Hey Seth

well the question was asked..so I take it at face value.

pretty much what everybody else said…I mean everybody who took the question seriously and not the forum clown, village idiot, etc..

but here is how I would honestly answer it:

I am in my 40s with two young kids… the set times make it possible for me to know when I can leave and still make the show…time is a luxury I don't have especially at night with having to get the kids fed and to bed..same goes for most people I know in my age group….. I can't be at the club much before the band goes on..if a band goes on at 9 that is just about the time I can make it.. . my family's schedule doesn't allow much else..I rarely can meet people before shows for drinks or whatever…. also the set times allow me to be somewhat calm about making the show, trying to pick sidehatch up, or whatever…otherwise everything becomes pretty chaotic and messy …then you get to the club all frazzled…this is precisely not the point of going to see a show for me… I'm trying to get away from the stress not create more of it! if I get there frazzled it will take a few songs to relax..

the other key reason the set times come in so handy for me is I like to pre-party before shows..its been years since that involved drugs unfortunately but I do like to drink a few before the show…then when I get there I keep drinking so i don't think it cuts down on what I drink at the club. .in fact the opposite.. if I show up sober to a show I'm less likely to drink than if I show up with a little buzz…I do have to put in a plug for people that like to get legally high in DC… the set times help them get there for the show feeling on Cloud 9…instead of sitting around with a killer buzz being wasted.

i can't speak to what reasons would spur the 930 to eliminate something that makes its customers very happy, adds to the quality of the experience, etc… it could be simply the idea that people might get there earlier and they might be able to sling more drinks and make more money.. .. or it might be that too many people show up close to when the main act goes on (although I always do this and never notice long lines, etc.) putting a strain on door staff and also meaning too many people opt out of giving the opener a chance…..  I'm not sure I entirely buy the money reason… there is a whole hell of a lot of good will that is engendered when the 930 Club treats people like adults and I think it comes back to the 930 Club..

I have always thought that the club posting the set times was really respectful of MY time..when I go to Live Nation events- rarer and rarer- I sometimes think I've been taken hostage and am being offered really crummy beer at exorbitant prices etc.. when I go to the 930 at least I feel like I am allowed to decide when to get there for the main event because i am told when it starts..when what I am interested in starts….and the beer options are good (for me)..going to a 930 show from arlington va, arriving there and walking in, getting my tab at the bar going, drink in hand, and the band i'm there to see going on right then- like clockwork- is AWESOME! makes you feel like a million bucks.. at least that is the way it is for me..

I guess I like it a lot the way it is..but i would adapt and i bet I can estimate when the main act goes on fairly well… i can also reach out to Eddie on the board or the club via twitter or whatever.. but there would always be that nagging insecurity that would come from not being sure…to illustrate… recently i went to charlottesville to see franz ferdinand.. i tweeted to the venue when they thought they would go on cause going down there for me was a huge deal and i can only leave when i can leave…they said "aiming for 945".. i took that as 945 although in the back of my mind i thought "hmm..sounds a bit late".. I ended up getting there at 945.. the band was on like song 5.. that sucked… the Jefferson Theatre is no 930 Club.

vansmack wrote:

challenged wrote:
it is important to my day of show logistics.
sometimes i want to arrive for the opener.
sometimes for the headliner only.
sometimes want to catch dinner beforehand.

Seth wants you in there spending money on his food and drink, so if he doesn't post the set times, your concern over missing the headliner will have you there early, presumably spending money.

Makes perfect business sense to me.

umm.. challenged is a respected professional.. if he doesn't feel like he can get a good grasp on timing for making his plans he may choose to have that dinner at a fancier restaurant and forego the show entirely..or he might amble over to the Hamilton instead..

Can't most set times be guessed for the Club?

Its the smaller venues that are difficult.

I'm hoping this is an elaborate troll by Seth, but it's pretty damn obvious why it's helpful to have set times posted.

If this is a ploy to get you to buy more drinks, it ain't gonna work for most concert goers. I either get tanked or have max three drinks no matter what at a show and that won't change if I show up an hour early.

I guess a good rule of thumb for now on, if you can't handle to miss a second of the headliner, show up no later than 9pm.

