For context: The last concert for this artist that I went to, I followed the fan numbering. I got there early and I got #8 and my friend got #9. Absolutely no one followed it and I got a less-than-ideal spot because of it.
I went to a concert over the weekend. I had the most expensive VIP package, it’s the only way you can get barricade. The email from the VIP team said that no one was allowed to start lining up before 2:30. I show up at 2:20 and there were already 30? people sitting down. I go to the end of the line and sit down. I start chatting with the girl next to me and she also came by herself so we decided that means we must stick together. After a while she goes to buy early merch and on her way back she gets given a wristband with a number on it. The lady then comes down to give me one since my friend told her I didn’t get one either. This was about an hour after I had shown up, and she had been giving wristbands out during that time.
I told her I didn’t want a wristband because no one ever follows them and it’s pointless. She made me take one regardless. I was a decently high up number. After we were waiting, the staff comes out to give us instructions. My friend and I gather close to hear them give instructions. She says fan numbered wristbands will not be honored (as it also stated in the email they put out) She said that they would number us starting from a certain spot, where me and my friend were standing.
They had lined up wrong so a bunch of them were on the wrong side of the doors. They immediately said "guys, lets all agree to honor the wristbands, my daughters been here since 5am." 5am??? Why would the venue let them line up that early when they explicitly said it wasn’t allowed. Everyone starts backing up to form the start of the line, but my friend and I stayed right there. It was explicitly said the wristbands wouldn’t be honored, and I don’t feel like I should be punished for showing up when it told me to. I also spent the same amount of money as them. Also why are we suddenly now following the numbers when the previous tour these same people cut in front of me because they could.
The people next to us kept loudly saying that those who wouldn’t go back have no integrity and are shitty people. The organizers immediately said, "if I hear any bullying, bad mouthing or see any shoving I’ll send you to the end of the line." They shut up, but when the organizers came to give us their numbered wristbands, I held up my ticket to get mine. The people next to me started protesting that I skipped everyone in line and was never there in the first place. My friend and I explained that we had be standing there the whole time and never skipped anyone. We had arrived when it said to. The organizer said she didn’t believe us but gave us wristbands anyway.
I ended up getting barricade and during the preparty the one group was super nasty every time they saw us (even though they got a lower number than me through the venue numbering).
So, AITA?
NTA at all sounds like you played by the rules while everyone else was just being whiny, and it’s not your fault they can’t respect the system like, if they didn’t want to risk it, they should’ve followed the same guidelines!
I don’t really fully understand the details or rules, but if you were following the venue rules as stated I don’t see how you’re an asshole. It sounds like a total clusterfuck. If I’m paying VIP rates I would not want to be dealing with logistics that the organizers should deal with imo.
NTA
Play by the rules, don’t feel bad at all for those who do not. They deserve to lose out.
Um, what?
NTA fun numbered wristbands ate stupid
ESH – You getting burned in the past sucks, them not following the rules sucks, the venue being a disorganized mess sucks
I don’t fully understand what’s going on but I think I got the gist and yeah everyone deserves this
NTA.
You followed organizers’ instructions.
People who don’t like these instructions should take their issues to the organizers, not to you.
I can’t claim I fully understood this, but there seem to be at least two if not three different systems in play for deciding who gets to go in first, and the organizers are all over the place and giving conflicting info about which system they are going to use. So I don’t think that OP did anything wrong but I can’t say I blame these other people who were upset because the system they used turned out not to be the chosen one in the end. Obviously the disorganized organizers created a huge CF and are the real AH’s here. However, by the rules of AITA the conflict can’t be with a business or its representatives, so the only judgeable conflict here is between OP and the other people waiting. So weirdly my verdict comes out to NAH.
I’m so lost. This makes no sense to me
They do everything they can to take the fun out of going to shows any more. On every level anybody thinks they can wrest an ounce of personal power out of.
NTA.
The venue explicitly said no lining up before 2:30 and that fan wristbands would not be honored. You followed the official rules. The people who showed up at 5am chose to gamble on an unofficial fan system that the venue had already said didn’t count.
It’s not “integrity” to demand everyone else reward you for ignoring the stated instructions. It’s entitlement.
Also, the irony of them calling you dishonest when they lined up early against venue policy is… a lot.
You didn’t cut. You stood where staff said the line would begin. The organizers backed that up. The nastiness afterward just sounds like sour grapes because they didn’t get their way.
Hard to follow but basically this is a numbering system attendees made up on their own, that is in no way endorsed by the venue or artist? Then definitely NTA.