My last year before my hiatus I was the one throwing chairs out of line…to the cheers of those sitting there staying awake.
Shuffle the first 50 numbers. You’ll still be in early enough to get something darn close to “your spot”, if not spot on it, but there’s no advantage to starting the line.
I threw chairs in the sand one year long ago but I don’t remember too many people cheering… but it sure felt right! I LOVE your idea about shuffling the first fifty or even 100 numbers.
I was kind of disappoiinted that there was “NO sleeping in line” but people who were sound asleep and inside sleeping bags got numbers that they didn’t even know about until they woke up an hour or so later.
I think that there should be a big sign that has whatever way it is going to be clearly spelled out… doesn’t seem to do much good to put it on the back of the tickets. Then those of us in line can follow those rules … and if the rule is no chair may be unoccupied (except for a reasonable quick trip for a potty break)… and we could pitch those empty chairs in to the center!
and as far as the kids selling line numbers… well, it is what the market will bear, right? If we don’t buy then they don’t get rewarded for their night in line. Kind of like the “suppose they gave a war and nobody came ?” theory… we just say no.
…and if SOMEONE would honestly keep the line from even forming before midnight or 2 am. that would really help.
I think it is fun and I like the tarp line part of the tradition… but I do not like the part where I feel angry because some people are so bent on not playing nicely.
okay… now you have had my 2 cents also…
(I DO love you, Jeff!)
LuAnna
There IS a big sign and has been for the last few years. It is hanging on the chainlink at the righthand end of the portolet line.
Here are some ideas:
Move the portolets from the first base line to the third base line so the line folks do not have to sit next to them.
No empty chairs in line. No number in the morning for empty chairs (already a rule) and no place holder at any other time (other than bathroom, snack breaks etc say… under 20 minutes) If a chair is vacant it can be pushed out of line. If there are 40-50 empty chairs like there were Fri and Sat night just sit next to the last person that is actually there and move the others down the line.
Hand out numbers at 3AM at least once during the weekend.
This was the first year where you HAD to sleep out to get in the front row of sunshades. The times are changing as we all get older and have kids. We have been in the sunshade line 15 years now. Back when our oldest was born we camped in Illium. We could take the bus into town and enter the festival at 10AM and get in the front row of sunshades (albeit toward the store end of the field). 3-4 years ago, we couuld get in the town park line when it stood up and get in the front row. Now you have to be in line by about 10PM to get in the front row. (We had number 81 one day and got the second to last front line space on the east side of the festival grounds.
I like it! Then they can pick up the Bass better and act like a giant reverb chamber! “Bass that’ll move your Bowels”
~Jeff
Crying camper returning from the port-o-john: I lost a Glove!
Me: Don’t worry, we’ll find it
Camper: You don’t understand, I know where it is, and I don’t want it back from the port-o-john hole!
What if Planet Bluegrass just gives out random numbers at a given time durning the day or after the show.
No lines needed, set a time, grab a number and move on, and if it’s a random number it eliminates the advantage to those getting in line early, luck of the draw.
why should those who get in line early be penalized? an empty chair is what the issue is about, isn’t it?
If there is a time for random numbers, there will be hundreds of people there to get them since they don’t have to stick around afterwards. That would certainly change things, but not neccessarily for the better.
I think it’s not only the empty chairs, but mostly those lining up at 2:00PM or 3:00PM the day before. Giving out random numbers at 1:00AM or 2:00AM would not only eliminate the early line, but let people sleep in their own tents at night. :flower
how so? where would the tickets be handed to to those who want a number? they’d still need to be away from their tent, no?
Although I don’t do the line any more, it’s my understanding that they give out numbers to those in line somewhere around 5:00AM.
