Have You Ever Had Front Row Seats to an Arena Concert?

I was in the front row for The Hendrix Experience show a couple of months back. I bought the tickets from a ticket liquidator two hours before the show. I paid $25. I did have to drive downtown to pick them up, back to get the wife and back to The Arena but we walked in for the first song.

We once had tickets on the front row for Led Zepplin in 1974. Just bought them at the record store when it opened. (spent all night looking straight up at Robert Plant's 'sock' in his jeans)

Sometimes the front row does not get great sound, the PA speakers go over your head and the stage sound isn't mixed to be balanced.

 

Oddly enough I had "Handicapped" seating for both Pixies shows. The one in 04 at Reliant Arena, I had a lisfranc fracture and was in a cast. We got to sit on the side way over by Kim. The Doolittle tour I had an outpatient spine injection the morning of the show and sat at the front left corner of the stage.

 

Mrs. SwoLy and I had FRONT ROW tickets to The Gipsy Kings a couple years back. I bought them as soon as I found out they were on sale. I think I paid $75 for each. We got there early, and they were shooting the **** in the parking garage, so we stopped and we tried to speak a little Catalán with them, but FAIL'd horribly, so we spoke Spanish and some English with them... they said they didn't like Houston that much, because they wished they had more time to visit... they also spoke about how they've seen the city change so much. They were accompanied by some REALLY ATTRACTIVE model-like ladies... they were some COOL CATS.

I like the rotation of the Arena, but sometimes it doesn't even get filled up with people.

Here are some pictures I took that day (they asked me nicely not to take photos of them outside the concert, because they didn't look good, so I obliged and asked if I could inside the arena, but then I forgot) :

 

had pretty decent seats for robert plant when he was solo stuff mid 90s..I was in a small texas town so it was fairly small venue. First half of concert he played his new stuff and it was whatever, but the girl I was with was trying to dance and stand the whole time.

People behind us got pissed and they called security. Security knew there was really only one place to stand and they moved us to this pit area right below stage.so it was plant singing right at us feet away.

We were moved early enough we saw the whole old songs part.. I was going through that stage where I was listening to that kind of music and of course zeppelin. To see him close like that pretty much my tops..Yeah his voice is different and such.. and he kinda changes the songs up to ways I don't like now.. but still it was pretty much zeppelin in concert. He did like 5 or 6 old songs.

 

I have never paid to be front row at a large concert, but I have been paid to be at front of house, press pit, backstage.

It's worked out OK.

 

I had front row for Rush:R30 (30th Anniversary Tour) right in front of Geddy Lee. He first came out on stage and was doing the whole "checking out the front row" crowd. We had a good laugh! It was quite the experience being so close. I would love to do it again.

I got my front row tickets in an online pre-sale right when they went on sale (first one in I guess). I was so blown away that I had trouble believing the seat row/numbers it was telling me. I thought for sure it had to be wrong and was making sure before I bought them. But, it was the real deal. And, it felt special to get front row at regular price. I'll probably never get them again...cause unless you spend the bucks per a broker...it's very hard to land them. It was even hard back in the old days when you stood in line and bought them in person...cause you may be first in line at one location and there are hundreds of other locations where someone else is first in line. That is...if you were even lucky enough to be first in line.

It was so surreal having noone in front of you but the band and being able to make eye contact with them. There is nothing like it.

 

Oh, I can think of something.

How bout having the guys walk right by you on their way to or from the stage?

God, I loved working as local crew for a lot of the big shows! :grin::grin:

 

That's fleeting, man. I'll take my 3 hours to your two seconds.

 

Yes, but I'm too embarrassed to say which band.

 

Lol, I suppose I shouldnt mention the time when we were in catering after the Metallica show at the Summit where we came upon the band members kicking back and having a few beers....and we got to sit and chat with them.

Or the time backstage when I ran into Snake Sabo from Skid Row and got to talk to him for a few minutes.

Or.....

 

lol. We get it. You are really cool with lots of access and stuff. And, I'm just a dumbass fan who landed front row by happenstance. :grin:

And, you contributed to James Hetfield's alcoholism problem. Nice! I'm sure I was at that show. Was The Cult opening or Ozzy?

 

N'Sync or Back Street Boys?

 

I had third row seats just off-center to see Jimmy Buffet a few years back when he played Minute Maid Park. I got them via a pre-sale, but can't remember if it was from the Astros or from Margaritaville.

 

LOL

Im just messing around...playing a little game of one-up-manship to waste time at work.

No real offense meant to surf....Id still love to attend a show with both of yall....real diehard fans of our kind of music are few and far between here.

I dont know if its worth it to me anymore, the cost of first row just isnt worth the severe debt I would have to go into to afford it. Thats why I always go with the Hill at the Woodlands.

 

i got a ticket from frontrow once but it was not front row.

 

Do GA standing floor tickets count? If so...

Megadeth
Motorhead
Iron Maiden
Slayer
Alice In Chains
Cypress Hill
DJ Quik
The Civil Wars
Stone Temple Pilots
Clutch
Suicidal Tendencies (actually got on stage with the band)

Good times

 

I thought you would have gotten Front Row seats to YOURSELF. Booooooo!!!!

 

Arena concerts... hmm

Above and Beyond
Ed Banger crew (Busy P, A Trak ,Sebastian, that skinny chick and Justice)
Sebastian Tellier
Maxwell

Metallica, S&M (not with the San Francisco orchestra... but still great)

For festivals I'm normally hallucinating/rolling and don't want to be anywhere near the stage or speakers. Need to get in on some R Kelly, and can't wait for Yanni!

 

By the end of the show, I was pretty wasted as I had my own beer runner. But, not sure I would pay what brokers want for front row. There is a downside to front row and it is you are so close you lose out on the general view of the stage. Plus, even though you are right there, the band is pretty much in their own reality. They are really busy up there so, aside from Geddy checking us out initially when they first came out, it still felt rather impersonal. Plus, whatever side you are on, don't expect to see the other guy on the other side coming over and don't really expect Neil to even look up from his drum kit. The center is the best place to be.

I think the big thing is the sound didn't seem the best and the lack of the overall view of the stage. I will say I rocked harder than anyone on the front row that night and Ged didn't even really acknowledge that when it came time for them to throw out shirts (or he would have given me one).

This next show...I am lower prom on the side real close to Alex and that is good enough for me.