Difficulties Finding Decent Tickets

[olive]

Originally Posted by TsnFan4Ever
I wonder how Lindsey feels about this; it seems like he would be upset about it from what I've read but who knows how much the band knows about what TM is doing? Let's hope something changes so we can all go back to enjoying our favorite artists!


who do you think set the prices ?

do you think ticketmaster is charging hundreds of dollars over the base price and keeping it with out the BANDS knowledge ?


he's probably thrilled that people are willing to spend that much money ! and maybe they should ask for more.


the only way things will change is .... if people refuse to buy tickets at that price ...and from places like stubhub( the band gives them the tickets and they get a cut )

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by olive

Originally Posted by TsnFan4Ever
I wonder how Lindsey feels about this; it seems like he would be upset about it from what I've read but who knows how much the band knows about what TM is doing? Let's hope something changes so we can all go back to enjoying our favorite artists!


who do you think set the prices ?

do you think ticketmaster is charging hundreds of dollars over the base price and keeping it with out the BANDS knowledge ?


he's probably thrilled that people are willing to spend that much money ! and maybe they should ask for more.


the only way things will change is .... if people refuse to buy tickets at that price ...and from places like stubhub( the band gives them the tickets and they get a cut )

The whole situation needs legal investigation! I don't know how Ticketbastard can have "RESALE" tickets on their website, and they're not getting the extra money. So a $200 ticket becomes $630? I can't believe that legal intervention hasn't taken place.

For me, Fleetwood Mac is close to entering the swan song of their career. I would NEVER pay these ridiculous prices for anyone else(or honestly, if they tour again, I might not pay it again, even). But Chris is back, and I MUST see her one more time.

[loverly13]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

The whole situation needs legal investigation! I don't know how Ticketbastard can have "RESALE" tickets on their website, and they're not getting the extra money. So a $200 ticket becomes $630? I can't believe that legal intervention hasn't taken place.

For me, Fleetwood Mac is close to entering the swan song of their career. I would NEVER pay these ridiculous prices for anyone else(or honestly, if they tour again, I might not pay it again, even). But Chris is back, and I MUST see her one more time.

Exactly. How does a $200 become $2,000!? It's absolutely insane, and if it's being hosted on the Ticketmaster site, I'm sure they're getting a cut. Even StubHub collects 15% of each ticket sale... If Ticketmaster has similar practices, that means that for those front row seats that are literally selling for $2400, they could be making $360 - $130 more than the original face value of the ticket. It's ridiculous and infuriating...

[olive]

Originally Posted by loverly13

Exactly. How does a $200 become $2,000!? It's absolutely insane, and if it's being hosted on the Ticketmaster site, I'm sure they're getting a cut. Even StubHub collects 15% of each ticket sale... If Ticketmaster has similar practices, that means that for those front row seats that are literally selling for $2400, they could be making $360 - $130 more than the original face value of the ticket. It's ridiculous and infuriating...

but as long as someone is willing to pay them , the prices will escalate

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by olive

but as long as someone is willing to pay them , the prices will escalate

And that honestly boggles my mind...because I wouldn't think a casual fan would be willing to spend that kind of money on good tickets. I guess there are too many people, that dropping a couple grand on a pair of tickets, is no big deal!

[TsnFan4Ever]

(QUOTE/)For me, Fleetwood Mac is close to entering the swan song of their career. I would NEVER pay these ridiculous prices for anyone else(or honestly, if they tour again, I might not pay it again, even). But Chris is back, and I MUST see her one more time.[/QUOTE]

This is the only reason I bought a VIP ticket for this tour and considering what the prices are for the front rows, it looks like I got a good deal. I'm appalled by the way these prices have escalated for this tour and would never even consider paying this outrageous price for anyone else. I'm only doing it this one time because--in my opinion, considering everything we've discussed--chances are good that this may be our last chance to see Fleetwood Mac together. But this price fixing has changed my opinion about concerts and they thrill is gone. If I can't buy a ticket for a front section seat at face value and not feel ripped off for future concerts, I'll spend my money elsewhere.

