An experience at the Bob Dylan concert last Friday has shown me that in the interest of the common good, I need to write some sort of informative piece to educate the public on common practices and etiquette for general admission seating and offer some guidance to those who are considering trying it out for the first time.

So you're thinking about picking up general admission tickets to that hot summer concert. Before you make that investment, please keep in mind that general admission is not for you if:

1. You want to be able to sit and see the stage. Many people Friday night made this mistake. They got there early, spread out blankets 50 feet from the stage, and expected to be able to sit there with their picnic basket and enjoy the concert. They could not have been more wrong. It doesn't matter whether you're seeing Metallica or Barry Manilow. "General Admission Seating" does not mean you will be sitting. You will be standing or you will be completely surrounded by people who are standing if you are anywhere within 100 yards of the stage. This is a fact and accepting it is key to your enjoyment of the concert. If you cannot do so, you will spend the entire show internally fuming and shooting dirty looks and you have just wasted your $40 for an evening of misery.

As a sidebar, if you're a short person, unfortunately, you're going to want to think twice about general admission as well. I never really thought about this until I went to see U2 with my friend Jenny who is just under 5 feet tall. She was not only unable to see, but got shoved around quite a bit as no one was able to see her. Us tall people do our best to stay out of the way, but I'm not about to go stand in the back just because I happen to have been born with long legs.

2. You have serious personal space issues. This really goes without saying, but now and then I hear complaints of toes being stepped on or an elbow in the back. If you cannot handle being shoulder to shoulder with other people for a couple of hours, you should consider reserved seats.

3. You have a Burberry coat and are planning on spreading it out on the ground to save a spot for someone. Obviously, I am referring to a specific incident here, but the intent is clear. First off, do not bring/wear anything that you really care about because there's a good chance it's going to get stepped or spilled on. Secondly, when it's standing room only, you can't expect to claim a spot for someone in this manner. Saving a space for someone in general admission is not for the faint of heart. A sweatshirt on the ground and a few dirty looks aren't going to keep people away for more than 30 seconds.

Now after all this, you maybe wondering, "Well, why on earth would I want to be in general admission?" I'm glad you asked. There's really only one reason. Sitting in comfortable seats leaves one with the feeling of being entertained whereas standing down front with a bunch of other rabid fans is an experience. The difference between these two is striking, believe me. An experience is standing close to hundreds of other fans who know and appreciate the artist as much as you do. It's being close enough to watch the sweat pour down the guitarist's forehead as he struggles to give the audience everything he's got. It's seeing the gratitude on the artist's face as the fans show their appreciation.

Its something I don't see myself giving up anytime soon.