UTMC

For the first time in its history, the Burning Man festival has sold enough tickets to meet the maximum attendance cap stipulated in their land use permit, which this year was roughly 52,000.

Almost immediately, the vultures swooped in, and now we have things like this:

http://www.stubhub.com/burning-man-fest ... _multiline


And tickets have already sold on ebay for upwards of $900.

Frikkin ridiculous.

Unavoidable. Like yuppies moving to Brooklyn 'cause it's "hip."

And now the weasels start to descend...

--Jaeger

Thems is some pretty big weasels...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Burning-Man-Tickets ... 500wt_1286

WeAintFoundShit wrote:Thems is some pretty big weasels...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Burning-Man-Tickets ... 500wt_1286

HOLY BALLS!!!

What's a pair of these supposed to cost?

Face value tops out at something like $380.
They start at $230 if you buy them early.

Jaeger wrote:Unavoidable. Like yuppies moving to Brooklyn 'cause it's "hip."

And now the weasels start to descend...

--Jaeger

Acoording to a friend of mine (who went to the first 3), that happened a long time ago....

CarolinaBoy wrote:

unfortunately I could just stare at this indefinitely.

it begins to appear ritualistic. the guys not puking are chanting, i know it.

I love SF during burning man. I can go to Zeitgeist on a Saturday and enjoy a beer.

Sadly, I'm hoping to be out of town myself, however, if you want to visit SF, there's no better time than during Burning Man. It's really close to douchebag free, and since I won't be here, it's even closer (this is not to say that everyone who attends BM is a douche, however, it certainly seems to attract a fair share of them from SF).

motorpsycho67 wrote:

Jaeger wrote:Unavoidable. Like yuppies moving to Brooklyn 'cause it's "hip."

And now the weasels start to descend...

--Jaeger

Acoording to a friend of mine (who went to the first 3), that happened a long time ago....

It really did.
The reasons/art/people for which I attend the festival are in the vast minority. I feel fortunate that I managed to catch it before the dot com boom brought in the giant buckets of douchewater that now propagate the event.

For me, the real deal is the work before and after, the bad idea fun that we have, and the fact that I get paid a bunch of money to go out and ride my dirtbike every day in a desert paradise where I have almost no worries to speak of.

And also, boobs.

WeAintFoundShit wrote:Face value tops out at something like $380.
They start at $230 if you buy them early.

$210, actually.

WeAintFoundShit wrote:Thems is some pretty big weasels...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Burning-Man-Tickets ... 500wt_1286

Yeah, that didn't sell for that much money. Relisted!

Also, those people on Stubhub are insane. $1,000+ for one ticket? I want some of what they're smoking.

Yeah, come to find out that there's an active group of people driving up auction prices with no intent to purchase.
I'm a fan, since auctioning your tickets like that is so antithetical to the ethos of the event and its *actual* community.

And regarding what Goose is saying:

There's this gripe amongst the non burners of the bay area that goes anything along the lines of "I wish you were still at Burning Man, too."

Funny thing is that, amongst a great deal of the DPW (the construction alcoholics) the saying is more like "Awww shit. Is it time for Burning Man already?" which is usually coupled with "How many days until clean-up?"

You wish the Burners would stay at Burning Man. We wish the Burners would stay in SF.
Not all of 'em. Just... most of 'em.

Such is life, though. I'm sure that the ones we think are annoying douchebags think the very same thing about us.

Yeah, with 50,000+ people there it can be a bit much, especially at the end of the week when everyone is there. When I started going the population was maybe 35k, and I can see how old timers from '97 could get grumpy about the change from 10k to 52k... but how many of them still come? As much as everyone loves to say it was better in the good old days, it's been over 20,000 people for 12 years now.