If it’s done a bit earlier and the first 200 spots are random it allows people to go back to bed and prevents such an early line. Just my $.02
The random number thing is good in theory but in reality and as it is done at the two PB festivals at Lyons, it has gotten WAY WAY out of hand with large groups of people getting many tickets for one group and using only one them. The camp next to us last year had their YOUNG children running from one end to the other to get numbers and two of them came and stood near us somewhere in the middle of the line… they were just standing… but when the guy with the numbers came… they JUMPED RIGHT INTO THE LINE. then they ran back to camp and bragged about how many of their numbers were low ones. Who knows what they did with those!
The lines sitters didn’t help the situation much… they made the huge mistake of standing up every night to get their numbers ( and yelling “NUMBERS” so that more people could come running. The number givers were pretty much buying into the free for all madness that was prevailing. It happened at both RockyGrass and Folks. The line was not a line it was a blob and many people just came at the last minute and started jamming or visiting with their group so that they all got numbers. It was kind of sad one night when the people started handing out numbers at both ends and those of us in themiddle who had been there for HOURS got none. Those who just happened to be in a NON-LINE jam session all got numbers and many the ones who ran from place to place were able to get multiple numbers. Maybe I shouldn’t have advertised their practices here, but I know that the staff is already aware of it. I only hope that they have come up with some good way to eliminate that problem this year.
As far as I am concerned that whole scene is even more annoying than the empty chairs in the Telluride line in the middle of they day because the disrespect is so much more blatant… … but I don’t like any of the cheating.
School teachers are like that. We want everyone to play fair :flower
LuAnna
As far as I am concerned, the empty chairs can sit there 24 hours a day, but don’t expect me to respect them as a place in a line. The last person sitting in a chair (or standing around it, …whatever) is the end of the line. Neighbors will protect a spot for someone that is just taking a leak or getting a snack. If this approach was the common practice, the empty chairs would get shuffled down the line until someone showed up to sit in them. (Same goes for chairs that were occupied until midnight or 1AM that then sit empty until 5:30)
I am fine with people that want to be in line from 2PM on… or any other time, as long as they are there in person. I am also fine with them trading off shifts… as long as someone is there. It is when they want to leave chairs sitting empty for hours that I have a problem with it. I don’t care what time of day or night it is.
Tom, the numbers have been coming out between 6-6:30 for the last couple of years.
All in all, I think the random number thing sounds like a zoo but maybe there is a way to make it work.
you guy are fighting the wrong line. come on outside where it’s peaceful and not so filled with strife…
Rating Restored!!! 420 for life !!! :cheers
My my, I went from a positive festivation rating to minus whatever over my comments here? I had no idea my thoughts were so controversial.
Whatever.
And just for the record, I did not smite you. :flower
It’s a nasty habit of just a few. We are friendy and open on this forum, so far anyway. I took some hit’s as well.
Here is some love lil bro, just fer bein’ you. YOU LOOK MAVVVVVVVVelous :flower
This was my first time at Telluride.
I lined up every morning.
Usually ended up somewhere between 3550 and 499.
I enjoyed lining up and getting to meet some folks and chat while we waited.
One morning I saw some kids tryng to sell their line tickets.
On their first go around they asked fifty dollars… no takers… then thirty… no takers… then fifteen. I didn’t see anyone jumping to support their behavior.
Glen
Thanks dude!! You’re always so nice to me! So how’d your parents like Telluride? Everytime I saw either one of them, they had big ol’smiles on their faces.
xoxo R
Well, glad I asked for opinions on this topic! 
On their first go around they asked fifty dollars… no takers… then thirty… no takers… then fifteen. I didn’t see anyone jumping to support their behavior.
Well, I saw the same crew after I tarped down and they had sold all of their numbers, not certain if they got $15-40, but like I said, didn’t really have a problem with their entrepreneurial spirit, only was wondering if the Festival folks proper, know that may be an oxymoron, had an opinion on the whole deal.
Been interesting to hear the difference in line experiences from the outside versus the TP side of the whole situation.
On Sunday they ended up taking $10.00 each for # 36 - #37, a father and son bought them just ahead of me in line. So they jumped from the low 300’s to 36.