At the awards I heard a guy saying that "...there was a lot less painted shit before... more unfinished cars, etc". Funny, I guess no one is supposed to progress or "finish" a car. Kirk you're going about it all wrong, you need to "age" the Starliner now. Get that patina and then it will be trad!
Thanks Matt, I had been trying to come up with an effective response to all the negative Billetproof comments, then I read your post and you said it all for me!
This was the same year as the beer bungie, the trunk caught fire. We were selling the KDK stuff next to Franco. KDK= kind dick of kalifornia.
Hey Alan..maybe just give out a souveneir ticket with each paid admission..then each person in the gate gets something special to keep and you can sell some at the booth too.
Heeeeeeeyyyyyy...... as a money grubbing car show promoter, I like the sounds of THAT !!!! really though... not a bad idea. I'll work with the ticketing co to see if there is something we can do. They run thermal ticket printing terminals. I just found out (after reading this thread) that one can produce custom thermal ticket paper stock with artwork on it. Who knew? I learn something new every year. You can bet I will do my best to make something cool for next year.
I wish I coulda gone, it looked fun. Obviously your hard efforts paid off, hope you keep it up so I can get out there soon.
$10.00 bucks to get in ? Isn't that like a penny a car to see if the show had a thousand cars? Sounds like a smokin' deal to me !
Yes, the early/smaller BP shows were great, but those days are gone and it is lame to try to compare. Everything changes - it's the law of nature. Even if they TRIED to keep it the same, it would still end up different. Yen/Yang - change is the only constant. $10 gate fee is cheap for a days entertainment. Like the dude from Alaska said - you guys don't know how good you have it. There are few places on earth that even have something like BP. Instead of complaining, be thankful that someone makes the big effort to provide a show for people to get together. And if you really don't dig it, then by all means...stay home and play with the cat.
i don't know what all the problems are about...real simple if you don't like it go home. i think alan put on a hell of a show. there is so much work involved in what he does so you can all have one day of fun. i finished my car and brought it and had a great time. and it's a welcome change to see some more painted cars. good job alan! and by the way....Dirty Penny rocked it! hunter
I went to a Pearl Jam concert years ago when they had a go with Ticketmaster and made their own tickets. I believe they were brown with blue pinstriping and were thermal printed. Have to be careful when you want to save it though as heat destroys them. Still have it somewhere here. As everyone else said, where else can you get a full days entertainment, live bands, and cool vendors for under $15?
Aside from those complaining about $10 for a full day's entertainment, what I think is funny are the people who think that a show sucks just because it's "big". That somehow 100 "right" cars out of 150 is better than 800 "right" cars out of 1000. I don't get the logic of wanting to see fewer of the cars I prefer. It seems easy to just not look at what I don't like. There will never be a 100% "right" event because "right" is 100% personal opinion, and to believe that your vision and selection is better than everyone's personal ability to edit is plain narcissistic. Yes, you need to set parameters, but being elitist is something else altogether. Personally I say give me 800 cars I want to see for my money. I can ignore the rest, and hopefully they will learn something from the "right" cars and I'll have more that I like to look at next time. I look at the future of hot rodding as well as its past. Excluding people from our genre is not going to keep it going. Education and inspiration is.
Dunno about most folks, but I tend to go to shows to hang out with good friends who we only get to see at said shows...the cars & bands are just an added bonus. I didn't go this year, I was working, seem to have got away from the bigger shows this year, and attended a lot of smaller shows locally. Anyway, on with the show.....
Not trying to beat a dead horse but maybe if I break it down a little some won't look @ it like WHINING.This was just my opinion, like it on not. Wasn't trying to start some bitch fest. Let me just say that this was the biggest show yet. Had a good time ,met some old friends & made some new ones. I had a good time. With that said, The show felt like dare I say a good-guys event! Hell it even had the double-decker bus. $3.00 parking, $10.00 walk in fee without the cool ticket & the quality of the show posters sucked! It was just so crowded like a goodguys event & the bus I only see a goodguys shows. Not that its a bad thing. I just liked when it had less foot traffic. Kinda like in the early Paso days. As for the $$. Didn't really mater to me cause I drove in. And as for the poster. The art work was great, just liked the thicker stock paper. The ticket I always thaught was cool. Just kinda bummed they didn't have any. The restroom lines were a joke. Don't think anybody can argue that. Kirk, maybe its just me but the show was way better when it was yours. Nuff said. 2 days next year...... no thanks. I pay for 2 days @ a goodguys show & only go for 1 day Some things are just better left alone, & this show was one.
All great and valid points. Specific thing like that are what promoters can use for improvement. Thanks for the pics. I took almost none.
I've never personally been to Billet Proof, but I'd like to comment on it as an outsider who's never really been a social part of any of the automotive sub-cultures, "Rat", "Billet", "Trad" or otherwise... Skill (and wallet) levels improve over time. These early Billet Proof participants have evolved into un-believable craftsman/artists and some into good business people. Doing any part of this gig for a living (especially when you're no longer a single guy living in your shop or working out of your parent's garage) is super expensive. Can these folks make it a business without ruining it? I think they're doing a much better job than most.
I have never seen HAMB car show picture posts turn into such a bitchfest. WTF is wrong with you people? every post about the show has a bunch of whiners. all the whiners should just stay home next time.
Its pretty unique to Billetproof. I've yet to see as many similar comments about other shows.... to me it just shows a level of passion for the show. Perhaps its a little mis-directed at times but people dont complain about something they dont give a shit about. People feel attached to Billetproof, there is a sense of ownership in the show from the participants. This is a good thing. Its also something I am keenly aware of and do my best to make sure that the passion for the show continues. Billetproof couldnt have better fans, participants and spectators. With that comes a few downsides though. If anything "changes", whether it really did change or not, people get upset. But the show is still a good one, everyone has a good time, and they come back year after year.... even if some bitch about wierd stuff. I always welcome critizisms, I filter out the stuff that I cant do anything about, and fix the stuff I can.
KUDOS for all the hard work putting on BilletProof. I have been to all except the first one and have been hoping for the logical progression to a two day event. It better justifies driving a long ways and allows more time to meet people and enjoy the ambiance of hot rod creations. Not to mention more beer time. This year was even better than last year, all attributed to the efforts of ChopTop and dedicated helpers. Many Thanks for the opportunity to be there every year. I hope you make lots of well deserved profit. The worst thing that can happen is NOT to have BilletProof!
Alan me, my wife and my buddies all had a great time and can't wait for next years show. I think its alittle sad that everyone complains about shows so much here in CA. Is it me or do you just not see it as much in other states. I think we are pretty lucky because we have some pretty kickass shows and get togethers like the Road Zombies and Strangers BBQs. I can understand the complaining about people acting like asses and wrecking hotels like at Midnight Mass but even that shouldn't be attributed to the show just drunks afterwards that probably didn't even have cars there anyway.
Most of the people (not all - but most) that complain about a car show have never organized an event in their lives and may not appreciate just what it takes to not only make it happen, but make it successful. Its not that easy and there are costs involved prior to one person even walking/driving through the door. *On another note* The cars pictured on this thread are awesome !
Yep...great pics! It was perfect weather,loads of beautiful women,good food, cold beer, all in all a great show....next years should be better yet as there will be more time for me to enjoy the bands and visit with friends and still see all the cars!
The Jalopy Journal
