Twilight Tour Part 1 - update RPattz invades Dallas
Okay so now that I've thawed out and slept a bit here is an account of the insanity. Which compared to San Fran was pretty good.
In case you don't know the stars of Twilight are doing promo events at various malls and stores for the movie this week. Tonight, Nov 11, we have Robert Pattinson himself. I'm recording it for posterity.
Got up about 3am and headed out to the Galleria Mall in Dallas, Tx. We'd had some storms roll in during the night so it was still lightening a bit out and sprinkling. We arrived a little before 4am I guess and yep, already a good number where lined up. Across the street under a bridge.
Here's how they were working it: Everyone was going into one doorway and they were going to be counting as they funneled you through and once they had the alotted number (not sure if they were doing actually 500 or seeing who was buying 2 wrist bands and who 1 and counting that way) they sent the rest home. Here is a diagram of where we were.
The big black blobs was where most of us were standing. Each group was at a crosswalk and part of it was under a bridge. Not all, just part. Not the part I was at. To the left of the mall is a hotel that's attached and the people that stayed at the hotel were lined up there. They got to go first. We were not happy. Everyone was going to be funneled into that enclave that is the Mall Entrance (as shown by the diagonal lines - yes they had ropes set up). Understand? Hope so cuz I'm still waking up and it's the best I can do at the moment.
So. We're standing there, all is good. There's at least a hundred people or more and suddenly it starts to rain. Now thankfully the weather was relatively warm but that rain was cold. My friend and I pull up the hoods on our hoodies and huddle with a mom and daughter under their umbrella - which kept the front of us dry but our backs got soaked. To those girls - thank you so much. You were awesome and we hope you got your wrist bands. By the time we got to actually go onto mall property (5:30am) everyone was drentched to the bone. Most had heard about San Fran and so people were shouting to stay calm and chill out. The cops were out in droves and honestly it was really pretty calm. Just before 5:30 they stopped traffic on that street between us and the mall and told everyone "If you run, push, trample, or anything like that we WILL arrest you. If someone falls, PICK THEM UP."
Yeah they were not playing y'all.
So then the people at the hotel start to go and huge shout goes up from all of us in the "omfg no I don't think so!" variety and then they let us go. Most people didn't run. If any did get arrest I didn't see. Once we were across the street people did start moving faster and everyone jammed into that funnel where they were only letting people through single file as they counted. Yes there was some pushing (to which the cops immediately jumped on it) but I have honestly been in WAY worse pits at concerts. No one was getting hurt that I could see though several young girls got separated from their moms. Near the actual door - in that enclave in the pic - they had wrap around lines set up and once about oh... 200 people or so were in there they stopped everyone. They'd wait til everyone calmed down and would let in ten more. Then stop. I don't know what they were doing or when they decided ok count out a few more and let them through cuz I couldn't see. At the door to the mall they would let ten in at a time to actually go in and get to Hot Topic. My friend was closer than I was by that point - maybe 10 or so from getting through the huge crowd and into the smaller one but that's when they said they were done. They'd given out all the wristbands and for folks to go home. Of course some stayed but by that point I was like "Ok let's get out of here, I need to PEE BADLY, and I'm f'ing cold." We were home by 7am.
Pics were all but impossible at that point due to the weather though I know some were taking them. I however was not about to pull my big camera out (Digital SLR, not a point and shoot) because of the rain. We are going back up tonight though for the Q&A and I will have a full and much more cool report then. Video and pics and all that goodness.
I would guess there were at least 1,000 people there total, maybe more. I was actually really proud with how well they all handled it. No massive shouts (but then THE MAN wasn't actually there yet), not much pushing, no fighting I could see. The Hot Topic and mall staff really handled it very well and deserve major props for it.
So there you go - hope that answers any questions. Oh and since a few have asked - yes feel free to quote/link/whatever this where you like. Honestly I think all the good stuff will happen tonight though.
Now I go find food. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm foooooooooooooooood.
In case you don't know the stars of Twilight are doing promo events at various malls and stores for the movie this week. Tonight, Nov 11, we have Robert Pattinson himself. I'm recording it for posterity.
Got up about 3am and headed out to the Galleria Mall in Dallas, Tx. We'd had some storms roll in during the night so it was still lightening a bit out and sprinkling. We arrived a little before 4am I guess and yep, already a good number where lined up. Across the street under a bridge.
Here's how they were working it: Everyone was going into one doorway and they were going to be counting as they funneled you through and once they had the alotted number (not sure if they were doing actually 500 or seeing who was buying 2 wrist bands and who 1 and counting that way) they sent the rest home. Here is a diagram of where we were.
The big black blobs was where most of us were standing. Each group was at a crosswalk and part of it was under a bridge. Not all, just part. Not the part I was at. To the left of the mall is a hotel that's attached and the people that stayed at the hotel were lined up there. They got to go first. We were not happy. Everyone was going to be funneled into that enclave that is the Mall Entrance (as shown by the diagonal lines - yes they had ropes set up). Understand? Hope so cuz I'm still waking up and it's the best I can do at the moment.
So. We're standing there, all is good. There's at least a hundred people or more and suddenly it starts to rain. Now thankfully the weather was relatively warm but that rain was cold. My friend and I pull up the hoods on our hoodies and huddle with a mom and daughter under their umbrella - which kept the front of us dry but our backs got soaked. To those girls - thank you so much. You were awesome and we hope you got your wrist bands. By the time we got to actually go onto mall property (5:30am) everyone was drentched to the bone. Most had heard about San Fran and so people were shouting to stay calm and chill out. The cops were out in droves and honestly it was really pretty calm. Just before 5:30 they stopped traffic on that street between us and the mall and told everyone "If you run, push, trample, or anything like that we WILL arrest you. If someone falls, PICK THEM UP."
Yeah they were not playing y'all.
So then the people at the hotel start to go and huge shout goes up from all of us in the "omfg no I don't think so!" variety and then they let us go. Most people didn't run. If any did get arrest I didn't see. Once we were across the street people did start moving faster and everyone jammed into that funnel where they were only letting people through single file as they counted. Yes there was some pushing (to which the cops immediately jumped on it) but I have honestly been in WAY worse pits at concerts. No one was getting hurt that I could see though several young girls got separated from their moms. Near the actual door - in that enclave in the pic - they had wrap around lines set up and once about oh... 200 people or so were in there they stopped everyone. They'd wait til everyone calmed down and would let in ten more. Then stop. I don't know what they were doing or when they decided ok count out a few more and let them through cuz I couldn't see. At the door to the mall they would let ten in at a time to actually go in and get to Hot Topic. My friend was closer than I was by that point - maybe 10 or so from getting through the huge crowd and into the smaller one but that's when they said they were done. They'd given out all the wristbands and for folks to go home. Of course some stayed but by that point I was like "Ok let's get out of here, I need to PEE BADLY, and I'm f'ing cold." We were home by 7am.
Pics were all but impossible at that point due to the weather though I know some were taking them. I however was not about to pull my big camera out (Digital SLR, not a point and shoot) because of the rain. We are going back up tonight though for the Q&A and I will have a full and much more cool report then. Video and pics and all that goodness.
I would guess there were at least 1,000 people there total, maybe more. I was actually really proud with how well they all handled it. No massive shouts (but then THE MAN wasn't actually there yet), not much pushing, no fighting I could see. The Hot Topic and mall staff really handled it very well and deserve major props for it.
So there you go - hope that answers any questions. Oh and since a few have asked - yes feel free to quote/link/whatever this where you like. Honestly I think all the good stuff will happen tonight though.
Now I go find food. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm foooooooooooooooood.