front row seats? am i the only one?

[bnyced0]

I've had them about a half dozen times over the years and it's almost always been a mistake which makes them memorable.  
 
 Prince, Tacoma Dome, Purple Rain tour, mom hooked up the family with Purple Circle tix right up front and this was fantastic, first time that close to anything, and every experience went down hill from there.
 
 The Cure at San Diego Arena, kiss kiss kiss me tour, too close as it sounded like shit with the reverb.
 
 Iron Maiden, same venue, Powerslave tour, they had so much shit on the stage I couldn't see everything very well,and again with the reverb. Only positive is that I caught Steve Harris' Westham wristband that I keep ticketstubs from that year to this day.
 
 Depeche Mode, Dodger Stadium, Violator tour, place was so freekin big that front row didn't mean shit.
 
 
 Natalie Merchant, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Motherland tour, way too close for comfort, had to look straight up, and everytime she sat on a stool she'd have to cross her legs and I had to turn away because her bloomers were looking at me.  Sound was spotty too.
 
 Mary J. Blige, DAR Constitution Hall, No More Drama Tour, this show introduced me to the fact that front row at DAR sucks, too close, no leg room, too loud, all around bad.  Now I only go with 4th/5th or back there.
 
 Probably too much information, could have just said you're not missing shit.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Wow, you've been to some crap shows.
 
 Just kidding. I reckon Prince was pretty awesome.

[TheDirector217]

More times than I can probably remember.
 
 Chili Peppers/Queens Of The Stone Age
 New Edition
 Jane's Addiction/Audioslave
 Tool
 
 Several in the 1st 10 rows:
 Stones (Twice)
 The Police
 Arcade Fire
 Nelly Furtado
 Jay-Z (several)
 R. Kelly
 Prince
 Michael Jackson
 
 Many more in the teens I can't remember:
 Up In Smoke Tour (Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube, Eminem)
 Hard Knock Life Tour (Jay-Z, DMX, Method Man & Redman)
 The Who
 Chili Peppers
 Stones
 
 Countless GA shows . . . . Too many.

[sweetcell]

VARIATION ON THE THEME:
 
 so, front row ain't all that... and the one Orch-A that i did get was a great show, but not mind-blowing. SO - let's change the question from what's the "absolute" best seat you've had, to a more subjective/relative "what good/great seats were you most psyched about?" or were more meaningful to you...  take quality & size of the show into account.
 
 for me, better than my front-row primus tix were:
 - fourth row dead-center, foo fighter acoustic show, DAR
 - fifth row, dylan & raconteurs, patriot center
 - tenth row, prince at wachovia center
 
     

Originally posted by bnyced0:
 this show introduced me to the fact that front row at DAR sucks, too close, no leg room, too loud, all around bad.

for some shows, they really turn up those front fills... no need for that.
 
     

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
 I reckon Prince was pretty awesome.

the purple one always is, i can only imagine what he was like during the purple rain tour.  he so blew me away in DC that i hopped online as soon as i got home and got myself the above-mentioned floor seat for his show in philly a week later.  prince it truly one of - if not the - greatest entertainers and live performers active today.  of all the rumors of upcoming tours, his is the one i'm most excited about.  i'm a shoe-in for catching him in both NYC and philly (fingers crossed).
 
 bnyce - you're the second person i know for whom prince's purple rain tour was their first show... he too used the exact same phrase: "it's been downhill ever since."
 
 bastards    

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
  VARIATION ON THE THEME:
 
 so, front row ain't all that... and the one Orch-A that i did get was a great show, but not mind-blowing. SO - let's change the question from what's the "absolute" best seat you've had, to a more subjective "what good/great seats were you most psyched about?"...  take quality & size of the show into account.
 

dude!!! That was like the most announced thread-jacking in the history of thread-jacking.  in fact, this is more like thread-raping.
 
  you should be smacked!!! jeez.

[bnyced0]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
  VARIATION ON THE THEME:
 
 bnyce - you're the second person i know for whom prince's purple rain tour was their first show... he too used the exact same phrase: "it's been downhill ever since."
 
 bastards      

Correction, first FRONT ROW show, my FIRST show was Led Zepplin and Judas Priest,  Kingdome Seattle July 17th, 1977, again Mom hooked me up big time.  
 
