Buying tickets for non FM shows

1sttimelongtime · #1 01-23-2010, 08:12 PM

Hey

A good friend of mine wants to see James Taylor and Carole King in concert. He asked me how to get good seats. I have been very very lucky, getting great seats at all the FM shows I saw on this past tour, including front row at Wembley in October after it was supposedly sold out. These seats were purchased pretty much at the last minute.

I dont have any experience doing this with any group but FM though.

Would I be leading him astray by telling him to wait for ticket drops and til the last minute? I would hate for him to take my advice and miss out on a seat.

Can anyone offer any advice? Are James Taylor and Carole King so incredibly popular that FM tactics wont work?

Thanks,

Anna

1sttimelongtime · #2 01-23-2010, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

Are James Taylor and Carole King playing together in the UK? I've only heard about US and Australia/NZ dates.

The thing about the Fleetwood Mac shows at Wembley none of those were really sold out. Tickets kept showing up on Ticketmaster all the time right up until the day of the show.

In my experience ticket drops are a universal thing but really it entirely depends on the artist and the venue. For example, when Springsteen played the O2 there were absolutely no ticket drops even on the day of the show. Whereas when Leonard Cohen played the Royal Albert Hall, a much smaller venue than the O2 arena which he had previously sold out, there were fifth and sixth row tickets available on the week of the show.

So, just like Fleetwood Mac, you just need to decide if you want to take the risk (and it is a risk). It might end up you'll get amazing tickets (like you did) the week before or on the day of the show but there's also a good chance you'll end up with no tickets at all.

He lives in California and is hoping to see them at the Hollywood Bowl, I think. Because he is only going to one show, and is very specific about where he wants to see them, I guess he better not take the risk...

Thanks!!

vivfox · #3 01-23-2010, 10:22 PM

According to what I've seen in Billboard Magazine's Boxscore chart over the years, James Taylor consistantly sells out every venue he plays in. So I'd suggest to buy the ticket while you can.

FMlex · #4 01-23-2010, 11:34 PM

Haven't seen CK live yet, but JT rocks live!!!
I think I paid about 100 bucks for average seats for James Taylor on his latest tour (the Down Home tour).

It's going to be a great tour. I just hope they add some Texas dates.

Zombie · #5 01-24-2010, 04:58 PM

I've found it really depends on who you are going to see and what kind of venue it is. Also how bad you want to be there.

When we saw Leonard Cohen, the place was pretty well packed, but we grabbed our tickets as soon as possible to make sure we didn't miss out. Ended up with nosebleeds, but it was worth it just to be there.

When I see Tori Amos, I usually wait around til closer to the date and get better seats.

Most of the other types of shows I go to have gen admission, though, so I just grab those when available and worm my way up front.

shebop · #6 01-27-2010, 12:19 AM

I scored a pit ticket from the pre-sale - your friend is a bit late to be asking because they put the third date on sale already......
Because there are three dates, the best idea at this point is to play the waiting game.
Great seats will be released as always, and the easiest date will probably be the 5/13 show because it's a Thursday.