Where was I for that one? :lol
I gotta say one thing about tarps and sharing. THIS IS THE BEST FESTIVAL I’VE EVER ATTENDED - the people are SO polite, sharing, caring, trusting and just downright friendly. Yeah there are SOME rude idiots, but you can’t regulate them away.
Go to any other non-PB festival. You’ll see fights, arguments and extreme rudeness. Just TRY to get back to your “spot” in the crowd at, say, Austin City LImits Fest after a pee break - it’s like you never had a spot in the first place. Stand in one spot all day long to get a great view of your favorite artist, then right before the first note, 40 people rush into your space like they own it, light up cigarettes, spill beer on ya, etc. One night, the front of an ACLF stage was so crowded I could lift my feet up off the ground and not fall to the earth. Had I not been lucky to be tall enough to catch fresh air, I would have freaked out.
So while I appreciate PB looking for ways to make the tarp thing more fair for everyone, it’s just looking to improve an already wonderful fest. That’s what makes this company great.
I saw no issues with the tarp line, the tarp run, or tarp size. We shared our tarp all week and met tons of great people. I loved it. It is what it is, and all is well and good. Great festival! The last thing we need is more rules.
:thumbsup :thumbsup
:wave :thumbsup :cheers Agreed! :medal
As a non-tarp-runner and first timer, I thought things were just fine in this department. We had some friends up front who squeezed us in a couple times; other times I made my way up there and met awesome people every time! :flower We had a large group and didn’t feel the need to wait in line all night, so we just set up shop back by the sound board, and looked for vacant space for the shows we wanted to see closer. If you wait in line all night I think you deserve to set up at your own discretion.
I did see some tarps here and there that were just freakin huge! Kinda ridiculous. Maybe Planet could just set some reasonable rules or “guidelines” without worry of enforcement. Suggest 5x7, nothing over 12x12ish maybe. Etiquette would probably take over when fellow runners see somebody whip out a monster.
As far as smoking goes, don’t banish them! Most people are courteous enough to step out of the way. If they’re not, don’t hesitate to ask them to get it out of your face! I don’t think I smoked once inside the fest, but I do occasionally partake. It’s not rude to tell people to move or put it out. Way too heavy handed to say people can’t smoke in the isles, etc… The last thing you need is security guards hunting down smokers. Rules or not, when people are schnokered, they will light up regardless :hombre
My recommendation is to not allow tarps at the very front. After the VIP section, it should be standing room only for 25-40 yards, THEN start the area where the tarps can be put down. There are a few benefits to this approach:
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The people who are setting their tarps up at the very front are the same people who have their chairs right outside the softball fields all festival long. Their chairs never leave the tarp line…which is just dumb and not really fair to the average festival goer. Those people are clearly gaming the system.
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You wouldn’t have to worry about the ever growing tarps at the front of the stage that sadly sit empty for the vast majority of the day.
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It frustrates me when there is a band I really like and my options are to sit on my tarp (typically just in front of the middle walkway) or walk over everyone’s tarps, chairs, coolers, water bottles, etc to get up to the front. It prevents a lot of people from doing it, so it leaves a lot of empty space in front of you.
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It would make for more lively shows and encourage people to stand up and dance toward the front.
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Lastly and maybe most importantly, it shares the wealth. As I said before, it is the same friggin people every day with their tarps front and center. Everybody should get a chance to be front and center without the threat of being asked to move because you are on their tarp. I mean is it fair that someone can sleep in until noon, get to the festival at 4:00pm, walk right down to the front of the stage and make people move who have been at the festival for hours and really wanting to see YMSB up close, just because somebody else set a tarp for them? It’s dumb.
Anyhow, I will get off my soap box…but I definitely think a change to the tarp system needs to be put in place!
I think this is actually a decent idea which has potential, although I’d say good luck on fighting city hall. PB has a system which “works” in so far as keeping order; there’s a relatively large segment of the population who’ve embraced the current setup and there’s probably not quite enough of an outcry to prompt a new major tweak to the system. This is not to say I disagree with you that in reality that the deck is essentially stacked (for reasons you’ve alluded to above) from the front row of the poser pit through until about the end of the sound board. Just making an observation, not necessarily complaining.
For something like your idea to work, I think it can’t be too large an area (or too small). I think a lot of people like to sit it out for the bulk of the day … so there needs to be x amount of space available in the whole venue for people to simply be able to spread out and sit back for the long haul. For instance, if there’s a very large dance area (or place to stand and get a closer view) and it’s being underutilized during the day, then everyone is packed in that much tighter in the space allowed to lay down a tarp. It already seemed a bit over the top on this count with tarps backing up into food lines.
However, a modest expansion of the front walkway behind the poser pit might do the trick. Maybe enlarge it by x4 and have that outer 1/4 be the walkway (as we know it, with a second rope) with an entrance to the inner 3/4 “dance area” in the center of the walkway? That would probably still leave a good few rows for tarps & tapers in front of the board.
Alternatively, maybe do the OPPOSITE of what happened this year re: the expansion of the tarps to the sides in the very front row (of coach). I noticed on Sunday, you couldn’t really stand up close on the left side because tarp were spread very far wide. Maybe rope/block off much bigger chunks on the sides up front for dancing/standing. I think this would be the least disruptive to the status quo.
Still, I’m sure there’d be unintended consequences which could backfire. For example, would there be a “no sitting” rule in this front area? Could you bring in stuff to put on the ground? How would all of this be “enforced”?