1991 - 250
1992 - 600
1993 - 1000
1994 - 2000
1995 - 4000
1996 - 8000
1997 - 10,000
1998 - 15,000
1999 - 23,000
2000 - 25,400
2001 - 25,659
2002 - 28,979
2003 - 30,586
2004 - 35,664
2005 - 35,567
2006 - 38,989
2007 - 47,366
2008 - 49,599 (a particularly bad weather year, lots of dust)
2009 - 43,435
2010 - 51,515

stiles wrote: I can see how old timers from '97 could get grumpy about the change from 10k to 52k... but how many of them still come?

I've been to...
1998 - 15,000 (Ate an entire bag of mushrooms and completely lost my freggin mind.)
1999 - 23,000 (Did a lot of ecstasy and watched an entire camp be evicted from the city for being assholes. Later the remains of their camp were burned to the ground.)
2000 - 25,400 (98 MPH sustained winds leveled half of the city. Rained most of the week. Snow warnings at one point. Threw a theme camp. Almost beat up a camp member who had it coming.)
2001 - 25,659 (Camped across the street from a DPW bar.)
2002 - 28,979 (Worst Burning Man Ever. Almost nothing on the Esplanade. Camped in/at the DPW bar.)
2003 - 30,586 (Joined DPW; almost became a statistic when I drank a bottle of tequila and jumped off a moving school bus, narrowly avoiding having my head popped by the back tires. 2nd best Burning Man I've had.)
2004 - 35,664 (Met the second worst girlfriend I've ever had)
2005 - 35,567 (Came back with her this year and had a horrible time)
2006 - 38,989 (Came back without her this year. Had a better time.)
2007 - 47,366 (Hooked up with a hot girl. Dumped her. Still regret it. Saw the single best performance art piece I've ever had the good fortune to witness.)
2008 - 49,599 (a particularly bad weather year, lots of dust) (That dust got me crazy laid from a freaky hot fire dancer from Portland)
2009 - 43,435 (Nope. Pretty much a blur. Oh wait, I had a bunch of drama with the freaky hot fire dancer, and her freaky hot aerialist friend who later became my freaky hot, but completely incompatible girlfriend. Went on awesome desert adventures. Got to swim in Fly Geyser!)
2010 - 51,515 (BEST FREAKING BURNING MAN EVER. Never seen the city have a happier, mellower, more fun vibe.)

2011- 52xxx (I start work on Monday.)
2012 (Will be my tenth, and possibly last year of working for the festival. 15th, and possibly final year of attending the festival. It's been real.)

WeAintFoundShit wrote: 2001 - 25,659 (Camped across the street from a DPW bar.)
2002 - 28,979 (Worst Burning Man Ever. Almost nothing on the Esplanade. Camped in/at the DPW bar.)
2003 - 30,586 (Joined DPW;

Dog Patch Winos?

When I lived in LA, I went every year from 97 - 05. I've watched the event grow into a huge undertaking. It was inevitable.

Didnt think that the BLM would limit the amount of money they squeeze out of this event (or the money the two other county sheriffs make), so the cap has to be for a good reason. The infrastructure of the event has been strained for years. Its about time they put a limit to the crazies that roll through the gate.

Its going to make the poor bastards at the gate and perimeter work their asses off this year looking for stow-aways and catching fence jumpers.

motorpsycho67 wrote:

WeAintFoundShit wrote: 2001 - 25,659 (Camped across the street from a DPW bar.)
2002 - 28,979 (Worst Burning Man Ever. Almost nothing on the Esplanade. Camped in/at the DPW bar.)
2003 - 30,586 (Joined DPW;

Dog Patch Winos?

Close, but no. Department of Public Works. Still mostly comprised of a bunch of drunken, punk rocker assholes who are covered in dirt and tattoos.

WeAintFoundShit wrote: ... Department of Public Works. Still mostly comprised of a bunch of drunken, punk rocker assholes who are covered in dirt and tattoos.

Yes, but unlike the drunken, punk rocker assholes you meet on the street, these guys actually work their asses off.

