Great American Music Hall - Getting a seat

September 14, 2011 4:21 PM

How early do I need to get to the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco to get a seat in the balcony?

The show is general admission and is sold out. I know that you can buy dinner tickets that guarantee a seat, but they were sold out when I tried to get them. Doors are at 8:00 PM.

posted by cnc to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Depends, but I'd strongly recommend going there as now as possible.
posted by rhizome at 4:59 PM on September 14, 2011

How early? Very early.
posted by sacrifix at 5:46 PM on September 14, 2011

I have gotten there at 5:30 (assuming doors are 7:00) and not been the first in line. Depends, though. I've also been the first, and alone for a while.

Bring a burrito and something to read either way.
posted by rtha at 6:06 PM on September 14, 2011

Best answer: Really depends on the show, I would think. The time I went, I showed up around 6:30, was not near the front of the line, and still got a seat in the balcony - I would definitely not count on this though, obviously. Also, I don't know if you've been there before and like the balcony, or need to sit for medical reasons, or whatever, but my opinion is that the balcony sucks - it's sort of perpendicular to the stage, so you're at an odd angle, and the counter thing is all shallow and weird and not at all comfortable to lean on. Just saying.
posted by naoko at 8:53 PM on September 14, 2011

Response by poster: Good to know and thanks for the info. My concert mate isn't tall enough to see unless we're right in front, which is a problem for me given my ridiculous sensitivity to excessive noise and having at least some social space, along with not wanting to stand for four hours. I understand that I may be inviting criticism, but people can enjoy a show in different ways.

My thinking was that the balcony might be the best compromise, or maybe even the back of the venue (which I understand to be pretty small). Again, thanks for the info.
posted by cnc at 11:17 AM on September 16, 2011

Best answer: Great American is small, and as a person with a partner who is on the shorter side, we either head for the balcony or generally stand towards the back downstairs. Depending on the band, the floor may also be set up with tables and chairs throughout. But generally, you can stand towards the back and see pretty well without having your ears blown out or your kidneys elbowed.
posted by rtha at 11:22 AM on September 16, 2011

Response by poster: We ended up getting to the show (sold out) at just before 8:00 PM (doors were at 8:00 PM) and were able to get seats on the raised platform in the back of the balcony. I would imagine that the back of the floor would be fine too if you preferred to stand.

A couple of points, mostly agreeing with people here. It's not possible to see from the second row of the side balconies. You can only see from the edge. The venue is really small, so every seat is a good one. The floor is flat and the stage is a little low, which is why it can be tough for smaller people to see.

We saw a second show a week later that was seated (I'm guessing) because not many tickets had been sold.
posted by cnc at 3:17 PM on October 17, 2011 [1 favorite]