Tickets for summer tour

[PaulH]

I have been getting ready for the announcements for the summer tour, although it looks like my local venue the Tweeter center in Mansfield MA will be hosting YES Aug. 2nd.
It looks as if Ticketmaster will be handling the sales of tickets for most of the shows.
This poses a problem for me because of the numerous amount of
"Ticket brokers" in my area.
These legalized scalpers claim that they are doing a service by giving people the freedom to not have to wait in line, or on their phones or computers for tickets.
In fact what they do is keep many fans that can't shell out $400.00 for seats close to the stage,away from the shows.
I was wondering how folks at Yesfans felt about this?
I seem to remember that YES at one point did some of their own
Ticket sales (was it for SLO?) and maybe if there was a demand
and perhaps a plea from a few of us they would consider doing it again.
I think the Grateful Dead ticket sales (now called GDTStoo) does
a great job, it is a little more involved, but enough so that it keeps the scalpers away, and if someone puts in the time and effort they usually walk away with pretty good seats at the cost of what the tickets are supposed to be priced.
Maybe YES could take a page from their book and those of us without speed dialers, secret Ticketmaster numbers, or 20 people employed with high speed digital computers might have a chance at some good seats to see our heros up close.
I am sure that it could only help the shows......having some people that REALLY want to be there and know the music up front exchanging some good energy with the band.
What do y'all think?

[Roger]

I'm with you Paul...I'll be seeing them this year also at the Tweeter, and I hope I get better seats than I did last year at Mohegan Sun... I called for tix as soon as they went on sale, and the best I could do was the lower section, 25 rows back to the left side of Steve. I know exactly how you feel!!! Anyone else??

It's infuriating to be the first on on the call to ticketmaster--I know because I called in too early for them to sell me tickets and they were nice enough to hang out on the phone with me until the clock struck noon--and still not get great seats.

[Alysoun]

I usually go to CT to see shows but we'll see what the venues are this year.

I must say that I like indoor theatres.

But beggars can't be choosers.

There may be some great ticket swapping.

Allison

[Jeffrae]

They are Killing me...

Good thing I am a computer tech.. Its great being able to do whatever I want with the computers at work.. (including waiting for Yesworld to update the ticket info).. What is the hold up..

Why are they being so slow..

Jeff

[1097]

Hey Paul:

Remember a few weeks ago, the Herald did an article on the ticket brokers re: the Red Sox. I'm not a big fan of Ticketmaster as well. I tried to get Tull tix last week at 10:00 AM and they only had Sections 1 and 3 in the back for FleetBoston. I went back on at 2P.M. and got 6th row seats. Go figure. As I probably won't have anyone to go to the Yes concert with, I'll probably post a few seats (hopefully good ones) to share with fellow Yes-heads. Stay in touch.

fyi: I already have my seats for Denver but received a call from a man by the name of Jack Stirman in CO who has front row center seats for $225. If you want them call him at: 303-457-1090.

Now if I could only find such a deal for the LA show! Anyone have any recommendations? Sources?

[RobAdams]

I'd rather be in bad seats than give 200 bucks to a scalper. These people are dirtbag opportunists. I would avoid them at all costs.

In my "very naughty strung out on coke" days I worked for a scalper. He'd give me the cash for the full limit of tickets and I'd go to the box office to get the best seats I could. Along with keeping the change (20-30 dollars usually) he'd pay me another amount based on how good the seats were. At first he paid me pretty good. Gradually he started paying me less and less. I was getting tired of being used, so one time I went to get tickets for him for a really hot show. Not only was there not going to be any significant change leftover - this time he said he would only be able to give me $20, no matter what because "he owed someone a lot of money". This was the second time he pulled that on me. Being out of work, I needed the money, so here I go to the box office with 700-800 dollars of this guy's money. I had his cell phone to report what tickets were being pulled. The good seats were gone quickly. I called and asked him what he wanted me to do. He said "Get any tickets you can. The good seats are gone, but I'll have no problem selling ANY seats to this show." Here's the funny part...I bought the full limit of tickets. I took him at his word to get any tickets I could...It was his fault...He was stuck with 10 tickets - all single seats, nowhere near each other!!!! He couldn't give the things away. He tried to beat me up for this after the guy he was working for made him reimburse the cost of all those tickets. I'm not much of a fighter, but he was easy to beat. Compounding his troubles further, I was only one of six others he hired that day, and two more of us got all single seats.

I'D LIKE TO ADD:

Ticket scalpers/brokers have played a significant role in the high prices charged for concert tickets. Venues/bands figured "Hey, if the scalpers can get $300 for a front row ticket, we may as well get in on this." I remember seeing the Grateful Dead in 1982 for 12 dollars. Those were the days. I think I saw YES for 7.50 in NYC (1978).

I know what you are saying i-and-i and I had to come to grips with that myself. I've never paid a scalper in my life until Masterworks--and that was because I did not know I was going until just days before the show and the chance of getting any reasonable seats was long gone.

Scalpers are here to stay unfortunately. The best seats are not made available to fans initially. It's a no-win situation. I don't like it but I want to have a good seat and I don't have connections so I am willing to spend my $$$ on that as I see no other way to accomplish that goal. I don't know how much longer I will be given the opportunity to see Yes. I want to make the most of it, through the only means I have.

And perhaps you did not mean to i-and-i, but I felt you were judging me for my participation. It would have been just as easy for me to not provide the source for Yesfans and no one would have been the wiser. Those good seats are already gone. Unless you know someone or are willing to pay through the nose, you will not get them. That is the unfortunate and real situation in which we live. Life is not fair. I agree. I just try to live within those parameters, trying to harm as few as possible.

I too remember more reasonable days. I paid $6.50 to see The Who and thought that was expensive at the time. Times have changed and not always for the better. It's a bitter reality I have come to deal with in accepting the fact of a scalper. I wish I did not have to.

[nightliner]

Scalpers aren't the only ones that charge outrageous prices. I heard an ad on the radio earlier today for the Stones concert in Philly. Tickets range in price from $50.00 up to $300.00.

The Eagles are doing a show at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas in July. Seats up front are $500.00.

[RobAdams]

Yessiree - No judgement intended at all. I was just giving my opinion on the scalping game. And like I stated above, one of the reasons these big acts like the Stones have taken to charging outrageous prices for tickets it partly because they figure if scalpers can overcharge, they may as well. That is mainly the point I struggled to make. Sorry if you felt I was judging. I truly wasn't trying to give that impression.

Thanks for the clarification, i-and-i. That didn't seem like your style.

[RobAdams]

It used to seem that a concert ticket was only a little bit more money than buying that particular band's new album. Remember those good old days.

Gotta go look for my walker...

Would you get mine too? And while you're at it, please pick up the hot water bottle too. I need it for the headache I'm having because of the scalper fees.