For years I have been a festivarian, and with todays bad news arriving in the form of an email stating that NOBODY in my group of festivarians got tickets. Will this ruin my run on the festival? I hope not.
I know the ins-and-outs of TP and Warner, made friends in line and know that the chance of getting tickets on the forum is slim to none, I know this because I have tried for other friends after securing mine.
I wish that Planet Bluegrass, after years of consistent support of bluegrass could have considered offering tickets to those who attend regularly and supported on a regular basis.
I am in the exact same situation as azhiker00. I really don’t agree that you should have priority on getting tickets because you have attended regularly in the past. But, I certainly understand how azhiker00 feels as this will be the first year I’ve missed in 13 years. Until it went in the lottery, I had always been able to get ticket in Warner field.
I would like to see a system like they use for permits to raft the Grand Canyon. You put in request one year and if you are not picked, you are moved up the queue each year until you are assured of getting a ticket. I’m sure this would be impractical for TBF, because of the sheer volume of tickets. Just a thought. :flower
…and I know from personal experience and conversations that the lottery system is an ongoing struggle between being as fair as possible and managing the sheer volume of festifamily who would love to attend year after year.
This forum is your best chance to find a ticket, and you’re right in there with the rest of us who’ll spend the next several months scrambling, groveling, calling in favors, and offering incentives - plus a little of being in the right place at the right time.
I know for a FACT that every person I know who was diligent and persevered and didn’t give up made it last year and the year before and the year before. Before that, I have to defer to the old timers.
I have never won the lottery outright, but I always remain hopeful and confident that I will get a ticket.
Hang in there, and I bet we’ll see you in 211 days!!!
Mel, I completely agree. TBF is making an on-going and evolving effort to be as fair as possible. If you frequent Buy or Sell Tickets on this forum, you should be able to find tickets.
We got Lucky this year.
But I can attest that the Festival does exist at all of the other campgrounds,
just the travel time issues.
We got tickets, but missed a vehicle pass.
Depending upon my Wife’s RA, tent camping may not be possible.
I have sold on this forum in the past both Town Park tickets
and last years Coveted Friday ticket.
If I sell, I may well put them up in the middle of the night and on
an off day - just to keep the randomness in the mix.
I have also sold to a forum member who seemed like they Really deserved it.
Be diligent and stay with it.
But if you have a group - an assault on a different campground or a condo
May be in order.
Good Luck
Edited to add: In 1973, We just drove up Friday afternoon, pulled into Town Park and set up Camp.
Swing and a miss for Me and the wife also… but above posts (Synch, Mel ) are dead on. Although I’m certainly disapointed in not getting TP or Warner tix…The chance remains that passes will eventually show up through the ticket gurus (Deb,Ron, Swander etc.) of this forum and other avenues as well!!
My first TBF was 85 and 2013 will be 14 straight. I have camped outside of town, at Mary E., at TP and stayed in condos. Every experience was awesome and I will, NO MATTER WHAT…attend 2013!!!
I appreciate all the positive responses, but unfortunately I don’t want to camp at the high school, illium or lawson,we have put in many years to know how to “festival”.
I have sat next to so many of you in line each night so we get our precious tarp space (my precious!), many of you have spent the morning with Samantha and Katurah when they relieve me in the morning and know us well. I know change is always constant, but damn, I love you guys and don’t see myself miles away without my tarp number!
I hear ya Tom, I started it to express my opinion that I don’t like PB’s decision to make Warner a lottery.
I always made sure that I was online to buy my ticket the minute they went on sale, kinda like when we use to stay overnight in line to buy tickets, then one day a dumb decision was made to make it a lottery, where someone could show up 2 minutes before they went on sale and get the first spot, it didn’t matter if I waited 12 hours, its just luck. I didn’t like it then and well, its obvious how I feel now. I removed my “grovels”
I guess you went through this when TP became a lottery, and you seem to always be there.
I hope to see you there to kick off the festival TP style, RUMBALLS!!!
I am someone who’s a “professional concert goer” and am literally on it for ticket sales for all events … especially ones I know there’s going to be a high demand with low supply.
While everyone has the same opportunity, in reality it doesn’t always work out that way. I pulled over the side of the road near the Hesperus Post Office in late September on the way to the Durango airport in the morning to try and order SCI NYE tickets. I was shut out because I couldn’t get online; the Verizon rep didn’t setup my cell service properly to act as a modem for my laptop. I was lucky enough to get tickets a couple days later while on my trip with family near Boston. I was able to log on via my dad’s ipad (he had a g3 connection, or whatever the cell network version is called) while we were traveling in a car. I’m getting car sick just remembering having to do this. I got tix for all three nights & as it turns out only NYE is currently sold out, but as I mentioned, I’ve done this enough that I know the routine & simply just like to have peace of mind.
Aside from oddball circumstances like above (which is rare for me), not everyone is quite “on it” for ticket sales. Most people have jobs or other obligations that make it difficult to be at a device once the big hand hits 12 on the day tickets go on sale. Or what about the individual or couple who plan to attend, but don’t have “big crews” to provide support. My suspicion is that maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of festival attendees are truly “on it”. If this is the case, then there’s a big discrepancy between those who are “in the know” and those who aren’t … providing a big advantage to those who are able to work the system to their advantage.
