Totally understand why people are rubbed the wrong way by this, but I for one am stoked for a 30 minute song at what is a fairly reasonable VIP package price. It’s a way for me to support my favorite band during tough times and see something that frankly (outside of ringo nye) doesn’t happen at live shows anymore that I otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to see.
For those of you who are gonna do the vip - let’s all vote for last man swerving so it’s a real throw down 
The poster and pin will be available through Merch; they have been removed from the streaming options.
While I don’t believe over a dollar per minute is “fairly reasonable”, I’m still most likely in for the VIP set and I fully support LMS.
Besides that a VIP set is hardly a guarantee of anything, I remember when a group of fans (mostly borters) ponied up lots of money to have a private show full of rarities. They weren’t complaining then about getting an advantage over less financially well off fans. And that was even more exclusive in how it came about.
Likewise, people didn’t complain when they tried to make extra money off things like S2 shows ($100 for maybe 45 minutes worth of music), headphones & snocones, preorder and deluxe box bonuses, etc. One may argue that the current offerings aren’t as creative, but the premise of offering something extra for those who want it is no different. The decision to buy it or not has always been up to the individual. I think that how borters now complain about any and every additional thing they try to offer now speaks more to the jadedness of the fans.
Those Bill Graham shows bummed me out at the time, and IMO got more frustrating when they started adding them to normal runs of shows (that Denver one seemed like a giant kick in the balls to everybody that traveled for that run.) IIRC those shows were kinda what started the VIP sets.
Everything you list in the second paragraph goes back to my point about VIP experiences not detracting from the experience of a show for the normal attendee. The S2 was not something you’d see in a normal show, people wearing headphones does not take away from your enjoyment of a normal show. Looking at the VIP set and seeing that they played a song you’ve been chasing for two years and you missed it because you couldn’t afford the $200 for VIP does (IMO) take away from my enjoyment of the show.
Like I said, I think it’s a tough line to walk for a jam band that invites people on the road for setlist diversity and improv.
I suppose, but that’s no different than the risk that they play a rarity you are chasing the night before a show you have a ticket for.
I disagree, but I’m not really sure I can express why. Something something ter ethics
Apples and Oranges.
It’s not like people with headphones and snowcones get to hear them play Q*bert > N2F from the green room during setbreak. It’s an extra way to enhance the experience that is available to everyone at a reasonable price.
It’s absolutely different because the night before wasn’t a $200 ticket. Ticket cost is directly related to probability of attending the show.
I gotta give you some credit, Random Ass. I admire how much you stand up for the band around here and go against the group mentality. While I may not agree, I will give you props for your loyalty.
As far as the first Bill Graham show goes, I dont think it is really fair to compare it to the current state of UM VIP culture. That was organized by a fan, it was kept very quite and treated way more as a private party, and what we got for the $250 dollars was pretty remarkable. It was never the same after the first one, though. It is hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice and definitely became a springboard for future VIP events.
I’ve seen this argument here a lot, and to play devil’s advocate:
There’s already enough bitching about how VIP isn’t worth it. Getting standard Puppet String, ITK, No Diablo as a VIP set would surely discourage people from purchasing them.
This isn’t out of any sense of loyalty. As someone who has never bought a VIP upgrade, it has honestly never bothered me that they do it.
But in general here I feel there is an instant negative reaction to practically everything the band does and it gets old.
So it was even more exclusive, more expensive, and offered even more rarities. Thanks for making my point 
Yeah LIS it’s not a guarantee of anything, and my anecdotal impression is they haven’t been emphasizing rarities as much as they used to in those sets.
I want to hear the conversations and see the reactions on the faces of the team when Jeremy does a, “well the bort says…”
It’s the opposite. The band didn’t proposition it or plan it.
They haven’t been recently, and the VIP sets I’ve seen were pretty boring. I’m just eternally bitter about the ones I missed that had stuff I wanted to see
Ha, touche. All that said, this is really the only thing that truly annoys me about UM. Sure, I don’t like some of the new material as much as the old, and sure I think the band is not as good as they use to be, but that is more just getting older and things changing.
No, it was a private show package as part of the DBS bonuses.
Do we need a Jaded Little Bitches thread yet?