Out of the 1,200 people at an average sold out 930 Club show, how many people do you think actually checked for the set times on this site?  1%?  5%?  I am guessing the number is not even that high.  I get why it is important to a lot of people on here, but damn you guys sound like entitled crybabies.  And some of you older folks act like millenials are the entitled ones…  I am sure Seth has heard your reasons and is taking them into consideration.  But, come on, page after page of explaining to him why it is important?  Pages of questioning his business practices?  I probably go to way more shows than most people here, and I have a super busy life, and somehow I am able to figure out all of the shows in regards to set times; either by asking on Facebook event pages, or by figuring them out by the information given to me (number of bands, door time, show start time from websites).  It is not hard to do.  If you are so worried about planning out your shows, then what good is getting the set times the day of the show?  They help you for that day, but if you really need to plan your night, you probably would need the info earlier than day of the show.  Why is it so hard to ask Eddie on the FAQ board?  He always has a good answer, and usually responds the same day.  At the very least he gives you the time that the first band plays.  Asking him seems to be a better way to see if you can actually attend the show than if you get the set times given to you on this website the day of the show.  And what about other venues that do not post them?  Do you whine about that?  Avoid going to non-IMP shows?

^the village idiot


Nobody is whining or questioning Seth's biz…and nobody is saying they will stop going to IMP shows…


The only one whining is YOU

LMAO sure thing buddy

Kemosabe has reminded us that the name does not mean "he who knows nothing", but rather "trusted scout".

He who knows nothing wishes to tell us we are whining for answering a question about set times perhaps no longer being listed…..then proceeds to whine about it….

excontradiction wrote:
Kemosabe has reminded us that the name does not mean "he who knows nothing", but rather "trusted scout".

Or faithful friend…

Kemosabe wrote:
But, come on, page after page of explaining to him why it is important?  Pages of questioning his business practices?

He specifically asked.

Are you sure he didn't ask a rhetorical question?

Or that he was being sarcastic and really doesn't care?

Kemosabe wrote:
Are you sure he didn't ask a rhetorical question?

Or that he was being sarcastic and really doesn't care?

To be fair, those are valid possibilities. That said, he's been here long enough to know the consequences of throwing some chum into shark-infested waters.

I've been on the board long enough to know that Seth likes three things:

(1) Making Money
(2) His family
(3) Music

Possibly in that order.

I believe he expressed an affinity for steak once.

vansmack wrote:
I've been on the board long enough to know that Seth likes three things:

(1) Making Money
(2) His family
(3) Music

Possibly in that order.

(3.1) Drumming
(3.11) Schmoozing with the stars

4.  Avoiding me, calling him hot and Internet hitting on him.

Kemosabe wrote:
Out of the 1,200 people at an average sold out 930 Club show, how many people do you think actually checked for the set times on this site?  1%?  5%?  I am guessing the number is not even that high.  I get why it is important to a lot of people on here, but damn you guys sound like entitled crybabies.  And some of you older folks act like millenials are the entitled ones…  I am sure Seth has heard your reasons and is taking them into consideration.  But, come on, page after page of explaining to him why it is important?  Pages of questioning his business practices?  I probably go to way more shows than most people here, and I have a super busy life, and somehow I am able to figure out all of the shows in regards to set times; either by asking on Facebook event pages, or by figuring them out by the information given to me (number of bands, door time, show start time from websites).  It is not hard to do.  If you are so worried about planning out your shows, then what good is getting the set times the day of the show?  They help you for that day, but if you really need to plan your night, you probably would need the info earlier than day of the show.  Why is it so hard to ask Eddie on the FAQ board?  He always has a good answer, and usually responds the same day.  At the very least he gives you the time that the first band plays.  Asking him seems to be a better way to see if you can actually attend the show than if you get the set times given to you on this website the day of the show.  And what about other venues that do not post them?  Do you whine about that?  Avoid going to non-IMP shows?

I, agree, with a lot of this . . . but I like Widespread Panic, so what do I know.

Well you live in West Virginia so I doubt set times make a difference…


Basically set times come in handy for many but not all.


We now await our leader……