[Musicman408]

Anyone else notice this? I don't know if there are some new things going on at Ticketmaster, but at no point during this sales process have any decent floor seats popped up at face value. Anyone else notice this? $200 is enough as it is - won't be spending more for stubhub or anything.

[guitarchick82]

Honestly, I've been keeping an eye on the ticket prices and I'm totally disgusted by them. Fat chance that I'm ever going to pay $1000 to see ANYONE--I just can't afford to drop that amount of cash on a concert ticket. Right now I'm counting on waiting until the last minute to find a halfway decent ticket. I'll pay $200, even $300, but I draw the line at $500 and up.

[Kena]

Decent tickets? Heck I can't even get 2 seats next to each other for Atlanta through ticketmaster. Resale? Are you kidding me? $300 for crappy upper level seats... So high up you need to wear a seatbelt and use binoculars. Not gonna happen. Just gonna hope for resale to go down or ticketmaster to release some tickets. Crossing my fingers and toes.

[Nicks Fan]

What bothers me is that people bitch about the prices but pay them anyway. I know someone who was very vocal about the rise in price for Mickès VIP tickets and the TM Platinum seats but then ended up buying them anyway for several shows.

It has become this sick obsession for some people where no amount is too much and this notion that they must be there and in some cases they must go to every special event the artist does regardless of the price.

I know two people in the Melissa Etheridge fan community who are so obsessed with her it is quite scary to see how far their obsession has gone. Melissa has not been very popular for some time now and when you look at her tour dates the majority of the shows are really small towns and really small venues (Riverside, CA, Eagle ID, Grande Ronde OR, Danbury CT etc). Her ticket prices have not reflected this though as her prices are still in many cases well over 100 dollars. She used to have a fan club that was run through Fan Asylum and for anywhere from 900-1200.00+ you could at select shows get a front row ticket, Backstage meet and greet which was anywhere from 10 seconds to 10 minutes (You are with a small group of other fans), you get a personalized autographed photo, a group picture with all of the fans and sometimes there is an audience Q/A and or a chance to watch the soundcheck. You also get hotel accommodations and a pre-show party the day before the concert. You do have to find your own travel arrangements though. I never did these Travel Packages but many of my friends did and they warned me about how much of a rip off they were because in many cases Melissa and would shake your hand and say hi and then leave and go onto the next fan.

The two rabid fans I am speaking off have seen her 200+ times and they go to almost every show she does no matter where it is. Anytime it is announced she is doing some special event or political fundraiser one or both of them is there. One of them spent 20,000 on two autographed guitars. They also post routinely comments like "Melissa touched my hand tonight I could get used to this". At her show in Lincoln City on Aug 30 a radio station posted this on Facebook. Last night at Melissa Etheridge, there was a superfan named Frank... it was his 200th time seeing her in concert. 200!!!! Crazy! What band/artist have you seen the most times in concert? -Tammy. Frank is so obsessed that he follows her everywhere she does anything and he also has this thing for anyone who has ever had any interaction with her (Opening acts, played on a record of hers, was in her band etc). If she is not on tour he turns his obsession to them. I stopped seeing Melissa in concert because the sick fans ruined it for me as they had to be in the front row, they had to have that recognition from her and it became too much for me. Plus with her fan club tickets you were paying more for the tickets then you would if you bought them through TM and when some of us complained the rabid fans jumped all over us and I finally said I have had enough.

I bring this up because it is people like them who ruin it for others because as long as there are fools willing to spend untold amounts of money on these artists the prices will never go down.

Last year I stood in line for tickets to the Ottawa show and got front row on Lindsey's side. This year nothing good was being offered so I walked away. I am checking daily for for a ticket to Ottawa and Minneapolis but so far nothing. I am willing to pay a little more than face value but not much more.

I can already see how much money they will charge for VIP tickets on the next tour.

[Nicks Fan]

The other thing I notice is so many people seem to have this deluded obsession where they can't go on living unless they go to tons of concerts of blank artist.

It is a free country and you can do with your money what you wish. I just hope these people are saving for their retirement.

