Cincinnati has had a ban on festival seating ever since 11 fans were crushed to death at a Who concert when a mass of people made a rush for the door. I was rather young when that happened, so my exposure to this event is very literally an episode of WKRP In Cincinnati, when they talked about both the event and the aftermath.

Fast foward twenty-five years, and now the city fathers are talking about changing the law to allow general admission seating — with a few caveats. The doors (all of them in the venue) would have to open no less than two hours before the show, with ushers and security personnel in place prior to opening. An evacuation plan must be designed as well.

Now, just speaking for myself as a fan, I kind of like the reserved seating approach. It cuts down on my personal wear and tear, I can get something to eat before I come out to the show (thereby skipping the haute cuisine of a hot dog for $10) without having to worry about getting bad seats and I don't have to give up an entire day to get a good spot (not that I have minded doing just that before). From my point of view as a musician, I like it when the crowd right in front of the stage is full of energy, and I can see an argument where general admission encourages this. I'm not sold on that, though.