I thought this deserved a thread of its own.

It seems that the price of Pit Tickets this year is comparable with last year’s in U.K. & Europe, which is unusual as tickets tend to be more expensive over there.

The Pits in 2017 & 2018 were great to be in and I was fortunate enough to be there 3 tines last year. With a capacity of approx 500 each side and plenty of space, it was easily possible to walk in with minutes to go and grab a good and very comfortable spot with plenty of space to move around.

However, based on the floor plans we’ve seen so far, the pits look considerably bigger this year, extending to the full width of the stage, which appears to have a long side catwalk at each side. Mick did say that the stage would be modified for this year. Also, the T stage at the end of the catwalk of 2017-18 appears to have been replaced with a round stage similar to 14 on Fire/Hyde Park.

To me a likely preview of this was the final night of last year’s tour in Warsaw where uniquely for the tour, there were Diamond Pits parallel to and to the left and right of the No Filter Pits, each extending to the complete width of the pitch and prices at roughly half of the Pits. Behind that was ‘Gold Standing’ where I stood with my gig buddy for the day, Wild Sliwowitz from the IORR Band.

At an educated guess, for the upcoming tour Dianond and No Filter Pits have been joined together as one on each side, meaning that although Pit Ticket holders will still have the opportunity to get as good spot as last time out, they will have to queue up a bit, run and grab a spot and hold it between entry and showtime and it won’t be the cozy little protected enclave of 500 people that it wad the last 2 years.

All will be revealed in Miami on 20th April of course but definitely something for Pit regulars to be mindful of. At slower selling shows, Lucky Dippers must stand a very good chance of getting in there.

Are you saying I need to que up
‘Round about 7:35 ?

;-)

@grzegorz67 Commented that the Europe pits in 2017-2018 were not that crowded.

I agree regarding 2017, at least in Paris. But I thought the pits were too crowded in 2018, at least for most of the last six concerts. The worst was probably the final concert in Warsaw - the pits were extremely crowded from the front to the back, even the entrance area. Prague wasn't too bad, but Twickenham and Berlin were very packed and even Marseille seemed more packed than Paris in 2017.

If the 2019 pits will be larger with more total fans inside, I agree it will be difficult to get near the center, unless you get in quite early - and even then it will be difficult to leave within an hour before the Stones start and then return to your previous position. It's very unlikely the 2019 pits will be as fan friendly and uncrowded as pits were in previous USA/Canada tours. I'll be happy if they are as uncrowded as the 2017 Europe pits, but I'm expecting them to be more crowded in most cities in 2019.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-02-15 01:01 by IGTBA.

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IGTBA
@grzegorz67 Commented that the Europe pits in 2017-2018 were not that crowded.

I agree regarding 2017, at least in Paris. But I thought the pits were too crowded in 2018, at least for most of the last six concerts. The worst was probably the final concert in Warsaw - the pits were extremely crowded from the front to the back, even the entrance area. Prague wasn't too bad, but Twickenham and Berlin were very packed and even Marseille seemed more packed than Paris in 2017.

If the 2019 pits will be larger with more total fans inside, I agree it will be difficult to get near the center, unless you get in quite early - and even then it will be difficult to leave within an hour before the Stones start and then return to your previous position. It's very unlikely the 2019 pits will be as fan friendly and uncrowded as pits were in previous USA/Canada tours. I'll be happy if they are as uncrowded as the 2017 Europe pits, but I'm expecting them to be more crowded in most cities in 2019.

The pits were certainly getting busier as the tour progressed. I thought Twickenham was fine for space - certainly on Keith’s side. In Manchester it got fuller and fuller as the show progressed. In Warsaw, the Diamond Pit on Ronnie’s side was quite sparse despite being sold out. I wonder where these people went ;D ?

I agree that 2019 is likely to be more crowded there. It all depends on security.

Considering the possibility of the pit being more crowded in '19, even if you are positioned more to the middle, the view/vantage point still has to be awesome, correct?? I am a first timer with the Pit. Thanks.

