Grand marshal tickets worth it???

[completejohn]

I'm on my way to NOLA and have a Grand Marshal Ticket. Just wondering if anyone out there had one for the first weekend, and if you thought they were worth the price. How close do you actually get to the stages? And did you have to arrive early to get a decent spot or was there plenty of room for all GM ticket holders?

Thanks for the info! Can't wait to get some crawfish this weekend!!!

john in albuquerque

[innertube]

i did not have one........but we went to the SRO area about 30 min before Theresa Andersson....the SRO area was not crowded....all most no one in your area...so we got on the front row!!!...at some point...1/2 to 2/3 of the way through her set...i turned around and the SRO was PACKED!!!(i will be no where in this area for JB)....after her set your area started to fill up...but it never got close to being full or packed...people just hanging out and being allowed to sit...if they wanted to.........and then Plant & Krauss started and of course the SRO area got worse...but your area stayed the same...

i think you will have a great time...if all of my friends wanted to get those tickets...i would...also...looks like you have a lot of ability to move around...go eat...get beer....and then go to the restroom...and still be able to get back..........my way once you leave........thats it...

[swag]

This was taken at the Gentilly Stage, taken standing just behind the rail that separates the GA SRO from the Grand Marshal. The folks standing bewteen the 2 rails are in the GM area.

http://shim1.shutterfly.com/procgserv/47b8da07b3127cce98548c506ec800000017100AauHLRy2csm KA

[PaulC]

I'm on my way to NOLA and have a Grand Marshal Ticket. Just wondering if anyone out there had one for the first weekend, and if you thought they were worth the price. How close do you actually get to the stages? And did you have to arrive early to get a decent spot or was there plenty of room for all GM ticket holders?

Thanks for the info! Can't wait to get some crawfish this weekend!!!

john in albuquerque

you are holdin' one fine ticket,... and elbow room city awaits you located dead front center.... enjoy....

certainly plenty of room to dance for you and yours....

for low renters,.. more than a few times we were but just inches from that front row porch thing that will soon be yours... gotta admit,.. all that extra room up there looked mighty temptin' now and again...

[ibjamn]

We ran into windowman, who won a grand marshall pass in the raffle, up front and personal for Robert Plant and Allison Krause and he looked pretty happy. :)

[mendelj2]

We had them and they really were amazing. Not only for the access to the performers up front with a little breathing room to actually move around... but also for the ability to get in and out of the main stage areas easily.

We've missed too many acts over the years trying to get in and out of good listening/viewing locations and this year we were able to catch all the BNA's we could handle and only had a delay getting into a GM area once.

I would definitely do it again, even if the price is a bit crazy.

Thanks to whoever came up with the idea!

[MusicRoadMan]

Definately worth it as far as I am concerned as you can see by the pics I took. Not real crowded, the rain might have scared some of them away for the first weekend but certainly a must for the future.

[windowman]

It was really great to have that up close access and I did enjoy it. Of course, I didn't pay for mine and as I sometimes come with a group of peeps the expense becomes prohibitive. I would offer some caveats about Grand Marshal. This weekend there was a lot of breathing room in part because of the bad weather. I left the GM area during John Cleary and was cautioned about coming back soon because they were expecting so many people that they would have to turn folks away. After the deluge that was not a problem, but the rain created flooding in the area and reduced the area somewhat. So if you want to see Santana or Stevie Wonder or any headliner in the GM area, don't expect that you can just show up at set time and there will be space for you. In some ways it's like other fest shows in that you may have to be there well ahead of time to see who you want, you just get a much better view for your patience. There are also some seats that are built into the forward wall of the barricade and this is quite nice if the area is not filled up.
I did encounter one problem that I want the fest folks to be informed of. I had absolutely no problem at any of the stages on any of the days except on Sunday at the Gentilly Stage when the security person asked me for my ticket in spite of the fact that I was wearing my wristband. I had left it in the car and when she reiterated this to me, I informed her that I had been to every stage every day and no one had asked for it and that the website info says you only had to present a wristband to be allowed in and she relented. She continued to do this to other people and managed to intimidate some into going elsewhere. It is a shame that she would not bother to ask her supervisor about what I had said and persist in her ignorance, but she did. In fact, when I returned later in the day, she did it to me again. The second time I took an intimidating tone with her and ask her who told her that and to have them come talk to me and I just walked in. One bad apple. All of the other security people were on top of their game.

