The next person with a lawnchair...

[Booche]

I cant post my own fucking pictures Bradley, thank you very much!

[bradm]

I cant post my own fucking pictures Bradley, thank you very much!

Of course. How silly of me. [voice=Emily Latilla]Never mind[/voice].

Aloha,

Brad

[phorbesie]

I had a bold idea last night.

We get a team of 6-12 people and show up really early to setup about 20 or so lawnchairs at the front of BOTH stages.

Then we sell each seat with a number (like a coat check) to someone for the day. $40/seat. We stay on guard in shifts and watch the chairs and the space all around them all day to create a cozy atmosphere.

That would make a bunch of money to pay for some advertisement in the citizen to run for next year calling out for change.

I wanted to make t-shirts this year but my wedding and honeymoon kept my head out of planning for that.

ugh. this idea makes me sick bouche, sorry

[ollie]

Bluesfest has a wikipedia page! Who wants to add "The Great Lawnchair Debate" section?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Bluesfest

[NewRider]

Maybe it's just me but I would just stand in someone's way even though they told me I couldn't. They're not the boss of me. Then while they were whining about me standing in front of them I would totally fart!

[NewRider]

I've done this before on the lawn at the Molson Amphitheater and seeing the Stones. On the lawn I just say "if you wanted a seat you should have paid for one, this is general admission. At Stones shows I tell 'em "when Celine Dion comes out, I'll sit down." Maybe it's not very nice but I go to see a show and enjoy it. If people are too lazy, old or decomposed to stand up in a FESTIVAL atmosphere then stay fucking home.

[PalacePrincess]

i can tell you right now, these are FAR more annoying for the wearer than the bystander, especially in crowds, and especially in outdoor locations. and yes, i am speaking from experience.

hula hoops could be hugely annoying though. imagine trying to watch a show from your chair & you keep getting dinged in the head. hahaha that makes me laugh.

can't you recruit some wooks to patchouli-b.o.-stenchy-and-spin-spin-spin the chairs away?

[NewRider]

can't you recruit some wooks to patchouli-b.o.-stenchy-and-spin-spin-spin the chairs away?

I've officially started my own business!

[bradm]

i can tell you right now, these are FAR more annoying for the wearer than the bystander, especially in crowds, and especially in outdoor locations.

I'll bet they're pretty inconvenient in at least one indoor location, too...

Aloha,

Brad

[mattm]

I emailed the guy too, before reading about him being out of the office, and of course I got the same response.

Man, this totally kills my enjoyment of the festival. There is SO much wasted space with the lawn chairs and they are dangerous, even folded up. If you're walking through the crowd you often can't look all over the place and it's very easy to trip on the chairs especially if they are folded up.

I don't understand why they are allowed at all. Blankets are fine for sitting and concerts outdoors in a field are fine for standing. It doesn't hurt that much.

The thing that gets me the most is that I read the newspaper and listen to the radio and they talk about all sorts of things but I hear virtually nothing about the lawn chair situation. They talk about how big the crowd is but it's really 2/3 the size you see.

When the people stand and keep the chairs up, it kills me.

Whatever anyone decides to do, I'm in. Panphlets, cool, shirts, cool, smash chairs, I'll do it if others do (don't want to hit jail alone).

Why don't we make an area for ourselves. Instead of bouches idea of selling chairs, why don't we pick an area and own it. The early people start setting up blankets and stuff there and as more people come in, we crowd it more. There's more than enough of us (including board members and their friends that might not be on the board). United we stand, divided we fall, fits perfect here.

Anyway, that's it for me now or I'll get too worked up and I don't want to be too pissed off for Bela (I will not matter what with the chairs so thinking about them now is not a good idea).

Cheers and lets make a scene this year, email the newspapers, bug whoever we can. Can someone put a list of email addresses or phone numbers on here to call/email?

[Velvet]

I just spoke to a reporter at the Citizen. She was speaking to a Bluesfest organiser and as of tonight there will designated lawnchair areas, but they will be unenforced.

Keep your language clean now, I pointed her to this thread.

[phorbesie]

i hope there will be a map or soemthing showing the marked area. hope it works!!

[mattm]

Citizen letter to the editor, fire them off:

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html

Remember, though, as Velvet states above, be polite and outline your concern if you wish to contact anyone. Civility will pay off, harassment most likely will not.

Have fun and hope to see you all tonight at Bela (please don't rain )

Edited July 6, 2007 by Guest

[Velvet]

I'm really glad that the paper has decided to cover this story. Kudos to them for the aknowledgement.

[mattm]

Same here. That's one of my biggest disappointments: The media seems to have no clue and often it's the media that decides things or forces decisions to be made. Kudos to the citizen.

[gentlemonkey]

Esentially, we've all paid the same amount, so we should all be entitled to the same amount of space. If there isnt enough space to allow a lawnchair's worth of grass for every person, they should not be permitted at all. Definitley not in front of the soundboard when 25000 people are squished along the sides trying to get a glimpse.

Last night, I was picturing some disguntled music fan hotwiring one of those artillary tanks on display at the war museum, and bulldozing the chairs into the River. I wonder if they'd get out of their seats if they saw a machine of war coming at them.

[bagochips]

There was already one letter to the editor in today's Citizen regarding the chair shituation. But really, you know, it has been like this for years and I will be extremely surprised if it ever changes.

[AD]

I wonder if they'd get out of their seats if they saw a machine of war coming at them.

They wouldn't even stand for a Master Of War (har har har)

[AD]

copy every letter you write to the head of security at bluesfest, customer relations if that position exists (i'm a paying customer - i should be listened to and responded to), and Mark Monahan, executive director or head cheese or whatever his title is.

[gentlemonkey]

ba doom-pssh!

[Velvet]

I just thought of a way the unenforced segregation can work. On the no-lawnchairs side of the soundboard tent put a big, and I mean big no-lawnchairs sign. On the opposite side put a sign indicating lawnchairs are allowed. If someone is sitting in a lawnchair on the standing side, there's just no way they could keep sitting there if you could just point to an obvious sign indicating they are in the wrong spot. It's a strength in numbers thing. If they know their rights, the standing side will easily self-enforce the rule.

Essentially, in the areas that it will be an issue, just post the info where everyone can plainly see it.

[mattm]

Just found that letter and kudos again to the citizen for publishing it.

[ollie]

Last night, I was picturing some disguntled music fan hotwiring one of those artillary tanks on display at the war museum, and bulldozing the chairs into the River. I wonder if they'd get out of their seats if they saw a machine of war coming at them.

This should go in the Dylan thread but I just realized that the context of playing Masters of War right outside the War Museum was completely lost on me. Whoa, dude.

[AD]

as of tonight there will designated lawnchair areas, but they will be unenforced.

so they'll be unenforced, that's silly. are there designated standing areas too? can both groups get close to the stage? how far back to they go? i hope not just to the soundboard.

the big sign idea works, but if it's unenforced is it even going to be announced? sounds pretty sloppy to me so far. i'll hold of more judgement til tonight.

dear citizen reporter that might be viewing this - please bring this story to light. nobody reads letters to the editor, and nobody responds in years past from the bluesfest office. many paying customers of the festival are not happy - bluesfest should be aiming to make everyone happy, or they are failing.

[phorbesie]

just looking around online and there are citizen articles dating back to 2002 about how the festival is planning to have designated sections. i'll believe it when i see it. quote from citizen july 2002: Mr. Monahan indicated that organizers are now looking into designating certain areas at this weekend's shows as either lawn chair-only or standing-room-only sections.

Edited July 6, 2007 by Guest