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BN78
Considering the possibility of the pit being more crowded in '19, even if you are positioned more to the middle, the view/vantage point still has to be awesome, correct?? I am a first timer with the Pit. Thanks.

There are 2 pits. 1 each side of the catwalk. Ronnie's side always has a camera crane swivelling around so Keith's side is usually a better bet. I prefer the back of the catwalk because its height means that if far forward and in the corner, you can only see just over half the stage.

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grzegorz67

There are 2 pits. 1 each side of the catwalk. Ronnie's side always has a camera crane swivelling around so Keith's side is usually a better bet.

Not necessarily - there's a Camera-man, Antenna, Monitor .... see here: [iorr.org] .

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Irix

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grzegorz67

There are 2 pits. 1 each side of the catwalk. Ronnie's side always has a camera crane swivelling around so Keith's side is usually a better bet.

Not necessarily - there's a Camera-man, Antenna, Monitor .... see here: [iorr.org] .

It depends where you are within the Pit. When on Keith's side I was towards the rear near the catwalk both times (Manchester & Twickenham).

But agreed, neither side is perfect. To me, the ideal spot is on the rail at the end of the catwalk where you can see the whole stage unobstructed but usually the early entry package people grab those spots. I was however there in Oslo 5 years ago. Fantastic spot. I was 2nd row on the catwalk behind the early entry mob in Barcelona 2017.

The back of the pit right on the rail is a good shout too because the catwalk ramp is much lower there and you can see both sides of the stage comfortably. I got that in Manchester.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-02-15 15:21 by grzegorz67.

Well the Pit has always gone the full width of the stage as far as I can remember, if only because you access it from the side of the stage. It's very narrow at the beginning of course and I don't know if latecomers end up there sometimes ?

As for placement, well there's no ideal spot. If you want an overall view you'll have to be towards the back, possibly a bit off center to avoir stuff like huge cooling fans or ...Jane Rose moving around on her stool to take pictures with her huge camera ! I did that for Paris I/III in 2017 and it was nice.

For Marseille I was 2nd row right in the angle of the stage/catwalk and that's cool too because it's where you get the maximum time being as close as possible to Mick and Keith -> priceless ! Of course you can't really see the left side of the stage or much of Charlie, but let's be honest, Mick and Keith is where it's at ;-)

--------------
IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

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Irix

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grzegorz67

There are 2 pits. 1 each side of the catwalk. Ronnie's side always has a camera crane swivelling around so Keith's side is usually a better bet.

Not necessarily - there's a Camera-man, Antenna, Monitor .... see here: [iorr.org] .

Exactly right Irix. I have been on the rail 2-3 times Keith's side 8 to 12 persons over from the angle where the front rail joins the catwalk rail/fence and had the damn monitors, the camera guy and I think other equipment partially block the view. Not completely ruin it, but it was quite annoying. And u don't see Ronnie's side of the stage very well, not so much Ronnie himself, but the supporting musicians and sometimes Mick when he wanders over there. Finally, Charlie's damn cymbal mostly blocks your view of him except for a moment after he hits it. I've been on Keith's side 4 times thus far on No Filter, time to try Ronnie's side.


plexi

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grzegorz67

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Irix

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grzegorz67

There are 2 pits. 1 each side of the catwalk. Ronnie's side always has a camera crane swivelling around so Keith's side is usually a better bet.

Not necessarily - there's a Camera-man, Antenna, Monitor .... see here: [iorr.org] .

It depends where you are within the Pit. When on Keith's side I was towards the rear near the catwalk both times (Manchester & Twickenham).

But agreed, neither side is perfect. To me, the ideal spot is on the rail at the end of the catwalk where you can see the whole stage unobstructed but usually the early entry package people grab those spots. I was however there in Oslo 5 years ago. Fantastic spot. I was 2nd row on the catwalk behind the early entry mob in Barcelona 2017.

The back of the pit right on the rail is a good shout too because the catwalk ramp is much lower there and you can see both sides of the stage comfortably. I got that in Manchester.

