So how do you other tapers/bootleggers/grabbers, depending on the culture, record shows?

I basically held the mic in my hand, but not up in the air for fear of being spotted or blocking someones view.

Is there a best place to be sitting? Center of floor? First row balcony? FRONT ROW?

Im figuring if i can get the mic just above the head of the person in front of me, the quality will be better. Ill have to get a tiny break-down stand.

Where do these soundboard recording come from? Do you have to know someone to hook in? (is the sound guy Arlo's or the venue's?)

I went so far as applying for a volunteer position at one venue.

EQUIPMENT
My measly 2 tapes were with a borrowed stereo tape recorder and stereo mic (not a condensor tho)

I now have a sony mini disc recorder and stereo condensor shotgun mic. Havent tried an Arlo show yet....havent been to one since 99, either sold out or bad dates. I mainly use it to record drums at powwows when Im not videotaping them. (my other passion is American Indian Culture, have a drum called Bum Kneez who sings at small powwows in NJ, PA, NY, MD)

I use Core Sound Binaural mics > Nomad Jukebox 3 to tape shows. You are usually better off being more in line with one of the speaker stacks as opposed to the center of the room. The area around the soundboard is a good place to stand also, since the engineer is usually shooting for the best sound where he is standing. Sometimes I'll wear a hat that I can clip my mics to, just run the cables up your back and tape the mics to the underside of the brim if you have to. This gets the mics above the crowd as you mentioned earlier. Glasses work well too. Personally, I'll try to walk around a venue when I first get there during an opening band and try to find where it sounds the best. The mics you use also have a big effect on where you should stand, my mics for example, work best when you're standing near the speaker stacks, they're just built to handle it so the louder the better. I own stock in ear plugs

Usually bigger name acts have their own sound techs, but a lot of venues provide their own, especially with smaller acts. As long as the band is ok with taping, most sound techs are happy to assist with patching into the soundboard. Just make sure you're flexible with your connection options - I carry 1/8", 1/4", RCA, and XLR cables...you never know what you'll run into. Worst case, you can usually get the tech to plug you into the 1/4" headphone jack as long as they aren't using it themselves.

See www.taperssection.com for more info than you'll have time to read in a lifetime re: taping.

yeah, pull up a chair and start reading taperssection...oh, and get your wallet out if you're gonna get into this hobby...one piece of gear certainly leads to another...

In three years, I've changed mics four times; bought three recorders and am considering a fourth; two pre-amps, and miscellaneous clamps, connectors, cables, stands, etc....