Before the Foo Fighters announced their secret show at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, young fans were already lined up — hoping to be the first to get a ticket.
Maddox Lee is a local high school student who lined up at 6:00 p.m.
“I got some insider information from some people, and I invited these two along with me, told them about it, and they were super into it,” Lee said. “So we decided to show up and camp out here.”
Gabe Jantos tagged along with Lee.
“[It’ll be a] good story to tell the kids,” Jantos said.
The show was announced with the changing of the theatre’s marquee Friday night. For those who showed up willing to spend the night in line for tickets, this was the first confirmation of who they were going to see.
Sophia Papageorges is a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
“I didn't actually get a verbal confirmation of who we were waiting for,” Papageorges said. “I just had an idea and I knew I wanted in on it. So I was excited to see the marquee go up, because then I actually knew exactly what was happening and that my ideas were true.”
Twelve hours later, the line wrapped around the block.
I met up with the same fans again to follow along as they were the first to buy tickets for the surprise show.
“I think buying the very first ticket was - that was a pretty crazy experience,” Lee said. “I didn't think I'd be doing that when I heard about this. That made my week, my month. I was definitely great.”
One group I spoke with told me this is the first time they’ve waited overnight for a concert ticket. They said it’s a story that will last a lifetime.
Olivia Ehlinger waited with Papageorges overnight for the tickets.
“I feel like this was less stressful than like getting tickets online,” Ehlinger said.
“It definitely felt very, very vintage or retro or whatever you'd call it. I don't know, very 90s. My parents would be proud, and it feels good to have sort of followed in their footsteps and put the work in,” Papageorges said.
Fans who remember when waiting in line like this was mainstream say it’s great to see the younger generation experiencing this right of passage.
Adam Bramwell waited in line for tickets so he and his family could experience the event together.
“It's so much fun to see like kids at the front that are like high school juniors and seniors because I'm 40 and old and lame,” Bramwell said. “But to see like young kids at the front is so much fun.”
Tickets were only sold in person at the theater and quickly sold out.
