Advice for first timer, please!!

[OBXLover]

I'm a LONG time JB fan, but have never been in the position to attend a concert- usually way to far away from my locale. This year I'm thinking of traveling to Pittsburgh show(6/23), and tickets go on sale 2/9, so guessing I need to make plans soon! Can anyone offer advice as to how quickly it will sell out, best seating, how early to get there to experience the day, and any other help you can give!
Thanks!!

[FruitcakeOnBoard]

I've been to Pittsburgh last three years. Last year as this year the concert is on a Tuesday which will cause less demand for tickets. Last year the lawn sold out pretty much immediately, and it took much longer for the reserved seats to sell out. This year we're switching from TM to LN for ticketing, so it may be a while for the tickets to sell out Who knows,

If you can tell me where you want to sit, I can probably give you more info.

The parking lot opened at 3 last year, I think, some one more sober can probably give an accurate time. You must go early and tailgate, and walk the lots to get a picture of PH culture

[OBXLover]

Thanks for the reply! I guess the problem is that since I don't know the venue, I'm not sure where the best plave to sit would be. Suggestions???

[mood for today]

the concert is more about fun with the people along with the music. this is why the lawn seats sell out quickly......any seat is fine.......not much of a crazy stage show to need to sit up close. enjoy......... it's about summer music in a summer setting

[drob27]

I would say get there early the day of the concert, half the fun of the show is the tailgating and hainging out with other Parrotheads before the concert!

[A1A-Keet]

I'm a LONG time JB fan, but have never been in the position to attend a concert- usually way to far away from my locale. This year I'm thinking of traveling to Pittsburgh show(6/23), and tickets go on sale 2/9, so guessing I need to make plans soon! Can anyone offer advice as to how quickly it will sell out, best seating, how early to get there to experience the day, and any other help you can give!
Thanks!!

Gets seats quick, try going for the cheaper seats first, party like hell,party enough but to the point where you can still remember it.

[A1A-Keet]

And for sure get there early, half the fun is in the pre concert parties. ah,good times.

[parrothead216]

OBX Pittsburgh is a great place to see Jimmy, But it is actually outside of Pittsburgh about 30 minutes. Back toward Ohio!

The Parking lot is one of the best on the tour. Lot's of fun. A lot of the bars from the area will have areas set up with flags telling the world what bar they are! People will start coming as early as possible, so check with the venue as to the time they will open the gates.

If you are coming alone, no worries, the Parrothead Nation will quickly adopt you. If you are into drinking, remember the party before is only the start. Pace yourself!

As for tickets, The Post Gazette has a capacity of about 25,000 if I remember. So there are lots of lawn seats. The pavilion is covered except for the last section of seats. If the weather is great any place in the venue will be a good place to experience your first concert! If your young.....the party is on the lawn. The Pavilion seats go fairly fast and the secondary market can be expensive. But tickets are very often available close to the show for face and sometimes under. Because Pittburgh has a lot of corporate headquarters and companies that buy season tickets, it is sometime hard to get really good seats without paying a bundle.

Remember it is outside.....if the weather is iffy...... bring along a rain poncho or other protective gear! We have been in the second row at this venue, with water almost up to our ankles when it poured rain!! But the crowd just pulled out the rain gear and the show went on.

Getting out can take some time even though the venue is very close to the freeway. It can be very confusing at night especially if you have been drinking. If you leave before the show is over , you will miss a lot of the traffic, but after the show can just be a continuation of the party!! I recommend you bring some extra beverages( non-alcoholic) and food and just let the traffic trickle down. Always have a designated driver, please!

If you are coming from out of town and staying in the area...look over in the who's going thread for some info about where everyone is staying and partying before and after the show!!

Here's a link:

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=74746



Finally, enjoy the show! You will only be a concert "Virgin" once! You will just be amazed at what fun it all will be!

[A1A-Keet]

Finally, enjoy the show! You will only be a concert "Virgin" once! You will just be amazed at what fun it all will be!

Who doesn't remember their first time? LOL!

[FruitcakeOnBoard]

So did you get tickets???? If not, they're still plenty of time to get them without paying the inflated costs.

