I haven't been to shows like this in decades, and was also in a bit of culture shock! I do know some of this comes with the territory. And I also met many wonderful generous kind people! (Did I mention the free mushrooms?) And the music ... the music ... the music ...The usual stoners/drunkies weren't the problem (Geez, I got puked on at my first Dead concert (Roosevelt Stadium, NJ, 76) my boyfriend went bare chested for the rest of the show, thankfully it was a hot August day.) I sensed an overall edginess I've never seen before. (Perhaps because the entire world is on edge these days?) Lots of little things, but it added up to a Shoreline vibe that wasn't as chilled as I had hoped for, and at times, felt quite aggressive and uneasy.
A noticeable number of my attempts to have a casual conversation were rudely rebuffed (ignored, walked away from, car door (with "Deadhead" plates!) pretty much shut in my face) Of course, you can't know how other people are feeling, etc, but the fact that we even noted this attitude more than a few times, and from a certain older demographic, was slightly demoralizing.
I saw 2.5 unpleasant altercations on Shakedown among vendors (I ran away at the first sounds, so not sure how far it escalated). Seemed to be older established vendors with big set ups going on about "you're in my space" (there was plenty of space!) to kids trying to sell a few bits and bobs.
But as Griff said, crowding and talking, along with phone usage, were big enough problems that at times made it hard for me to focus on the music. Incessant talking! I was horizontal at one point zoning out to an incredible jam, only to overhear a teenaged conversation behind me about poop. And it wasn't just the kids. Constant distracting chatter, didn't matter if the band was singing, jamming or blowing kisses. When this has happened in the stands, there's usually room to just move away. But this wasn't possible where we were at Shoreline.
Which leads to the crowding, the main reason I don't do pit/floor tickets any more. Back in the day, if you were on the field, especially close to the stage, the trade off was you were pretty much stuck - you stayed where you were for the whole show. But I was surprised to find it just as crowded on large parts of the lawn.
The first night we got in late and were near the top, couldn't see the screen or the stage. The second night we were about 1/3 - 1/2 up near the edge of the screen. (Only one screen - one or two more would have really helped and spread people out.) We tried to settle ourselves in a reasonable but comfortable way, forming a lovely tribe with our neighbors. By show time, the area was crowded, but we generally had space to dance around and maneuver.
But there was also no easy way to get across the densely packed bottom half of the lawn. Which led to a continuous stream of people trying to make their way through, often with total disregard to or acknowledgement of where they were stepping. or rather, who they were stepping on. Again, it was difficult to focus on the music while trying to protect your limbs from being trod on. (Of course, there were also those who apologized profusely and stopped to share a smoke.
And it went both ways; one lady started yelling at people not to walk on her blanket. In the end, I didn't actually have enough room for trippy (or any) dancing without smacking a passerby. (I also think the easy, albeit expensive, availability of big cans of beer contributed to the foot traffic and behaviour).Perhaps the mists of time have blurred my memories, but I also didn't get the same vibes at Autzen (or Folsom and Citifield last year) so maybe some of it is due to the California sunshine and Shoreline set-up. I found stadium seating much easier to deal with. Could be my lawn days are done (unless I resign myself to being way up top or in the lawn reserved section.) I may just be too old for this shit.
PS The fan girl in me really came out the last night, instead of a nasty traffic jam to get out of the area, cars from the lot we parked in were directed on to the 15 mph winding maintenance road which led directly to the freeway, and I was like "We're on the band road! The band was just on this road!" Rather sad, really.