Matt

[TsnFan4Ever]

These are all the reasons I rarely go to concerts anymore. When I moved to So. Cal., I quickly discovered how many people will pay scalpers ridiculous prices for decent seats--so missed many FM and SN tours the first few years I lived here.
If this happens again, this is probably my last FM concert.

And I agree about these hardcore fans of some artists do detract from the enjoyment of shows for others. Rick Springfield also attracts a small base of fans who follow him everywhere across the country and exhibit the same behavior as Melissa Etheridge's fans. His fans have run up huge credit card bills and even taken second mortgages on their homes to afford their "Rick addiction" (including paying $300 for sound checks, $750 to sit on side of the stage, etc.). It's sad to meet people who are ruining their lives (at least financially) to do this. I'm glad most of the people on this board have more sense.

[Macfanforever]

I will still go if they keep it under $200 bucks.

I would not pay anymore then that.I'll will stay home and watch somebodies shaky YT video footage of the concert for free.

Its getting sickening with these inflated price gouged prices.

This is the main reason I had to cut back on more shows of this tour.

If the tix were reasonable .I would of add a few more shows.

I like to know how Garth Brooks and other artists keep their seats cheap.

I look at this upcoming tour special with Chris with them.

In the meantime this ticket scheme pricing is a game and a ripoff.

For those big bucks. I better get a complete meet and greet with ALL members of the band with my Rumours vinyl signed be each member.

Stevie and FM is the only people that I see live now.I cant not afford to see others at those inflated prices.
.
I like catching shows at fairs where the tix price is the admission of $20 bucks also the local town fests that sometimes have big name artists come to sing for free.

I seen alot of top name bands and solo artists this way.

[Nicks Fan]

Garth keeps his tickets low because he has never been one to rip off his fans. He has always had cheap tickets and I respect him for that.

Another singer who does it right is Bruce as his prices have been 115.00 since 2003 and you get your money's worth for sure.


Bob Seger also does something unique. He keeps some of the best seats in the house for sale later on close to the show and the prices are higher then his 80 something regular price. The thing is though the most you might pay is 250.00 a ticket. It seems high but when you know what scalpers try to get (which I am told is why he does these VIP tickets) it isn't so bad. I got 4th row tickets for Ottawa for about 150.00 through the VIP so I was fine with that. I wasn't mad that he does this as I get that he is trying to stop scalpers from hogging all of his tickets.

[Nicks Fan]

The other thing that pissed me off about MLE and her tickets is that the rabid fans were always getting the prized from contests and front row ticket draws.

The way it used to work was that if the show had no Travel Package seats then a random draw (So they said) determined who sat in rows 1-2. All other seats were assigned by seniority. If you drank the Koolaid enough times you were always rewarded and if by chance you posted that you have been a member since blank date and never won the draw for front row then suddenly you won a bunch of times.

I think what happened was that as her popularity declined the fan club started rewarding the sick and deluded fans to keep them coming back for more time and again. I have been told by some of the normal fans that they are aware of the crazies and they give them just enough access to keep them happy.

One fan is so sick she actually thinks they are dating. She will gush on and on about being on the same plane (by sheer coincidence she says) with MLE , having her touch her hand or call out her name at the shows. One fan told me she hasn't had a GF in years because Melissa is her GF.

The other guy Frank lost his wife to drugs I am told and now because his wife was a Janis fan and MLE is considered the new Janis he has latched on to her and her music /friends and entourage.

Melissa was in D.C for a special swanky political event and he bought a ticket. She tended bar at the Que Sera gay bar where she got her start last year at a fundraiser for some female politician and also performed an intimate show and he and some of the sickos were there.

Some of them posed at reporters to get into a gated community for another political event she did.

I could go on and on. (Cancer event where she sang I run for life to fans on a pink coloured plane before performing on the Today show, Hard Rock symposium on cancer, appearing on Broadways's American Idiot etc and they all went. Frank I am told is a nuclear scientist so he may have deep pockets but he is sure going through the cash. He actually just got married again I am told at age 61. I hope the wife knows about the other woman LOL.