Who are these early entry people? (I've experienced this on other bands' tours, just don't know how people access this option on Stones tours.)

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Aquamarine

Who are these early entry people?

Maybe those with an VIP-Ticket (StartMeUp-Package) ?

First row Pit Keef side in Southampton.could see every wrinkle on Mick n Keiths faces. Great.could not see the other side.it was better in amsterdam 2017. Also Keef side 4th row in Pit.
Gold circle Edinburgh n Prague.directly behind the Pit. Ronnies side.amazing view all over the stage. If you wanna be real close to the Glimmer Twins arrive early.
Enjoy everyone. You are in for a blast.
Jeroen

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Irix

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Aquamarine

Who are these early entry people?

Maybe those with an VIP-Ticket (StartMeUp-Package) ?

That's exactly who they are ... immediately recognisable because they'll all be carrying their goodie bags containing the various bits and pieces of supposedly 'exclusive' memorabilia that is part of the package !

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

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paulywaul

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Irix

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Aquamarine

Who are these early entry people?

Maybe those with an VIP-Ticket (StartMeUp-Package) ?

That's exactly who they are ... immediately recognisable because they'll all be carrying their goodie bags containing the various bits and pieces of supposedly 'exclusive' memorabilia that is part of the package !

Indeed. They were lined up all the way along the rail of GC in Barcelona so the best I could get after 5 hours of queueing was 2nd row behind them at the end of the catwalk. For the last half hour of the show a group of 3 of them in front of me hit upon the great idea of turning their backs to the stage whenever Mick came down the catwalk. They formed a human wall and took Selfies with Mick right behind them thus blocking the view of about 50 people. Ignoramuses!

I expect there are hundreds of these bags, complete with contents stuffed in cupboards and attics gathering dust all over Europe and beyond.

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grzegorz67

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paulywaul

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Irix

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Aquamarine

Who are these early entry people?

Maybe those with an VIP-Ticket (StartMeUp-Package) ?

That's exactly who they are ... immediately recognisable because they'll all be carrying their goodie bags containing the various bits and pieces of supposedly 'exclusive' memorabilia that is part of the package !

Indeed. They were lined up all the way along the rail of GC in Barcelona so the best I could get after 5 hours of queueing was 2nd row behind them at the end of the catwalk. For the last half hour of the show a group of 3 of them in front of me hit upon the great idea of turning their backs to the stage whenever Mick came down the catwalk. They formed a human wall and took Selfies with Mick right behind them thus blocking the view of about 50 people. Ignoramuses!

I expect there are hundreds of these bags, complete with contents stuffed in cupboards and attics gathering dust all over Europe and beyond.

For sure !

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

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paulywaul

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grzegorz67

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paulywaul

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Irix

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Aquamarine

Who are these early entry people?

Maybe those with an VIP-Ticket (StartMeUp-Package) ?

That's exactly who they are ... immediately recognisable because they'll all be carrying their goodie bags containing the various bits and pieces of supposedly 'exclusive' memorabilia that is part of the package !

Indeed. They were lined up all the way along the rail of GC in Barcelona so the

best I could get after 5 hours of queueing was 2nd row behind them at the end of the catwalk. For the last half hour of the show a group of 3 of them in front of me hit upon the great idea of turning their backs to the stage whenever Mick came down the catwalk. They formed a human wall and took Selfies with Mick right behind them thus blocking the view of about 50 people. Ignoramuses!

I expect there are hundreds of these bags, complete with contents stuffed in cupboards and attics gathering dust all over Europe and beyond.

For sure !

Not mine - they go for a good price on eBay, thus making a small but welcome contribution towards the cost of the Pit!

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johnnythunders

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paulywaul

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grzegorz67

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paulywaul

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Irix

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Aquamarine

Who are these early entry people?

Maybe those with an VIP-Ticket (StartMeUp-Package) ?

That's exactly who they are ... immediately recognisable because they'll all be carrying their goodie bags containing the various bits and pieces of supposedly 'exclusive' memorabilia that is part of the package !

