What Do You Think of the New Vehicle Pass Policy

3 Comments

  • Reznor - 10 years ago

    I think it's a great idea, except that it fails to take into account the flexibility that people need to plan for the event. People will end up buying passes they need and others will take advantage of the opportunity to profit.

    When I started attending BM I believed the nonsense about the powers of the community. Truth is, if that community was as strong as it claims to be, convincing people to put that extra effort into putting one more person in their car wouldn't be something that needed to be enforced by number limits - it'd be something the community would just do.

    It's also true that there are groups who have the "in" with BM. They have all the early arrival passes they need to provide the free (but exceptional) entertainment that attendees have grown to expect over the years. Gate/EMTs/other crew also have access to either free or cheap tickets, often with the option of early arrival if guests "help out." Truth is, having the chance to "help out," is one of the ultimate BM experiences. I've participated in early arrival, and it's the sh*t. You work your butt off, but meet TONS of amazing people in the process and actually get to experience the vast desert and the treasures being placed there before people show up. That kind of effort and community is exactly the reason I started going to BM. There are still plenty of those opportunities to be had if you really want the experience. There are many teams of Burners are willing to give hard working people that chance.

    Unfortunately, as the event has grown, I feel I've had more and more negative interactions with "other" attendees. My experience in 2011 was so bad that I just gave my 2012 tickets away. I camped at 9:30 & G ish during early arrival and woke up the first Monday of the event with an entire unplaced theme camp surrounding my structure. They had a loud house-thumping slug-shaped art car, which they parked right next to mine. They not only placed their gas cans between MY shade structure and MY car, but also ripped out the lines holding down my structure in the middle of the night when the matriarch of the camp stubbed her toe on one of my stakes (she obviously was in no state to use a flashlight). The next night another member of the camp had an emotional break down and got in a fist fight. Yay! There were cops outside my tent with radios and flashing lights for hours. I ripped them all new assholes the next morning (3 days into the event) and they made certain not to bug me after that, but still. It left me with a nasty feeling, one that I didn't want after spending thousands of dollars and fighting for a week off from work. I ended up leaving the even as soon as the man Burned and have never been back since. Even though I fought to get my tickets in the 2012 system, the feeling I had left over from 2011 was enough for me to just give them away.

    I'd rather plan my own epic road trips (in other countries, and to other festivals too!) instead of dealing with BM nonsense. For the price, it's well worth it.

  • John Ian Marshall - 10 years ago

    I honestly could not possibly have said this any better! (&there's no way mine wouldn't contain profanity!) Though I generally enjoy the posts from here, this one is by far my favorite yet! It is, unfortunately, just so damn spot-on. Here's hoping we are both wrong, eh?

  • a - 10 years ago

    great idea so from now on we'll have to deal with vehicle pass scarcity, added with the usual ticket madness.

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