Photo of regular and fast pass lines at a recent Live Nation event.
The company has scheduled about 20 events where concertgoers can sign up for TSA PreCheck, and where TSA PreCheck members will have a dedicated line for faster entry
The short lines familiar from airports’ pre-screening service have debuted at their first major music festival. Live Nation recently announced an agreement with IdentoGO, the private company that handles PreCheck applications for the U.S. Transportation Security Agency. Attendees at certain Live Nation events can sign up for TSA PreCheck, which enables subscribers to bypass the airport security process, as a Live Nation spokesperson explained to Pitchfork. Plus, TSA PreCheck members will have their own “Fast Pass” for expedited entry at these events. The spokesperson clarified that, contrary to reports, the partnership with IdentoGO is not for security screening purposes, and applies to only “a very limited number of venues and events.”
Signing up for TSA PreCheck at a live music event allows concertgoers to avoid the waits for traditional in-person screening appointments, which the Live Nation spokesperson said can take up to weeks or months. TSA PreCheck enrollment takes about 10 minutes, Live Nation said, and costs $85 for a five-year membership. To enroll, concertgoers will need to bring a government-issued photo ID and proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate. (More information about required documents is here.) At airports, TSA PreCheck subscribers are allowed to pass through the security process without removing light jackets, shoes, belts, laptops, and permitted liquids. At shows, they’ll be able to bypass the long lines, though they’ll still be subject to the security screening process.
The first Live Nation event to offer onsite TSA PreCheck enrollment and a Fast Pass lane was the Watershed country music festival, which took place July 29-31 and August 5-7 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington. PreCheck enrollment and a Fast Pass lane will also be available at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival, from September 30-October 2 in Las Vegas, and the Meadows Music & Arts Festival, on October 1-2 in Queens, New York. (Kanye West, the Weeknd, Chance the Rapper, and Kygo will headline the latter.)
Shorter lines will be available for TSA PreCheck members during the 2016-2017 concert season at these participating venues: the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey; Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas; Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta; P.N.C. Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey; Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida; and San Manuel Amphitheatre in San Bernardino, California.
Through the partnership with IdentoGO, Live Nation has also been offering on-site TSA PreCheck enrollment at the above venues for the following concerts: Brantley Gilbert on August 26 and Oddball Comedy Festival on August 27 in Atlanta; ZZ Top on September 1 and Rascal Flatts on September 2 in Holmdel; Miranda Lambert on September 10 in West Palm Beach; Oddball Comedy Festival on September 23 in Dallas; Megadeth on October 16 in Camden; and Florida Georgia Line on October 22 in Atlanta.
By Marc Hogan, Senior Staff Writer
http://pitchfork.com/news/67593-live-nation-debuts-airport-style-fast-lane-at-music-festivals/
[Thank you to Alex Teitz, http://www.femmusic.com, for contributing this article.]