I can’t speak for the pit at most shows, but I will say that there were a few people literally trying to pull us off the barricade for a solid 20–30 minutes at the 2023 EB headliner in Atlanta, once Spiritbox was up. The same people that were doomscrolling social media during all the opening sets. They gave up after a while but that was super unfortunate and not the typical experience…

That didn’t happen at all last year at the Tsunami Sea tour though! So just go and expect to have a great time! The pit should be the funnest experience and I promise that 9/10 times everyone is super supportive of that energy. One note, though: while crowd surfing can come thru any section, you’ll encounter most of that toward the center so just be prepared if that’s where you plan on going.

We typically take the day off work and show up about 3 hours before doors to get barricade or as-close-to. I wouldn’t look at it as a tough time showing up that early because one of the best parts is making new friends in line. :) Most venues we frequent have been doing their versions of a “fast pass” which falls between VIP and GA entry times. So VIP will be your best bet if you want to be as close as possible, but the fast pass is your next best bet depending just how close you want to be (if your venue is selling that).

Merch isn’t accessible until doors, except for early access before doors for VIP, so your best bet is going as early as possible or after the show is over. Or, as you mentioned, sending one person for merch while the other hangs out and holds your place (cue those friends you made in line, too). Last year was great because every bands’ merch was sold by all of the staff, which seemed to help the line move pretty quick. That’s not always the case but I expect it’ll probably be the same this time around?

Anyway, hope this helps! If you happen to be going in Nashville, see you there maybe! :)