AD Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 phorbesie, can you send me the text of the flyer? i don't feel like copying it out off the flyer. also, has anyone sent one of the flyers to the papers yet? that should happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_rawk Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 the lawnchair only area is totally ass-backwards - they are excluding standers and are giving MORE room to people with lawnchairs, as the other side at the front is still open to lawnchair people as well as whatever standers can get in between them. put in a standing only section!!!Agreed .. I guess now you can politely remind people that there is an area set aside for them, for all the good that it would do ...This idea that lawnchairs take up the space of 2-3 people is absurd. They take up the space of 10-20 people, because the people sitting in them demand not only the space that the chair+gear takes up, but also an unobstructed view in front of them.I'm sympathetic to the need to have a good sit down now and again, but you can't expect a decent sightline when you do it. You're making a trade off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Evil_Mouse Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 Go Velvet - point well made about the riskiness of it all. I also loved this guy's line:"I think it has to do with the number of government people. Perhaps they're used to sitting in cubicles and having a little space for themselves," he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted July 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 I decided to bite the bullet and copy it out for you AD. Here's the text of the flyer:Welcome to another awesome Bluesfest! Let’s make it fun for everyone.1. Enjoy music with other music lovers! We must share the space and show respect for the artists as well as other patrons by not interfering with the performance and other people. 2. Lawn chairs and their owners force standers into pathways that should remain clear for paramedics and ease of movement for all festival goers. 3. A lawn chair takes up the space of 2 or 3 standing people (2x that for the big recliner chairs). If its occupant stands for a time and does not fold down the chair, add 1. Please stop and think about how much space you are using.4. A festival setting is not the same as a seated theatre - specific seats and therefore sight-lines are not reserved. People are allowed to stand to enjoy the concert wherever they please, just as the current rules allow for sitters to sit wherever they please. A person can not "own" a large portion of the site. It’s not a private show or a living room. Yelling or throwing things at standers is not appropriate behaviour.5. Performers will play better if the audience is engaged (ie. standing up, energetic). There is give and take involved! 6. Lawn chairs and blankets can be easily folded up and carried, then used if a person wishes to sit for a time. The owner must understand that sitting means their view will of course be limited! If you want to sit for the whole show, please be polite and move back.7. There were meant to be separate sections for lawnchairs and standing this year, which was a great idea for all of us. Since it doesn’t seem to have been co-ordinated yet, we have to all co-exist. Please be kind to others who are trying to enjoy the music! If you’re sitting, you can’t expect a perfect view. 8. If you are injured or truly must sit, there is a handicapped section with a good view. Thank you for reading! If you are already a kind, courteous lawn chair owner, then thanks for setting a good example! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 The whole sitting thing between acts is ludicrous. there is perfectly fine grass at the bottom of their feet. also that whole 'old people need to sit' business is killing me. have a look around at the age range of people in chairs. there aren't a whole lot of old foagies out there. these are able bodied adults that are causing the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chameleon Posted July 7, 2007 Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 Nice one Velvet, I'm gonna print a few out for when I come in from the T-Dot on Tuesday... Bitchin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Posted July 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 Again, I deserve no credit for the flyer. I merely typed out it's contents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_rawk Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 The segregation was actually playing out pretty darn well tonight. Lawn chairs on one side of the fence in the "sitting only" area, standing folk on the other. I can't help but think that there is something regressive about it all, but it works.Someone texted (is that a verb now? and if so, am I even young enough to use it?) a msg to the big screen along the lines of "lawn chairs suck", which received a round of applause. Someone else added "if you can't stand people standing [drawk's note: that's actually kinda clever] don't come to a live show". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 I'm sympathetic to the need to have a good sit down now and again, but you can't expect a decent sightline when you do it. You're making a trade off.The whole sitting thing between acts is ludicrous. There is perfectly fine grass at the bottom of their feet.Pure gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_rawk Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 Why?I sit on the grass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamilton Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 No, I meant you guys are making perfect sense, which is what the lawnchair people aren't doing. They want to have their cake and eat it, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 CAN YOU SHUT UP FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE AND HAVE SOME FUN??????? Oops. Sorry. Wrong discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 If one were to put together a package of photos of lawnchair "scenarios" as bouche described, along with a copy of the flyer and a note explaining why you're undertaking this campaign, I can give it to Monahan because his trailer is right next to my stage area. I do think he's receptive to this kind of feedback mechanism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggo Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 maybe we all just want to let this thread die now, but i wanted to point out one thing - also that whole 'old people need to sit' business is killing me. have a look around at the age range of people in chairs. there aren't a whole lot of old foagies out there. these are able bodied adults that are causing the problem.... there are lots of young people out there that have health issues which might not be obvious or visible to others. that being said, health problems or no, nobody needs to act like a dick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YearsAlongTheSea Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 Jardin Chaises sound like fun. Are there prizes? I must have missed this last year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 I can't resist one more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_rawk Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 No, I meant you guys are making perfect sense ... Ahhhhh, gotcha. I must've been getting surly from much Bluesfest drink. I understood your affirmation as an attack Any good stories re: the pamphlets? We had a couple of the survey folk reading them and they seemed impressed. Wondering what the reaction has been from the frothing-at-the-mouth lawn chair crowd .