Death to the Seat Poachers

[Jeff Ream]

5 hours ago, cowtown said:

*Trigger warning to the entitled seat poachers

Perhaps death is a bit strong but a Pox; May the rude Seat Poachers never get a complimentary airline seat upgrade !!!

  When you pay for economy, do you help yourself to Business or first class seats merely because they are empty? Is this sort of theft acceptable in the new ‘share economy’? No, so why do it at a drum corps show. I don't care if you think I'm uncool, begone.

Normally, I have not minded the seat poachers in the past as they were polite and respectful, often keeping out of the paying customers’ way. This year, that was not the case.

Is this the entitled generation that I have heard of showing itself? Are the corps failing to instill those good, civic drum corps values? Was the lack of discipline I saw on the field a reaction to this generation and designing around it, ‘we cannot be taught to march forms but we can do our individual snowflake dance visuals’?

Usually, I can clear the seat, hit the washroom and make it back between corps. This year, not a chance due to Gate Lice and Seat Poachers trolling the aisles looking for a seat, blocking traffic flow. The Gate Lice were horrible, between corps they wouldn’t move or step to the side out of the way; instead they held their spot so only a trickle of the crowd could get in or out.

The Horror:  someone helped them self to a seat I purchased when I asked them not to as my friend was trying to get back in time. No mind to her, so my friend was doomed to became a seat poacher behind her for a corps. She was oblivious, entitled and completely disregarded me telling her 'no, the seat was not available' and then she was annoying watching the corps. Another: 2 seats over, their kids marched a 6-12 corps so they left to greet their kids at intermission, the Poachers quickly appeared and plopped in great seats for corps 6-1 and then when the parents returned for retreat, the Poachers refused to leave. The guy had to go down the aisle behind them and tap them out showing his ticket. And then…and then…the  Poachers showed such attitude, were so rude, it earned them my stabby eyes of death. The same Poachers returned looking to reclaim ‘their stolen seats’ for BD’s encore. Unreal. I know what corps you marched and will forever hate them.

And then there were the mass dinner parties plopped on the floor in traffic areas or the sudden stops in traffic to text that made getting around the stadium very difficult. How are you people so unaware of others around you and how your actions affect them? How are you so self- absorbed? Rude!

DCI need to limit the wrist bands to the upper-side sections and not let the Poacher interfere with the paying, ticket holders. Sorry, not sorry kids, you blew it. You abused your privilege and the good will, good nature of others. You get NOTHING! Current Marcher, I care about you even less now, drum corps has failed to make you respectful members of society, you have not been taught your civic duty or even how to respect your own corps while in public. Drum corps kids are not better.  Is this a good time to mention the marching member in uniform, well sort of in uniform, as he had his shirt off and his spandex trousers dropped as he was passed out in a urinal (semis)?

TL/DR: Cowtown rant against seat thieves, possibly smears an entire generation as entitled but left himself an out

stadium personnel must do better with this. the last time I attended finals it was pretty bad.

[Jeff Ream]

4 hours ago, Terri Schehr said:

"Some old lady".... hey now. 

hell i wont even text you between shows LOL

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, Terri Schehr said:

Last year, I was asked to see my ticket by the poacher.  Again, not a kid.  

i had that in 2010. My exact response was "this is my ticket and that is the security guard. Shall we go say to him with my ticket?"

 

they moved fast.

[Terri Schehr]

7 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

i had that in 2010. My exact response was "this is my ticket and that is the security guard. Shall we go say to him with my ticket?"

 

they moved fast.

My frustration level is 9/10 with this stuff.  

[DeanInChicago]

Looking forward to Garfield's comments!

 

[BoaDci]

I think open seats are fair game...unless someone tells you not to sit in them, or someone asks you to leave them.

[DeanInChicago]

At the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, I entered the popular China exhibit through the exit doors.

One season on Broadway, I left at the end of Xanadu at the Helen Hayes, and headed next door to the St James at its intermission to catch Act 2 of Gypsy.

Years ago, when Chicago's Cadillac Theatre was the dull Bismarck hotel auditorium, I would crash the closed-to-the-public annual high school show choir competition.  I would wear a black Tshirt, and told the volunteers at the entry door that I was working upstairs in the booth.

Edited August 16, 2017 by DeanInChicago

[jeffmolnar]

35 minutes ago, BoaDci said:

I think open seats are fair game...unless someone tells you not to sit in them, or someone asks you to leave them.

It's the unwritten rule of the stadium.

Poachers should leave immediately when confronted, however.

[mjoakes]

Sat in 238 this year, row 5, seat 1. Aisle and first row with no one in front, looking over the glass to the field. Good seats. But also easily accessible by everyone after the stairs climb. However, all of the MMs who sat in varying empty seats in the row were polite and moved as soon as asked. ON finals night, three seats next to me were for a family with a son aging out of Madison. They left after his show and came back for SCV. (The mom and dad first met while marching in SCV.) So some MMs of Legends got lucky and had first row seats for nearly all of the shows.

Last year was also 238, up at the top and across the aisle from the Friends of DCI in 239. It was messy with people in and out. A mother of a son in the Academy caused quite a stir when she recorded the show by holding the camera high and right in front of a group of us (and wouldn't stop when politely asked). 

The pink-shirted event volunteers monitoring access the the Friends' section did a good job, as far as I could tell. Frustrating for a few people who had to show their tickets, but tough. My friends back at the top of 238 reported it was so much better this year than last. In fact, I was impressed enough I sprang for Friends of DCI tickets next year. If DCI is going to have people monitoring those sections, great. And I'm happy to contribute something more to the organization.

 

[DAvery]

I guess I am one of those "seat poachers". My wife bought the tickets late this year and our seats were the last row in the top section, about the 20 yd line. I didn't realize (and maybe most of you don't either) these seats have a partially blocked view, as there is a rather large overhang. After two corps the temperature had risen about 15-20 degrees under this overhang. We found a couple of seats about ten rows in from of our seats and sat there the remainder of the show. We fully expected the owners of the seats to appear and we were prepared to return to our seats, but that never happened.