As you’ve alluded to already, having a camping spot in TP or WF provides people with a better opportunity (or at least makes it a bit easier to be comfortable if you’re going to stay up all night) to acquire primo real estate via the tarp runs. So, being “on it” at one level can give you a leg up to be “on it” at another level; effectively “compounding your interest” on a daily basis.
Again, I realize everyone has this opportunity … but in reality, the inside track is one which games the system to an extent. In this regard, I’m ALL FOR lotterizing as many aspects of acquiring credentials to ‘reserve space’ (i.e. camping, tickets, tarp space) as possible. If we’re actually seeing a long term trend of a major increase in demand, I believe *randomization to be even more crucial given the limited number of tickets, camping spots, etc.
Please know that I’m not directing this at you az (I DO hope you find a WF or TP camping pass), but posted this message rather as someone who believes in striving for the best possible world of “fair play / social order” sort of thing.
(* I actually don’t believe anything is “random” in the universe :huh )
Nah, no reviews from me … except $.02 here or there after a show unless it’s REALLY impressionable and it lasts for a long time (i.e. Fogerty last year). In fact, if a show is really clicking & unfolding well … then time is being made to stand still, no need to take notes or pictures for that matter … as it could easily spoil the moment.
I agree that one is “lucky” if their number is picked, but was really just referring to the philosophical notion of “randomness” vs. a mathematical application such as a lottery (which I have to believe is run fairly within the established rules). I believe the philosophical notion of randomness is a product of being human & simply not knowing how everything is going to unfold given our “spot/slice” on the spatial temporal continuum & the limits/parameters of our perceptual/congnitive abilities. I wouldn’t bet my life on this, but if forced to pick a side I’d be a determinist.
Are fate and faith one and the same? That’s an interesting question. Again, don’t really know, but I believe they’re intertwined … although as a determinist, I would offer that faith is dependent upon fate. The reverse might hold true at times, but not necessarily.
Happy Thanksgiving regardless! … was just checking in to see if the board was back online (it was down earlier).
You with the $100.00 words crack me up :flower and I would love to have a conversation with you some day. We are each on the opposite side of the scale. I am direct and short, you however, Mr. $100.00 words very discriptive and a tad long winded :lol :lol :lol :flower Love the way you say what you say. "I am someone who’s a “professional concert goer”, well now you have to tell us what you do makin a statement like that. Your not a writer?
However, Warner, it’s random and call it what you will, determinist, visionary, fate. I say have faith and the powers that be will provide :cheers
ls: would be nice to chat with you too :flower … and your observations about my writing style are on target! Although with some people I don’t have to use fancy words in person … much can be relayed with very few words at all. I try to be as direct as possible when writing or corresponding for work (I develop websites and such) vs. writing when passing time here or on other message boards.
Regarding the “professional concert goer” bit: it was just a variation of the way Mickey Hart put it in an interview a while back about deadheads being a “professional audience”. By being a regular on this board, it’s probably safe to say that you’re at least semi-pro, if not an all star … at least with respect to TBF (and maybe more). That was kind of my point originally, that some of us are simply “on it” regarding every turn of the whole routine … especially getting tickets.
And yeah, I agree that all PB lotteries are effectively random (see had throw ‘effectively’ in there )
"Or what about the individual or couple who plan to attend, but don't have "big crews" to provide support."
I have attended this festival for many years. I have never attempted to be part of one of these “big crews”, because I am not a social animal by nature. Bottom line, I attend this festival because I love the music. But not being a part of a “big crew” does put me at disadvantage at getting a ticket in the lottery or the ticket exchange, as well as the the tarp run. Last year I got completely run over during the tarp run by some big young buck and he didn’t even stop to ask if I was ok. I’m sure he was running for some big crew with his acre size tarp (mine is 8x6).
I have met many very nice people at the festival, I’m just not into the crew thing. I don’t expect anything to change, just my point of view.
Yo P! :wave I like your last comment, that’s the spirit :medal
You have a great point however, I have been to Fest many times as just a couple and you two can score all the the same things as a big crew, you just need to be a tad creative. :cheers
At first we both got in line for tarp space all night, then we learned we had to switch off. You still have to jockey for the goods, get creative, this is the nature of Fest. :flower
I have found that as I have grown with the Fest through the years, certain aspect change in importance. As you to will find out.
A great suprize to me was I dicovered that if you sit towards the back, the sound is so much fuller and the view is top notch :medal
I caught Robert Plants set from the rear and it just blew me away, the sound, the room to dance and the view of the stage was OUTSTANDING!!! WOW!!!@!!!Squeeled like a little girl. So its all relative, the fun up front is not any thicker, but warmer thats for sure :lol
… except $.02 here or there after a show unless it’s REALLY impressionable and it lasts for a long time (i.e. Fogerty last year). In fact, if a show is really clicking & unfolding well … then time is being made to stand still, no need to take notes or pictures for that matter … as it could easily spoil the moment.