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattm Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Just read the citizen this morning. I notice they printed a letter from AD with the flyer stuff and my letter as well (after noticing that we smoke 4 times more weed than the rest of the rich countries). Buddy Guy was pretty good last night but the chairs had me again. For one there was a big section near the front, could have fit around 40 - 60 people but instead had 8 lawn chairs (one a recliner). Then I got hit in the ass with one. I also saw one guy kick on of the wooden ones by accident and almost trip then 10 minutes later some guy did trip, on a folded chair sitting carelessly on the ground. Alright, enough for me, moe. time, woo hoooo!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 here's my letter and matt's. there were 3 or 4 other letters regarding chairs in today's Citizen as wellTaking a stand at BluesfestThe Ottawa CitizenPublished: Tuesday, July 10, 2007Re: Lawn chair area aims to quell squabbling, July 7.The creation of a new lawn-chair-only section at Ottawa Bluesfest would be much more welcome if it was further back and a standing-only section was created, too.Now, people who wish to stand and enjoy themselves have even less space to do so. This sends a terrible message to the artists. Radio Bemba, which is Manu Chao's band, was begging the crowd on the sitting side to get involved.Thank goodness the sitters there were overrun with people actually having a good time.Many artists have commented from the stage about the strange Ottawa-only habit of sitting at the front of the concert field. I have heard that some blues artists won't return to Ottawa because of the rude, seated reception they have received.Imagine how the artists feel, putting all their energy into a performance, then looking out at the lawn-chair section, a mass of disinterested, unaffected, seemingly lifeless bodies.A group of concerned blues fans like myself has distributed flyers at Bluesfest with these guidelines:- Enjoy music with other music lovers. We must share the space and show respect for the artists as well as other patrons by not interfering with the performance and other people.- Lawn chairs and their owners force standers into pathways that should remain clear for paramedics and ease of movement for all festival-goers.- A lawn chair takes up the space of two or three standing people. Please think about how much space you are using.- A festival setting is not the same as a seated theatre -- specific seats and sightlines are not reserved. A person cannot "own" a large portion of the site.- Performers will play better if the audience is engaged by an energetic, standing crowd.- If you must sit for health reasons, there is a handicapped section with a good view, as well as the gold circle areas.If you are already a courteous lawn-chair owner, then thanks for setting a good example!Alan Dodson, OttawaStill problemsThe Ottawa CitizenPublished: Tuesday, July 10, 2007For the first time since I've been attending Bluesfest, they had a separate section for lawn chairs, about 400 on Saturday. This seems like a good solution.The only problem: The chairs were not confined to this section. People were still setting up their chairs, but if they did so in an undesignated area, they would get no help from security if their view was blocked.The lawn-chair situation is completely out of control. A big chunk of crowding could be reduced if there were no lawn chairs. People could move around, including emergency personnel who have to fight their way through.Each lawn chair takes up about the space of two people. If the person decides to stand (as 90 per cent do for most of the bigger acts), then they are taking up enough space to accommodate three or more people.Some lawn chairs seem to take up the space of five people. This leaves very little room for standing. If one chooses to stand in front of a sitter, one will most likely get spoken to rudely or have beer poured on them -- definitely not polite responses.I wish organizers could come up with a viable solution -- either lawn-chair sections or an outright ban -- although I don't think the latter would be necessary if proper thought were put into this.Matthew Marion, Ottawa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Good work guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavetothegroove Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Yes definite good work guys, getting the word out there. Yeah and regarding that picture Matt posted of the guy with the lawnchair and his feet reclined up, there was also his wife with a foot rest, and about 8 other people spread around them in their massive chairs. I don't know if any of you were at Buddy Guy last night but it was pretty damn packed for the river stage. At one point there were about 7 people in wheelchairs that wanted to get by through the crowd, and this mass of people sitting in lawchairs would barely move to let them through. That made me so upset. I finally folded up someones huge lawchair and umbrella that was just sitting there unused and I swear 6 or 7 people made it up closer just from that very spot. We should start rebelling and doing that. If you clearly see an unused lawn chair and it's owner may very well be near by or not, just fold it up and say "Well your clearly not using it and there are a large amount of people who want to see this show too. Set it aside until you need it." Just my two cents.Steph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggo Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 some people in front of me did that at manu chao - they left their two chairs out for at least a good hour while people packed in to the front area. someone folded up their chairs and BOY were they mad when they came back! i handed a flyer to one of the people arguing with them, they liked it a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backbacon Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Geez, really looks like this guy has a sweet view! I think I would have pretended to bump into his chair and pour a bunch of water all over his stupid socks so he would feel uncomfortable and eff off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phorbesie Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 i think he's asleep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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