Fay likes to queue for hours before concerts to secure a front-row spot, while Odysseus prefers arriving just before the main act to avoid waiting. The couple, who attend about five gigs a year together, disagree on the best approach. Fay argues that the full experience, including support acts, is worth the wait, while Odysseus finds queueing exhausting and unnecessary.
The prosecution: Odysseus
Odysseus says Fay insists on arriving before the venue opens to queue, then rushes to the front row. He prefers to arrive right before the main support act to enjoy the concert without hours of waiting. He notes that at heavy metal concerts with smaller crowds, no one queues early, and they still get good spots. At a Coldplay concert in Austria, they queued in the sun and waited three hours inside, leaving him exhausted.
Odysseus believes being at the front is overrated because it restricts movement: you cannot grab food or use the toilet for fear of losing your spot. At a Wembley gig, Fay avoided drinking water to avoid bathroom breaks, which he considers dangerous dehydration. He also points out that Fay is short (5ft 2in) while he is 6ft 2in, so he can see anywhere. He has offered to let her sit on his shoulders, but she refuses.
He argues that arriving late still yields good spots; once they got a space 20 people from the front. Another time, Fay reached the front despite arriving late. He is willing to arrive slightly early for Fay's sake but refuses to queue from the morning.
The defence: Fay
Fay counters that Odysseus calls popular bands like Coldplay low-quality, but she loves them. She enjoys support acts as part of the experience. She denies being stuck in crowds or unable to use the toilet, as they take turns. She says Odysseus's height lets him see everywhere, while she struggles to see without a front spot. Sitting on his shoulders for a three-hour show is uncomfortable.
Fay says queueing for three hours is a small inconvenience for the reward of being on the first or second row. She dislikes Odysseus's habit of arriving late and pushing through the crowd, which annoys others. She recalls an incident where he almost fought a woman to get her to the barrier, embarrassing her. She prefers buying normal tickets and arriving early over spending £500 on VIP tickets, which still left her unable to see at a recent Ne-yo and Akon concert.
Regarding dehydration, Fay says she sets alarms to drink water in daily life, so it is not a concert-specific issue. She believes the waiting and warm-up acts are integral to the concert experience.
The jury of Guardian readers
Reader Sasha, 39, says at 6ft 2in, Odysseus does not understand the pain of being short at concerts and should be more sympathetic. Ali, 42, criticizes Odysseus for nearly fighting a woman to get to the barrier, calling it against concert etiquette. Sid, 63, sympathizes with Odysseus but says he should support Fay's need to see. Donna, 34, notes that if Fay goes with Odysseus, his height blocks others behind him, suggesting she find a gig buddy. Clara, 33, proposes Fay go in early for support acts while Odysseus arrives later, meeting her at the front.
Now you be the judge
In an online poll, readers can vote on whether Fay is making a poor show of things. The poll closes on Wednesday 29 July at 9am BST. Last week, 59% of readers said Tolu was guilty of buying too many flowers.
