My view on holding spots in line caused a fuss at the concert

At a concert lately, folks were saving places for friends running late. Many say it's no big deal and part of the culture. I think it's not right because it punishes those who planned ahead and got there early. I said something, and it got tense, but standing up for fairness felt needed. Looking back, being considerate of others' time should come first.

5 comments

5 Comments

spencer_park262mo agoMost Upvoted

Holding spots for friends is just part of the concert scene and helps people actually enjoy the event with their group. Getting everyone there at the exact same minute is almost impossible with how life works. (Like, stuff comes up, right?) A few folks joining later doesn't hurt the people who came early because the whole line benefits from a friendly vibe anyway. Strict rules about spots just make things more tense when everyone's there to have a good time.

dakotab932mo ago

That Berlin festival last year had a strict no saving spots rule and it worked fine.

spencer_coleman2mo ago

We had a spot saving system at a show once where you could hold for two people max, which felt fair. It kept things moving but still let friends join up, kind of like what @elliot_gibson27 was getting at with give and take. The key was having a clear, simple limit everyone knew about from the start.

elliot_gibson272mo ago

Why do some shared spaces just work better with a little give and take?

-1

cora5182mo ago

It's like letting someone merge in traffic, small kindnesses keep the whole system from breaking down.