 Judas Priest was my favorite band after that for years, had Rob Halford plastered all over my walls, wasn't really clued into the gay thing back then, though in hindsight it's sooooo freekin obvious, heh?!

[ratioci nation]

how the hell do you people enjoy going to shows at big venues, I will never understand what people get from that

[sweetcell]

Originally posted by le sonick:
 dude!!! That was like the most announced thread-jacking in the history of thread-jacking.  in fact, this is more like thread-raping.

at least i'm up-front!
 
 should this thread-jacking be successful it couldn't be a "thread-rape": i can't do it alone, others must participate, and through their participation others will have given their consent (except for mr. pee, of course, since he would be drunk and thus his posting could not be taken as a sign of consent   :p  ).
 
 so quit being such a little bitch ("you touched my thread!  whaaaa!") and answer the question already    :p

[distance]

in addition to the two shows i had front row tickets (eits in nyc back in feb and coldplay in louisville in 03), i HAD front row tickets to a king crimson show outside of pittsburgh in 01, but my friend flaked out on me for goign to the show and i was unable to find anyone to go last-minute and ended up not being able to go to the show at all..

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

And here they will accuse you of being me.
 
 Totally agree with you, Pollard. I haven't been to a show that WASN'T general admission in nearly 20 years. Check that, there was one Wolftrap show I had seats for, one Lisner show, and one DAR show, but that's it.
 
 
   

Originally posted by pdx pollard:
  how the hell do you people enjoy going to shows at big venues, I will never understand what people get from that

[nkotb]

I'm with you.  I can think of a handful of shows I've been to at larger-then-9:30 sized venues, and I really didn't enjoy any of them.  The Pixies at DAR was the except, but I was also in the 6th row.  If I can score GA tix to Merriweather, I'll take them, otherwise, I don't bother.
 
 For me, it's less about the size of the venue and more about where I've seen the band before.  The White Stripes at Merriweather stood up well against their Recher Theatre show, but then again,  I had GA seats.  The Shins at DAR was a stinker, especially after seeing them at the Black Cat.
 
 Large seated venues are for soccer moms.
 
   

Originally posted by pdx pollard:
  how the hell do you people enjoy going to shows at big venues, I will never understand what people get from that

[Bombay Chutney]

Large venues aren't so large when you're up front.  I was closer for Bloc Party/Arcade Fire at DAR than I was at their 9:30 shows.  And I wasn't crammed in with people shoving me, stepping on my feet, trying to squeeze past me, etc. like I was at those club shows.  Well...not until the end of the Arcade Fire show anyway.
 
 It's all about how badly I want to hear the music.  Do I want to go hear the band, or do I want to sit at home and think about the good-old-days?  I've been known to do both.
 
 My only issue with the bigger shows is the bigger cost that generally goes along with it.  That keeps me away more than anything else.
 
 Oh - except stadiums.  I hate stadiums.  And Nissan.

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
 
 so quit being such a little bitch ("you touched my thread!  whaaaa!") and answer the question already     :p  

why dont you quit being an unoriginal bastard and make your own thread you fuckin piece of repeatin' shit!
 
   ("i cant stay on topic, whaaa, i must be the center of attention, whaa")

[TheDirector217]

Originally posted by bnyced0:
   

Originally posted by sweetcell:
  VARIATION ON THE THEME:
 
 bnyce - you're the second person i know for whom prince's purple rain tour was their first show... he too used the exact same phrase: "it's been downhill ever since."
 
 bastards        

Correction, first FRONT ROW show, my FIRST show was Led Zepplin and Judas Priest,  Kingdome Seattle July 17th, 1977, again Mom hooked me up big time.  
 
 Judas Priest was my favorite band after that for years, had Rob Halford plastered all over my walls, wasn't really clued into the gay thing back then, though in hindsight it's sooooo freekin obvious, heh?! [/b]

It's all good, fam.  George Michael fooled me as a young lad as well.  In hindsight . . .   :eek:

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by pdx pollard:
  how the hell do you people enjoy going to shows at big venues, I will never understand what people get from that

festivals, as big as they can get, i like.  places like Verizon, Nissan, Merriweather, Patriot Center, i cant do, really ever.  unless its someone like Radiohead or Prince or Pearl Jam, i mean then its, you either see them or you dont.  and most of the time, you just go to say you saw them.
 
  that said, shows with less than 50 people at them are equally lame.