Sitting at Joe´s concerts (Page 1 of 3)

No  sitting!!!
I want to stand, shout, jump,move, dance etc. I always prefer to stand. If you want to sit then go the the opera!
I'm 54 and still can stand for 5-6 hours. No problem.

If you have problems with standing o.k. but for me Rockers or Bluesrockers stand!!

Eva music I posted today.

Andre Wittebroek.

Good point Eva.  Personally (even though my feet were aching and sore after Amsterdam) I would always prefer to stand, to be able to move around, dance and really get into the music.  I always think that sitting makes you feel you have to be still so as not to disturb anyone next to you or behind/in front of you but standing this doesn't seem to be a problem.  And sitting means you can't march!   

As Geko said, the best solution is having both sitting and standing so people can choose. 

I stand up for standing up at shows!  But in other 10 years or so I might change my mind ...

I've seen him both ways and I prefer to stand.  You need to be able to move a little when you're listening to Joe.  I have tickets to see him in Tampa and Orlando.  Both shows are reserved seating only.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm sure they will be  great shows.  It's just not the same. 

Susan

We like both. Seems like different concerts totally. The crowd in the standing venue seems to get more lively, and we've seen Joe feed off of that and it seems the level of intensity raises. We've also enjoyed the sitting shows, for the above mentioned reasons.

A combination venue or structure would satisfy both.

We went to a standing show several years ago to see a notoriously late starting artist (Guns N Roses) at The Joint inside Hard Rock LV.  Axel came out a couple hours late, so we only made it through about 4 songs before we had to leave due to pain from standing on the slanted concrete. No room to move or breath and a fight to get a drink or go to the restroom. About $800 worth of tickets out the window. Wouldn't do it again.

Something in the mid of these extremes is probably right for us.

PC

you ask me, sitting kills the atmosphere and cripples the energy, almost no exceptions.  yeah the sound coming the stage isnt changed, but the environment is.  for me my feet hurting is a small price to pay for that.  plus after spening many eight hour work days on my feet it isnt as bad.  as for joe wanting more sitting venues i dont know what he means.  maybe i could see where he is coming from since he plays at standing room venues and they set up tables and chair or just chairs.  the exception for when sitting is ok is when it is all reserved seating and is in a theater.  beyond that id rather boogie at a concert than sit there as if i was at a movie theater.  i see where people are coming from on the sitting but dont understand it.  to me a concert is an experience and is worth a little sacrifice of having your feet and/or legs hurt.  i dont have a big problem with other people sitting at concerts except if the person behind you wants to sit and you want to stand, neither of you are doing anything wrong really but you come off looking like a jerk.  now joe playing three hours, that id be willing to sit for id love a longer show from him

For me, it depends on the venue. Since Joe doesn't alter his set list, different venues offer different experiences. The Harrisburg show was in a very nice theater..the seats were comfy and you could chair dance! These venues tend to have better behaved audiences which allows you to hear every little note. It was a beautiful show! I'm so used to standing (I'm a dancing fool) that I assume I'll have to suffer for my fun...Ram's Head Live in Baltimore is a rowdy place. This time they have seats where you normally stand but it's general admission which means I'll have to get there at dawn! But, as I age, I would rather go to fewer shows because I'd rather pay for V.I.P. when it's an option such as blues festivals, because you get the best seats with the least amount of hassles...Cathy

Interesting topic Eva, glad you brought it up. It seems that Joe draws from a very diverse audience. Having been to both seated and stand-up shows, I have mixed feelings.
Pros and cons of each:

GA or stand-up shows - pros: you can usually get the spot near the stage that you want. You also get to be close to the artists and experience the music by being able to see the expressions and emotions as it comes out in the music. For me, being a visually detailed person and a photographer, this adds an extra dimension to the show and is what I try to capture in my photos. I think this is why DVD's of the live shows are so popular. I think you connect with the energy of the artists when you are up close and personal. 

The negative side of the GA or stand-up shows: I am short, if I am not in the very front, I can't see. All of the stand up shows I have been at have allowed the drinks to flow free all evening. I can tell you that I do not enjoy having beer and other drinks slopped all over me because some drunk insists on holding their drink over their head while pumping thier arms up in the air. As a few who have attended some shows with me know, I am very protective of my camera! I am ashamed to say what would happen to the poor person who dumped their beer on my camera! Hopefully this will never be an issue, as I am not a fighter. Also it seems that at a standing show, by no choice of your own, you wind up mashed into the stage because someone  who did not arrive early enough thinks that they are entitled to be at the stages edge. I think it is rude; I get in line early to get a prime spot in front of the stage and then once the show starts some think that they can just work their way to the front. At a couple of shows I was pushed forward so much that my knees were actually over the stage by several inches. It provided some unique angles for photos, but was almost too close! I could have tuned Joe's guitar for him while he was playing it!

Seated shows - pros: The audiences seem to be much better behaved or well mannered. It almost seems to me that the seated shows draw a different type of audience. You have a guaranteed seat. If you cannot get in line early it is not a problem. At a seated show, everyone has a good view of the stage. Seated shows generally allow all ages which is nice for those of us who have kids and want to see Joe.

The negative side of the seated show: You don't get the intimate experience of the artist as they experience what they are playing. You don't get to see the expressions and the emotions. This to me adds another dimension to the music. Also, the audience seems to be a bit more passive. Although you might have a good view of the stage, if your tickets are for the balcony, unless you bring binoculars, I think you miss out on a dimension of the music.

My husband and I experience shows/concerts differently. I prefer to be at the edge of the stage. He prefers to be in the back somewhere. I tell him that I experience the music and he listens to the music.

Just my observation but the stand-up shows tend to draw more of the beer drinking, screaming, chatty, rowdy type of crowd who are out for a good night of drinkin' and dancin' and the seated shows tend to draw a better behaved more (for a lack of better words) sophisticated crowd. Maybe it is related to the availability of alcohol at the shows?

I did not get to go to the Davenport show but from what Patty told me they had these awesome big monitors set up so that everyone had a close-up view of the stage. Now that would be the best of both worlds, a seated show and a closeup view that the spot at the edge of the stage provides.

In the photos of the past couple of shows that I have photographed from the side of the stag I have noticed that at the standing shows the audience is into the music. Maybe because the audience can move around more? The audience at the seated shows have a glazed over look, maybe they are just in awe?

Possible solution? Maybe to have a primarily seated show with standing behind and to the sides of the seated areas but with some big screens of monitors that allows the audience to experience the up and close feeling?

~Rhonda

Tough call. Do I consider my feet which at my age start aching after about an hour of standing or do I go with my brain which wants to be right up front experiencing the sound and sight of Joe?

I'd have to say that if Joe wants to do more theaters, then I have to work harder to get front row seats.