tickets on the right time of day etc. won't have any chance either. Not to mention people selling those front row tickets for ridiculous prices on ebay. Like people said before, you can keep argueing over this.

 

Me personally, I still think queuing in order you appear and getting numbers is the fairest way to go. And what positive experiences concerns: getting in in small groups, based on your number.

Edited June 29, 2009 by Droopsy

[dcdeb]

Glad to see this thread is (mostly) back on topic... I had to read

through a dozen or so pages last night of arguments that were not

relevant to the topic at hand.

 

Which is queuing --not who is a better fan.

 

OK, so my thoughts on the numbered queuing system as experienced

just last week (seems much longer ago already) in NYC...

 

Overall, I think the ONLY way this works is if we have the support

of Mika's team -- whether it's John or some other person representing

Mika -- and the venue security people. Without their involvement, we

are just a bunch of bossy control freaks with a Sharpie.

 

The system worked fairly well for the first 45 or so people

in the queue -- but they were almost all MFC, so it was easy to

convince them to participate.

 

After that, it got a little bit dicey. I volunteered to take the list and

stand at the end of the line, because once it got that long people

who came didn't realize that there even *was* a list or a numbering

system that they needed to ask about. Keeping the list at the front of

the line is not a good idea, IMO or in my experience. Someone needs to

be monitoring (and welcoming) newcomers and getting them to buy into

the idea that the numbering system is a good one.

 

A couple of things made this easy as the day wore on -- 1) pointing out

to people that if they got a number they could leave for a toilet or

snack break and not lose their place in line and 2) Mika's ice cream truck.

Once I told people that all they had to do to get free ice cream was show

the guy the number on their hand, they were sold!

 

For this to work at all in the future, we have to present the idea not

just as an MFC idea, but as a benefit to ALL fans who are waiting. If

we can get John or security to periodically walk down the

line and make it clear that they support this means of organization, I

think it makes a world of difference. It's much more acceptable to

people if they realize it's an official thing -- that time of arrival will

equate to order of entry to the venue. It would have been really helpful

if, for instance, John had come down to where I was standing with #85

or #90 to give his seal of approval. Then it wouldn't have been as

difficult to deal with the folks who were saying, "I'm holding a spot

for my four friends who won't be coming for another hour yet."

 

I don't know how this type of thing will work with the much larger

venues that we're going to see once Mika starts his next tour, because

we're going to have a lot more people attending -- more than just MFC,

I mean. Non-MFCers may not be as receptive to the idea for a variety

of reasons. But if we have the support of Mika's team and the venue,

then we at least have a chance keeping some order, at least among

the earliest queuers.

[dcdeb]

 

By the way, when and how exactly did it become official? Can anyone tell, please?

 

While there has never been a big OFFICIAL announcement about this

forum becoming Mika's official fan club, the moderator/admin team of MFC

has been in contact with Mika's management for more than a year now.

Mika purchased this forum about a year ago and has made sure that

the MFC has been given special advance notices regarding his DVD

release, for instance, and regarding the secret gig in LA, as well as the

acoustic tour dates. There is also a link to MikaFanClub.com on Mika's

new website, Mikasounds.com, a clear indication that this forum is

recognized by Mika himself.

[identicaltwin3]

oh yay, the old rude ID3 is back.

 

Thought you had decided to ignore me ... I kind of grow on people, don't I ?

 

Cheers,

 

Id3

[LeiRe]

You know what, it will never be fair for everyone. In the case you're referring to, people without credit cards or people who couldn't order tickets on the right time of day etc. won't have any chance either. Not to mention people selling those front row tickets for ridiculous prices on ebay. Like people said before, you can keep argueing over this.

 

Me personally, I still think queuing in order you appear and getting numbers is the fairest way to go. And what positive experiences concerns: getting in in small groups, based on your number.

 

If you don’t have a credit card or cannot be online at the right time, unfairness would be due to luck, personal circumstances, etc. but potentially everyone could have the chance. That’s very different from not having the chance solely because some people are conferred benefits, and others not, according to subjective factors.

 

Anyway, I repeat I think hand numbering is also a good idea.

 

While there has never been a big OFFICIAL announcement about this

forum becoming Mika's official fan club, the moderator/admin team of MFC

has been in contact with Mika's management for more than a year now.

Mika purchased this forum about a year ago and has made sure that

the MFC has been given special advance notices regarding his DVD

release, for instance, and regarding the secret gig in LA, as well as the

acoustic tour dates. There is also a link to MikaFanClub.com on Mika's

new website, Mikasounds.com, a clear indication that this forum is

recognized by Mika himself.

 

Thank you I already knew that. What I was curious about was if there was a concrete date, so that members could be considered members of an official fanclub (not of a mere forum) from that moment on.