How close can you get without VIP ticket?

[SmugglersBlues]

I've never been to jazz fest before. There is a band I really want to be up close for. However, I can't afford a VIP ticket.

At other festivals I've been to, if you are there when the gates open and hustle over to the stage to camp out all day, you will still be able to be in the standing equivalent of the first few rows.

However, in looking at the diagrams for the Acura stage, I noticed that the VIP area seemed quite large. It seems to extend the full length of the stage - is this true? Additionally, it looks to be several 'rows' deep. How many heads am I going to be looking over if I get there first thing and am at the front row of the GA area? Ten 'rows'? More?

Finally, I see there is a SRO policy and that you can't even sit in between sets. How strictly is that enforced?

Thanks for any info you can provide!

[swag]

Here's a thread from a few years ago, post #12 has some pics that show the extent of the Grand Marshal area. The GA SRO area starts right behind that. (I'm assuming the band you want to see up close is playing the Acura stage).

http://www.nojazzfest.com/chat/showthread.php?p=163663

[swag]

Another pic here, the view from the stage. The metal barriers you see divide the VIP GM area from GA SRO.
http://www.claytoncallphoto.com/keyword/crowd/1/860034059_stJ97#!i=860034059&k=stJ97&lb=1&s=A

[SmugglersBlues]

Thanks, swag. That's useful. I suppose it will be packed during the band's set that I want to see, the Eagles. (I assume they will be playing the Acura stage.)

[NOLA]

I think the SRO designation means no chairs which I believe is enforced. I can't imagine they'd stop you from sitting on the ground....especially between sets!

[SmugglersBlues]

Me neither, but a couple of the threads I read seemed to suggest that.

I think it's a great idea not to allow chairs, but not to allow folks to sit on the ground... that's a bit extreme!

I'll probably wind up camping out all day, even though I can't get to the very front. I'll wear high heels and hopefully I will be able to see over the VIPs.

[canadianjohn]

Me neither, but a couple of the threads I read seemed to suggest that.

I think it's a great idea not to allow chairs, but not to allow folks to sit on the ground... that's a bit extreme!

I'll probably wind up camping out all day, even though I can't get to the very front. I'll wear high heels and hopefully I will be able to see over the VIPs.

Don't worry the stage is elevated! i have been going for years & can always see, even when I am in the back.

Also they don't stop you from sitting on the ground between sets. You just can't put down a tarp.

[festivalgirl]

Don't worry the stage is elevated! i have been going for years & can always see, even when I am in the back.

Also they don't stop you from sitting on the ground between sets. You just can't put down a tarp.

I suspect you can see wherever you go. ;)

[canadianjohn]

I suspect you can see wherever you go. ;)

Now I can get even closer with my handicapped pass.;)

[stlbarb]

Me neither, but a couple of the threads I read seemed to suggest that.

I think it's a great idea not to allow chairs, but not to allow folks to sit on the ground... that's a bit extreme!

I'll probably wind up camping out all day, even though I can't get to the very front. I'll wear high heels and hopefully I will be able to see over the VIPs.

you can sit on the ground, but no setting up 'camps' with tarps/sheets/blankets. SRO is to allow more people up front, and allow people to come and go more easily. good idea, but doesnt always work in practice. the enforcement of the rules does to seem to vary from stage to stage, day to day, and even time of day.

[SmugglersBlues]

I've been going back and forth about this. I'll be at jazz fest for three days, so I will still be able to get the festival experience even if I spend the one day waiting by the GA SRO fence. Plus, even though the band will be visible even from the back, you know there is nothing like being up close.

However, I'd like to ask a few things about the nature of the jazzfest crowd. As a festival veteran, I have found that once it gets close to the headliner's arrival, you have to stay put or you will lose the spot. Understandable.

Some festivals earlier in the day are different, though. Some crowds have a mutual understanding that certain breaks are allowed. For instance, if I need to go to the bathroom or get water, will I be unable to come back to the spot? I'm not talking about wandering around for an hour while someone 'saves' my spot; I am talking about meeting basic gastric needs after one eats red beans and rice.

At a jazz festival I went to in Aspen, as long as you made it clear what you were leaving for and there was an hour or more before the headliners came out, people were cool about letting you go and then come back for bathrooms and water. By contrast, at another festival which will remain nameless, if you wanted to keep your place, you better have steel kidneys because there was no way people would let you back up. At this same festival, one poor kid was afraid to leave to get water because he was told he would lose his spot. He stayed put... And he fainted before the headliners came out.

So, which kind of crowd is the jazz fest crowd?

Thanks so much for all the info, btw.

[funkkjunkie]

Isn't the band you want to see on Saturday? The crowd will be way smaller on Friday but you can get a feel for how the SRO area works. I've been able to come from the small stages where i spend most of my time and slip into SRO for a set. But I haven't cared if i was on the rail and right up front or not. Maybe some festers who spend more time at ACura can give you more info. You're going to have soooooooooooooooo much fun!

