Tips for concert ticket purchasing

I was talking to a friend tonight, and inbetween discussions of The X-Files and proper joint rolling techniques, she mentioned that she was buying concert tickets. I proceeded to tell her [for the next three hours] a variety of tips and tricks for buying concert tickets. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a music nut, so I have bought my fair share of tickets, and have found out the hard way what works and what doesn't. So I decided to streamline my tips and post them here. Most of these things you may already know, but in case you don't, here they are, in all their mediocre glory! Don't say I never did anything for you.

Online and Over The Phone Vs. Buying In Person

I've personally never purchased tickets online, and frankly, I don't really want to try. I have no idea how reliable their server is, or how quickly I can get tickets. When purchasing tickets for a big name band, every minute counts.

Also keep in mind that when you purchase the tickets online, on top of the exuberant Ticketmaster costs, you also have to pay for shipping of the tickets- and that can be expensive. Buying in person prevents them from bending you over for this extra amount of hard earned green, and also puts the tickets right in your hands, instead of waiting and wondering if you will get your tickets ontime, or if the mailman decided that he loves Aerosmith even more than you do and swiped them.

Yes, there are free or low-cost shipping options, but Ticketmaster only guarantees that your tickets will get to you about two days before the event, and I don't know about you, but that's cutting it a bit too close for my taste.

I would recommend, however, that you program Ticketmaster's phone number into your mobile phone, just in case you're in line there are two hundred people in front of you. Then call while in line to see if you get faster service that way.

Goddamn Tickets Are Expensive!

Yes, they are, but bitching about them isn't going to help. The best you can do is make sure you bring about fifteen bucks extra PER TICKET with you to your local Ticketmaster location. Seriously, it can cost around ten bucks per ticket in charges and taxes. Fifteen bucks is probably a safe bet.

Oh, and some Ticketmaster locations ONLY accept cash. Even if they do accept credit cards, there's no guarantee that the machine will be working the day of the sale. So bringing cash is always a better idea than plastic.

Pre-sales

Most bands have fan clubs, and most of those fan clubs offer their members first shot at purchasing tickets, before the general public. It wouldn't be a bad idea to join said fan clubs, however, most of them charge a pretty penny for it.

Too cheap? Yeah, me too. What I do, instead, is join radio street-teams. I'm part of the KROQ Street Team here in So. Cal., and they offer me pre-sale tickets on most shows. Although it won't be as good as joining the fan club of whatever band you prefer [it's N'Sync, admit it], it's better than nothing. Do remember, though, that these pre-sales are almost always online or over the phone only, so you'll need a credit card.

The Earlier The Better

Ok, so you've heard the expression 'the early bird catches the worm'? Well, the same is true for ticket buying. If you don't want to end up buying your tickets on e-bay for triple the price, I suggest getting to your chosen Ticketmaster outlet early. I would be willing to bet that two and a half to three hours should do the trick. No need to get there at the break of dawn, but cutting it too close could be the difference between getting tickets and not. Remember- most concerts sell out in a matter of minutes.

Now, the problem with Ticketmaster is that if a certain amount of people show up [usually around twenty], they will hand out wristbands and hold a random lottery to pick who gets first shot at tickets. That means it doesn't matter what time you get there, now you have just as much chance of getting tickets as the guy who just showed up last minute. It's not fair, but that's how they do it. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing if there will be a random lottery or not, so getting there early is always your best bet.

Also, Ticketmasters in big metropolitan areas are going to be the most crowded. You didn't think you were the only hardcore My Chemical Romance fan, did you? There are plenty of other people willing to get up at the buttcrack of dawn to get tickets. A good bet would be to check the suburbs for little out of the way ticketmasters. Trying to buy tickets smack dab in the middle of L.A. is going to be almost impossible, but there are little Ticketmaster locations all over that less people will go to. The further away from the big city, the better.

Always remember, however, to call the Ticketmaster location you're going to to make sure they're selling tickets to your specific show. Some Ticketmasters don't sell tickets to certain shows, so make sure the one you're going to does.

So, find and out of the way Ticketmaster AND get there early, and you'll have a good chance of getting tickets.

Take What You Can Get

So, think about this- you've been standing outside in the freezing cold morning air for eight hours. You got here and slept in your sleeping bag, drank luke-warm Starbucks from a cheap plastic mug, and re-read the same Rolling Stone issue three times cover to cover. Now comes the big moment- you're second in line and guaranteed to get tickets. Then you see him- the asshat that everyone hates, the most dreaded of all ticket purchasers: the guy who can't decide what he wants.

He's carefully studying the seating chart the way a scientist would study a rare species of bird- trying to decide if section A2 is any worse or better than section B3. Meanwhile, the ten minute window everyone has to get tickets before they're sold out is quickly ticking by while this jackass murmurs to himself, calls his girlfriend to see what she thinks, and strokes his chin like Sherlock Holmes considering a case.

It ain't rocket science, and looking over a seating chart isn't going to help. Take what you can get. Usually, Ticketmaster's computer system searches the best available tickets, meaning what they're offering you IS the best seat, and looking at the seating chart isn't going to help at all. It's just going to piss people off and get you jumped by thirty rabid, die-hard music fans who now have to e-bay tickets for three hundred bucks and their first-born.

Yes, Ticketmaster's computer system does sometimes screw up and not find you the best available- it happened to me. It happens, and there's always a chance that if you toggled with the employee and had them check again, you may have found something better. But remember that there's always a chance the extra time you take to do that ends with you getting WORSE tickets, not to mention screwing everyone else behind you. So just take what they offer.

Why Can't I See The Band? WTF?!! I'm So Angry I'm Going To Throw My Twenty-Dollar Beer!

Yup, it happens. There are sections at concert venues that are labeled as "obstructed view". It means that you'll be staring at a gigantic speaker stack or a soundboard instead of some half-drunk depressed Goth rocking out onstage. And the employee at your friendly local Ticketmaster is supposed to let you know before you purchase the ticket if this is the case. Sometimes they forget, though. So make sure to ask if it is an obstructed view or not, and if it is, then ask them to check again.

The Show Was Sold out! Now What Will I Do? I Won't Be Able To Live Without Seeing Styx!!

Calm down, bitch! It's cool. There are other ways of getting tickets besides Ticketbastard. Unfortunately, it's going to cost you a few limbs and other appendages [you weren't really attached to your penis that much were you?]

You can always e-bay tickets for triple the price, go to a ticket broker, or a scalper the day of the event.

The problem with e-bay and scalpers is that you have no idea if the tickets you're buying are legit. You don't want to end up at that Skynyrd show at your local fairgrounds with your lighter in tow, ready to scream "Freebird!" at the top of your lungs only to find out that the tickets were bogus, do you?

The best bet, then, is to go through a ticket broker, although, as mentioned, it'll cost you. Unfortunately, there are some unsavory bastards out there who will try to rip you off with fake tickets there, too. What I would recommend is checking out the National Association of Ticket Brokers [natb.org] and checking to make sure your broker company is legit before giving them your credit card information.

Making Sure Those Tickets Don't Melt Like The Wicked Witch Of The West

Keep your tickets out of direct sunlight or any heat source [including gloveboxes, people.] The ink can and will melt, leaving you with a big blob of ink that won't let you into anything.

And while we're on the subject, I would recommend putting your tickets in a sealed plastic baggie, especially on the day of the show. Think about it- when you're eating lunch at McDonald's before the show, do you really want that Supersized cola spilling all over your nice, new jeans and ruining your ticket? Didn't think so.


With these tips in mind, you'll be seeing Toby Keith in no time. Just remember to take your green with you, and don't do any drugs offered to you by strangers.