Sure, they are jerks sometimes, but they build the city every year and like to get drunk and brag about it. I cant really fault them for that.

I just knew it. I just knew that most of the "douche" element at BM came from this town.

Once Heller Erman (big law firm in SF) organized a junket of their new lawyers to BM . . . . well, Fonzie jumped the shark.

I went in 97. Had a blast. Wanted to go again, but was unable to until 2002, when Heller Erman attorney's were bragging about the firm sponsorship. Frankly, I thought it was a sad day and decided to stay in SF.

Vitiare wrote:

WeAintFoundShit wrote: ... Department of Public Works. Still mostly comprised of a bunch of drunken, punk rocker assholes who are covered in dirt and tattoos.

Yes, but unlike the drunken, punk rocker assholes you meet on the street, these guys actually work their asses off.

Sure, they are jerks sometimes, but they build the city every year and like to get drunk and brag about it. I cant really fault them for that.

I don't think he's criticizing, those are generally terms of endearment around here.

BM is one of those things I wish I'd done way back when. I first heard about it around '99-'98 when a roomie was going with some folks. Had an invite to travel down with them, but didn't take it for reasons I can't remember now. Anymore a crowd of 50k drunken/stoned freaks just doesn't hold any appeal. Maybe I'm just getting old.

calamari kid wrote:BM is one of those things I wish I'd done way back when. I first heard about it around '99-'98 when a roomie was going with some folks. Had an invite to travel down with them, but didn't take it for reasons I can't remember now. Anymore a crowd of 50k drunken/stoned freaks just doesn't hold any appeal. Maybe I'm just getting old.

You should go, everyone should see it at least once. I consider it a monumental tragedy that I missed last year and short of some kind of deus ex machina will miss it again. My experience of the burn went so far beyond drunken/stoned freaks I can't even think of it in those terms. It was more like a magical land where anything you wanted to be a part of was close at hand and anything you wanted to avoid was totally invisible. Hell, just go see it for the totally amazing scale and ephemeral nature of the art. Going was easily one of the best decisions I've ever made and if I ever find myself with a serious excess of cash you can bet I'll spend the better part of a year attempting to coax as many ootmiks into attending as possible.

/RM

Spoken like a true Burner.

After 10 years, Im ready for something new. A lot of my friends are talking about going back in 2012, doing it up proper and then calling it quits. It sounds like a nice idea. The place is still amazing, but the idiot: burner ratio has gotten a little out of control.

motorpsycho67 wrote:

Jaeger wrote:Unavoidable. Like yuppies moving to Brooklyn 'cause it's "hip."

And now the weasels start to descend...

--Jaeger

Acoording to a friend of mine (who went to the first 3), that happened a long time ago....

Well, just for the record, I'm a big fan of being in the desert, taking lots of drugs and running around naked. I love weird vehicles and bizarre artwork. I love burning stuff. But I will never pay a thin dime of my money for the priviledge......

the battle cry of the veteran burner: "It was better last year."

roadmissile wrote:...I'll spend the better part of a year attempting to coax as many ootmiks into attending as possible.

/RM

If this happens, I may just have to make the trip.


Hey WAFS, how hard is it to get on the DPW crew? There is some appeal in showing up to build a bunch of stuff, head out and ride around the desert for a few days, then come back for the big fire and tear it all apart. I've got a reasonable set of construction skills, know how to bust a little ass, and can build the shit out of a tower. My fall rescue cert is a bit out of date, but the skills remain.

Shit man, if you've got rigging skills and the like, it shouldn't be that hard. Typically I'd say you are way too late to do it this year, but again, rigging skills...

There's a SHITLOAD of rigging that goes into putting the festival on.
Plus there are times when one of us has to fix an artist's or theme camp's rigging in the event of an emergency.

For instance, this is an outside shot of the center camp cafe. There is almost no wood in that thing; all rigging.

Always wanted to go, but I get twitchy around 1000 people. I like my testicles not dirty and sweaty too.