Ok here goes, dancing in front of the stage, your kidding right. Dust, lots and lots of dust blocking everyones views and clogging all our lungs. Not good.
If folks would just move forward and occupy the empty tarps when they are empty there would be no fuss. Just do it, move up and consider it a gift. I place my tarp up front, share all through fest and break it down before the last few acts, knowing there is no such thing as MY space. Share.
I would love to stay seated into the last act up front, but folks from the back rush forward. So no matter how you toss it around there will ALWAYS be a grip on tarp ethics. It is a no win situation :flower
Although I was with you 100% on clapping for encores landshark, I’m probably only at 76% on tarps (i.e. I’d support slightly expanded areas on the sides up front for dancing and viewing [could be watered down] - which I believe have been larger in the past).
I am with you 100% that it is one of “those issues” where you can’t please everyone all of the time, and for the most part we all seem to be able to help one another reside with one another within the lines we’re given :cheers
Well I love a man that agrees with me most of the time :lol :medal
After over 20 PBG fests I would have to say that this tarp issue has been rolled around for at least that long. Part of fest is land grab.
How about a lottery that raffels off numbers so the front tarps are everchanging. Your wrist band has a number on it, this number designates tarp positions for each day. No gettin up early, no throwin more than 1 tarp and no land grab. Numbered seating, that gets closer with each day, so the front is in the back on some days and the back is up front. :flower
I say we just sit on the grass :lol :medal
I remember when there wasn’t a need to pull up chairs and tarps until the last song was over, and there was no “rush” or more aptly, “crush” to the front. If I’m out there all day I would really like to be able to sit down in my chair once in a while during the last acts, especially now that I have hip and knee issues that prevent me from standing for the last 2 bands each night.
I also remember the first time that started to happen, and people would come up and just pile our chairs and packs so they could stand on our tarp, and didn’t even ask. :rolleyes Now it just seems to be accepted that that’s what’s going to happen, but I didn’t agree with it then, and I still don’t.
So now, I don’t get to see the headliners because I can’t stand that long, and I’m so short I can’t see over most folks anyway even if I could stand. I would like to see the planet make some sort of small bleachers or something, raised up about as high as the sound guys and maybe off to one side of the sound board, for some of us “older” festivarians to be able to sit on AND see the show. I’d gladly show my AARP card for that. :lol
But I know change is/was inevitable and if it gets to be too hard to deal with the drunks knocking me down or falling on me or spilling beer on me or burning my hair with their cigs when I try to sit then I will just stop coming and stay home and listen to it on the radio.
So far as I recall this topic dates back to the mid 80’s when the fest first disallowed leaving tarps (and sundry lawn furniture) on the field all night. Those were the days…and nights…
How about a lottery that raffels off numbers so the front tarps are everchanging. Your wrist band has a number on it, this number designates tarp positions for each day. No gettin up early, no throwin more than 1 tarp and no land grab. Numbered seating, that gets closer with each day, so the front is in the back on some days and the back is up front.
There is no way that would work since camps are made up of many people who will usually get their wrist bands at different times and/or places if they need to do will call… Besides how would that work with the few "shadeplaces on the sides?
I have to confess here, we hung back most of fest because of chair issues, my ankel was just so swollen and sore and the hubby has a rebuilt knee from Bball as well as a few other health issues. We needed our chairs and used them, first time ever till final set. Pulled up the tarp before dusk which is unusual as well, lots of folks and butts on the tarp it was a challenge.
So CindyLou you are not alone and I think in a few more years we will need to adjust our fest attack again. It is a tarp dillima for sure. Am I getting to old for fest? I hope not.
See there is no correct answer, just showes to go ya! :lol
We had a big tarp up front every day, and we occupied it all day every day… We welcomed everyone that joined us, and many stayed all day. That being said, we also slept in line every night to get it. If you want to be right up front, come join us, or get in the line. I have to tell you, sleeping in the line every night, and dancing at the show everyday can take a toll.
As far as showing up at 4 to see Yonder, that was probably one of the only bad vibes I got throughout the whole show. Rude people came out of nowhere to see Yonder and then disappeared. It didn’t look like they had been there all day.
Anyway, to reiterate the point I made in an earlier comment, the last thing we need are more rules! I thought the festival was handled beautifully.
Imagine no tarps
Its easy if you try
No basketball court sized plastic
Above us only sky
imagine dust clouds entering your face holes day after day. :bag
Hahahaha!! Face Holes. I’m going to use that term somewhere at work today.
Some interesting stuff here!
People keep saying there’d be no way to regulate tarps. I’m not sure why this is. All you would have to do is have a few signs along the entry ways. You could have the bag checkers remind people etc etc. A few courteous announcements from the stage mic–whatever. Maybe start the tarp regulation on the second day, that way you could announce it to everyone via the stage.
It’s true, there ain’t much more these guys can do to make this festival better. It’s run nearly perfect. But regulating tarp size isn’t hard to implement.
I also agree with an above entry about the dance areas being bigger. Amen to that! It’s unfortunate that if you want to dance you have to stand in a very small dusty spot.
I even have a friend who cooks backstage so I get backstage passes sometimes, so much of the time I don’t even have a dog in this fight, but I know a lot of people who can’t spend all day in line (thereby missing half the festival) just to get closer some of the time.
Seriously though- why do some of you want to keep the huge tarp thing going? Do you really need that much empty space around you to be comfortable? I think if you really want a big party space, then put the amount of people you need in line to cover multiple 8x10 tarps. Easy!