Indeed. They were lined up all the way along the rail of GC in Barcelona so the

best I could get after 5 hours of queueing was 2nd row behind them at the end of the catwalk. For the last half hour of the show a group of 3 of them in front of me hit upon the great idea of turning their backs to the stage whenever Mick came down the catwalk. They formed a human wall and took Selfies with Mick right behind them thus blocking the view of about 50 people. Ignoramuses!

I expect there are hundreds of these bags, complete with contents stuffed in cupboards and attics gathering dust all over Europe and beyond.

For sure !

Not mine - they go for a good price on eBay, thus making a small but welcome contribution towards the cost of the Pit!

Really? I found one earlier and it was on offer at a price of £35GBP with no takers. It included photos of the ‘exclusive’ contents which I found rather underwhelming.

I guess it beckons the question ...are there any pitfalls in the Pit???



ROCKMAN

Pit-Falls abound Rockman

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grzegorz67


The pits were certainly getting busier as the tour progressed. I thought Twickenham was fine for space - certainly on Keith’s side. In Manchester it got fuller and fuller as the show progressed. In Warsaw, the Diamond Pit on Ronnie’s side was quite sparse despite being sold out. I wonder where these people went ;D ?

I agree that 2019 is likely to be more crowded there. It all depends on security.

I was on Keith's side in Twickenham too. Maybe that pit wasn't that crowded at the back? I was by the center walkway about 1/3 of the way from the front. I left after the warm up band to get some food/drink and when I reentered about 5 minutes before the Stones started it was very difficult to get back to my previous spot, where friends were. It was more packed in that area than I remember in any of the 2017 Paris concerts.

For Warsaw, I was on Ronnie's side and it was extremely overcrowded - maybe security let lots of the "Diamond" pit fans into the "No Filter" pit. I had a good spot near the center about 2/3rds of the way back - but I never left once there, because I didn't think I would be able to get back, it was so crowded so early.

For those fans unfamiliar with the Europe 2017-2018 pits, they were definitely worse than the tongue pits in previous arena tours: then the stage was lower (you could see everyone on stage, even from the front rail), the front of the pit was closer to the stage, and those pits were less crowded (except for the first few rows of fans next to the front). Still I believe the pits are the place to be - it's great to be that close to Mick, Keith, and Ronnie - as long as you are ok with standing in the same place for 2-3+ hours and being in a relatively packed crowd, if you go anywhere close to the front or center of the pits.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-02-17 04:08 by IGTBA.

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grzegorz67

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paulywaul

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Irix

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Aquamarine

Who are these early entry people?

Maybe those with an VIP-Ticket (StartMeUp-Package) ?

That's exactly who they are ... immediately recognisable because they'll all be carrying their goodie bags containing the various bits and pieces of supposedly 'exclusive' memorabilia that is part of the package !

Indeed. They were lined up all the way along the rail of GC in Barcelona so the best I could get after 5 hours of queueing was 2nd row behind them at the end of the catwalk. For the last half hour of the show a group of 3 of them in front of me hit upon the great idea of turning their backs to the stage whenever Mick came down the catwalk. They formed a human wall and took Selfies with Mick right behind them thus blocking the view of about 50 people. Ignoramuses!

Thanks for the info, all. I guess I'll be wearing platform soles in the hopes of seeing over some of those heads.

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Rockman
I guess it beckons the question ...are there any pitfalls in the Pit???

I suspect u know the answer to this Rockee - you were in the pit for at least one of the Paris shows, maybe more. Did u fall into any of the pitfalls??!!


plexi

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grzegorz67

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johnnythunders

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paulywaul

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grzegorz67

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paulywaul

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Irix

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Aquamarine

Who are these early entry people?

Maybe those with an VIP-Ticket (StartMeUp-Package) ?

That's exactly who they are ... immediately recognisable because they'll all be carrying their goodie bags containing the various bits and pieces of supposedly 'exclusive' memorabilia that is part of the package !