[NeenAtlanta]

You might want to set up a tarp/chairs at Acura for the day, then just head down to the SRO to get close to the specific shows you want to see. You can generally move forward in the SRO section if you dance your way through. :D

[innertube]

"So, which kind of crowd is the jazz fest crowd?"

depends...........(no pun)...on the band and their crowd...and how many people you want to squeeze by...if it's Saturday it will get thick at Acura..come in from the track side...the right side facing the stage...
last year they moved the blue rooms down aways..so then i went over by the blues tent to use them...the beer was in the same place...sometimes i don't drink beer until late in the day..bring small soft ice chest....to cut down on having to do so much walking...like i said sometimes it just gets to thick for me to walk back...where i was...and thats what the night shows are for..getting your upclose fix........

who do you want to see???

[funkkjunkie]

He wants to see the Eagles. I think that will be a tough one.

[ozzie]

He wants to see the Eagles. I think that will be a tough one.

He might be a she.....if not he might wanna spend some time practicing dancing in his high heels!

[SmugglersBlues]

Lol. Indeed I am a woman!

I am eating all this info up. The Eagles crowd probably will be challenging to maneuver in.

I also want to see Bonnie Raitt, but she should be easier to manage.

[sophisticated sissy]

He wants to see the Eagles. I think that will be a tough one.

S/He can have my spot! :)

[innertube]

Lol. Indeed I am a woman!

I am eating all this info up. The Eagles crowd probably will be challenging to maneuver in.

I also want to see Bonnie Raitt, but she should be easier to manage.

get there one or two acts before the Eagles...between sets...try like i said above...stay close to the rail...and go down as for as the crowd will let you..and if you get lucky you will end up right in front of the big screen next to and to the right of the stage...good luck...this is not the day to do a lot of walking around if you really want to see the Eagles...you can do that another day....my 2 cents......

[DaCounselor]

I think your safest bet is to assume it is going to be jampacked at and around the Acura stage for the Eagles. If the Aspen festival you are talking about is Jazz Aspen Snowmass, those crowds you dealt with there will be dwarfed by what you will experience on the second Saturday of Jazzfest. Not trying to scare you off, just don't have visions of rolling off the rail for a quick pit stop and beer and then sliding back in without missing a beat, because I don't think that's happening at Acura around Eagles time.

Personally my best experiences with BNAs at Acura on Saturdays have been getting there around noon and setting up camp on the track side and making a day of it. If you want to get up close for the Eagles, I would say roll up as soon as the preceding act is done (probably around 4:15) and plan on sticking there all the way through the show. If you have to leave your spot during the show for a pit stop or drink you could easily miss half the show in transit to/from. Getting there earlier than 4ish may raise a bladder issue if you have to stick it out until 7ish.

My 2 cents, anyway, and you're in the right neighborhood here to get some good tips from some real Fest veterans who are generous with their knowledge.

[Rossvegas]

Well, here's a different take on things...

In my experience (of 15 years of Festing), I've yet to see ANY band that warranted being right up front. I've learned that you either go for the visual, the audio or both...and it's easy to accomplish both.

As for video, there is a huge screen on the left side of Acura that will let you see right up Joe Walsh's nose (assuming that's what you're after :>). I've been about as "close" as you can get for Springsteen, James Taylor, etc. - I had a pass and was in the area to the right of the Grand Marshall area - and even that wasn't that "close".

Realizing that most of these artists aren't about to bite the head off a live chicken, I usually opt for audio over video, and there are a few great areas to really HEAR the band. Anywhere in the zone right in front of the main PA stacks is a good place, but one of the most underrated areas is right behind one of the secondary (or "relay") speaker stacks. There's one stack on the track side of Acura that is my fave: it's right on the path that cuts ACROSS Acura so it's easy to get in and out of if you want to head to Congo Square, and if you want to get closer to the stage, just follow the path in the other direction and dance your way over while getting a beer. You sacrifice a little in terms of visuals of the BAND, but you can still see the screen pretty well, and you get the added benefit of seeing 35,000 people grooving in the hot sun, flags in the air, etc. The sound in that location? It will be like the Eagles are playing in your living room. :>)

Last but not least, arm yourself with a big smile.

Don't be afraid to make some new friends, buy them a beer once in a while, acknowledge them when you're in the area, get to know them. I've made MANY new friends at Acura over the years, and most of them are "campers" and/or they have an easily identifiable totem (flag). I'll spend the entire day traveling all oevr the fair grounds, and when my fave band is scheduled to play at Acura, I seek out my new friends and join them at their perfect site. A smile will get you everything... :>)

[mfrankkk]

Last but not least, arm yourself with a big smile.

Don't be afraid to make some new friends, buy them a beer once in a while, acknowledge them when you're in the area, get to know them. I've made MANY new friends at Acura over the years, and most of them are "campers" and/or they have an easily identifiable totem (flag). I'll spend the entire day traveling all oevr the fair grounds, and when my fave band is scheduled to play at Acura, I seek out my new friends and join them at their perfect site. A smile will get you everything... :>)
__________________

Agree. Over the years I've met a lot of neat people that I meet repeatedly years later. They are more than willing to save your spot while you potty and grab some water! Just don't abuse their generosity!

[Staxsun]

Just curious, Smugglers, do I know you? Memphis is a large town.

[SmugglersBlues]

Thanks for all the info, guys.

Stax, judging from your photo (although your face is a bit hard to make out), I don't think we are acquainted.

[Staxsun]

Thanks for all the info, guys.

Stax, judging from your photo (although your face is a bit hard to make out), I don't think we are acquainted.

If you're interested in more than the Eagles, perhaps some New Orleans music, tune in to WEVL 89.9 FM from 4 to 6 today.