Other than that encounter, I had a blast.:D

[festydave]

I'll pass that along.

[swampwoman]

This tactic is not unheard of at arena shows with tiered ticketing - folks have been known to bring tape to a show and cut off a wristband and reattach it so a friend can be "stubbed down" to the more desirable area of the floor or closer seating arrangement.

I can definitely see the merit of security personnel asking for a stub to accompany a wristband. I doubt that anyone who has spent the money for Grand Marshall access would be pleased if 20 folks were "stubbed" into the front and center area of a reserved section with restricted access

It was really great to have that up close access and I did enjoy it. Of course, I didn't pay for mine and as I sometimes come with a group of peeps the expense becomes prohibitive. I would offer some caveats about Grand Marshal. This weekend there was a lot of breathing room in part because of the bad weather. I left the GM area during John Cleary and was cautioned about coming back soon because they were expecting so many people that they would have to turn folks away. After the deluge that was not a problem, but the rain created flooding in the area and reduced the area somewhat. So if you want to see Santana or Stevie Wonder or any headliner in the GM area, don't expect that you can just show up at set time and there will be space for you. In some ways it's like other fest shows in that you may have to be there well ahead of time to see who you want, you just get a much better view for your patience. There are also some seats that are built into the forward wall of the barricade and this is quite nice if the area is not filled up.
I did encounter one problem that I want the fest folks to be informed of. I had absolutely no problem at any of the stages on any of the days except on Sunday at the Gentilly Stage when the security person asked me for my ticket in spite of the fact that I was wearing my wristband. I had left it in the car and when she reiterated this to me, I informed her that I had been to every stage every day and no one had asked for it and that the website info says you only had to present a wristband to be allowed in and she relented. She continued to do this to other people and managed to intimidate some into going elsewhere. It is a shame that she would not bother to ask her supervisor about what I had said and persist in her ignorance, but she did. In fact, when I returned later in the day, she did it to me again. The second time I took an intimidating tone with her and ask her who told her that and to have them come talk to me and I just walked in. One bad apple. All of the other security people were on top of their game.

Other than that encounter, I had a blast.:D

[mendelj2]

I'll pass that along.

Festydave,

I can't say enough how much we loved the GM passes. Hopefully they are a more permanent addition!

And while I griped about he slr photo thing. The system was pretty clear after an act or two and for the most part everyone played along.

Thanks for my 9th amazing fest!

[windowman]

I'll pass that along.

Thank you, festydave!

Here are some pictures to give some perspective of the GM area:

This is a view of the Acura stage from a seat in the barricade:
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/windowman_2007/jazzfest%2008/P4260054.jpg

This is the Acura GM area while Irma was singing "It's Raining" right after Sunday's deluge:
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/windowman_2007/jazzfest%2008/P4270105.jpg

This gives some a perspective of the Big Chief stands from the GM area at Gentilly:
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/windowman_2007/jazzfest%2008/P4270092.jpg

[innertube]

hey windowman...

at gentilly stage is the best to get into the SRO area from the right side by the track???

i never made it over there this past weekend to check it out

thanks

[windowman]

You can only enter GM areas from the "inside" of the stage, not the side closest to the track. I found that to be the case at all three stages.

[mendelj2]

I thought that they did a nice job of extending the entrance out far enough that you didn't have to fight crowds to get in, especially at Acura and Gentilly.

[Doubledown]

How much were the GM tickets? It looked like there was a lot of wasted space in that area when we saw tim mcgraw, I found people selling $40 tickets outside the gate but hope the poor can afford tickets in the future. found a price:1st Weekend (April 25, 26, 27) three full Festival days (No Longer Available)
$450; or $600 with daily reserved parking

2nd Weekend (May 1, 2, 3, 4) four full Festival days (No Longer Available)
$500; or $700 with daily reserved parking