Indeed. They were lined up all the way along the rail of GC in Barcelona so the

best I could get after 5 hours of queueing was 2nd row behind them at the end of the catwalk. For the last half hour of the show a group of 3 of them in front of me hit upon the great idea of turning their backs to the stage whenever Mick came down the catwalk. They formed a human wall and took Selfies with Mick right behind them thus blocking the view of about 50 people. Ignoramuses!

I expect there are hundreds of these bags, complete with contents stuffed in cupboards and attics gathering dust all over Europe and beyond.

For sure !

Not mine - they go for a good price on eBay, thus making a small but welcome contribution towards the cost of the Pit!

Really? I found one earlier and it was on offer at a price of £35GBP with no takers. It included photos of the ‘exclusive’ contents which I found rather underwhelming.

I remember seeing one that went for something like $125.


plexi

One advantage to being right on the rail is that u r not as subject to losing your spot. All u have to do is just hold onto the rail and not let anyone dislodge u which is fairly easy with a little determination. Just ask Beast, the queen of the rail! Also, no one from the audience blocks your view.


plexi



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-02-17 12:35 by timbernardis.

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timbernardis
One advantage to being right on the rail is that u r not as subject to losing your spot. All u have to do is just hold onto the rail and not let anyone dislodge u which is fairly easy with a little determination. Just ask Beast, the queen of the rail! Also, no one from the audience blocks your view.


plexi

I always aim for the rail, whatever floor section I’m in, for the Stones and other artists. Even if it means being slightly off to the side. It’s very well defined and usually much easier to defend than any other spot. Nice to have something to lean on too .

I was front row for Paul McCartney in Kraków in December in a whole floor GA show with no GC or Pit.

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timbernardis

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Rockman
I guess it beckons the question ...are there any pitfalls in the Pit???

I suspect u know the answer to this Rockee - you were in the pit for at least one of the Paris shows, maybe more. Did u fall into any of the pitfalls??!!


plexi

The only pitfall is that no seat will ever satisfy you after experiencing the pit.

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steffialicia

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timbernardis

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Rockman
I guess it beckons the question ...are there any pitfalls in the Pit???

I suspect u know the answer to this Rockee - you were in the pit for at least one of the Paris shows, maybe more. Did u fall into any of the pitfalls??!!


plexi

The only pitfall is that no seat will ever satisfy you after experiencing the pit.

jeroen

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grzegorz67

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timbernardis
One advantage to being right on the rail is that u r not as subject to losing your spot. All u have to do is just hold onto the rail and not let anyone dislodge u which is fairly easy with a little determination. Just ask Beast, the queen of the rail! Also, no one from the audience blocks your view.


plexi

I always aim for the rail, whatever floor section I’m in, for the Stones and other artists. Even if it means being slightly off to the side. It’s very well defined and usually much easier to defend than any other spot. Nice to have something to lean on too .

I was front row for Paul McCartney in Kraków in December in a whole floor GA show with no GC or Pit.

I saw McCartney there in Kraków, I was up in the LOGE level in one of the VIP complimentary boxes. Was in town, only heard about the show the very same day, went along to the venue, took me all of 10 minutes to score a ticket from someone right outside the place, and what a seat it tuned out to be ! Overlooking stage right with just a slight angle looking towards the stage (so not fully side-on) - and because I bought the ticket about an hour before McCartney was due to take to the stage, got it for about 40 percent less than face value !

As regards pits, if one compares what the pits were like in say 2012 versus 2017/2018 (and it will be the same for 2019) - back then they were smaller, more intimate, the stage was lower, the view was better, and they were definitely less packed. By the time we got to 2018, the pits were a f***ing over-crowded squeeze, with a partly 'restricted' view of the full stage unless you made a point of being mid-way to all the way back. A great concept, but one that has 'gradually' deteriorated over the last few years ..... just my opinion !

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

There's still nothing like being that close to the band, that can't be beaten. But as a location, and for the price, it was better in 2012/2013 - unquestionably !

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]