[OBXLover]

Thanks for all the info! I did get tickets, although I had lots of trouble trying to purchase on-line through TM- I was on at 10:00, and got bumped off my first attempt. The 2nd time the "Q" for waiting for seats to process just froze up- 3 minute wait became 45 until I finally gave up after calling LN and talking to a human. Ended up with decent (I think) pavillion seats- section 6 right after the "preferred seats". So it's all good!! It will be my b-day, which makes it extra sweet. Been waiting a looooong time to attend a JB concert, so I'm psyched to say the least. The venue info shows it opening at 6:30, but I'm guessing the parking lot fun begins much earlier (I hope). Trying to make arrangements to come in a day early so I have lots of time to take in the PH experience! I currently have a reservation for concert night at the Comfort Inn in Oakdale (?), near the airport I guess. Pretty good deal, so hope it's an ok place. Any other info that anyone wants to share would ba appreciated!
Thanks PH nation!

[A1A-Keet]

Thanks for all the info! I did get tickets, although I had lots of trouble trying to purchase on-line through TM- I was on at 10:00, and got bumped off my first attempt. The 2nd time the "Q" for waiting for seats to process just froze up- 3 minute wait became 45 until I finally gave up after calling LN and talking to a human. Ended up with decent (I think) pavillion seats- section 6 right after the "preferred seats". So it's all good!! It will be my b-day, which makes it extra sweet. Been waiting a looooong time to attend a JB concert, so I'm psyched to say the least. The venue info shows it opening at 6:30, but I'm guessing the parking lot fun begins much earlier (I hope). Trying to make arrangements to come in a day early so I have lots of time to take in the PH experience! I currently have a reservation for concert night at the Comfort Inn in Oakdale (?), near the airport I guess. Pretty good deal, so hope it's an ok place. Any other info that anyone wants to share would ba appreciated!
Thanks PH nation!

Have fun!

[GreatHeart82]

The venue info shows it opening at 6:30, but I'm guessing the parking lot fun begins much earlier (I hope).

Don't believe what the venue says as far as what time the gates open. And you might see warnings in the local newspaper or on TV about staying away until the gates open. They've been saying that for at least the past three years and people still show up well before that. The venue is just off the exit ramp of a major highway and when the line of cars starts backing up onto the freeway, they open the gates. Last year I believe it was around 3:00 as someone else mentioned above.

Have fun!

[Big Green PH]

Finally, enjoy the show! You will only be a concert "Virgin" once! You will just be amazed at what fun it all will be!

Who doesn't remember their first time? LOL!

That takes me back. My first show was actually at Post Gazette, back when I was 16 or so and living in Cleveland. We had to sleep in the parking lot, under my car, for a few hours until we could drive back. I've since learned that arriving 6 - 8 hours before the gates open is better than 1 hour before...

My best advice: if you're think you are going over the top with tailgate and party-prep, you're probably only halfway there

[MDShark70]

I'm always surprised when people say Star Lake is one of the best parking lots on the tour. Don't get me wrong, I love the venue itself, it seems a bit more intimate than some of the others but the parking lot is a real pain in the rear in my experience. They always want to fight the crowd about when to open the gates and by the time they decide to do so vehicles that had been lined up along the roads come rushing in all at once, completely overwhelming the parking lot attendants. Last year we waited and waited for the lots to open and when they did we were in pretty quick but got stuck in that lot right out by the road which is separated from everything else. Maybe it's just me but I think they could improve the whole situation if they would just say we're going to open the lots at noon and let people trickle in. But what do I know?

[Dezdmona]

PACE YOURSELF!

[GreatHeart82]

They always want to fight the crowd about when to open the gates and by the time they decide to do so vehicles that had been lined up along the roads come rushing in all at once, completely overwhelming the parking lot attendants. Last year we waited and waited for the lots to open and when they did we were in pretty quick but got stuck in that lot right out by the road which is separated from everything else. Maybe it's just me but I think they could improve the whole situation if they would just say we're going to open the lots at noon and let people trickle in. But what do I know?

Good point, and I forgot about that. We moved pretty quickly once they opened the gates, headed to the back lots behind the stage, then sat in our cars for about 20-25 minutes while they....well I don't know what they were doing. We were pretty irate by the time we parked. Fortunately the palm trees, flowered shirts, cocnut bras, parrots and music brought us back in line and everyone calmed down to have fun. But yes, they could handle it a little better by just opening earlier.