Sorry if this is mentioned elsewhere...

I had a look at Ticketmaster and they're showing "front row auctions" for most of the existing shows. What happened to the first 10 rows being kept for the VIP/cruise packages?


Max

Maybe, since it's in the round, part of the "front row" is being auctioned and the rest is reserved for VIP/cruisers.

Beats me. I'm from the same state as George Bush, so I'm likely to be way wrong.

Igo2DaMax said:

Erm.. HOW are tickmater going to conduct an online auction of said tickets???

It was nerve breaking chaos just to purchase regular tickets and I was lucky enough to have a mate with an O2 phone..... how are they going to log the 'last' sale for each ticket? I see the starting bid is 31.21 which is good but I dont get it...

JOYJOY said:

http://www.ticketmaster.c...dp_auction

Here's a link to the auction for the 07/07/07 tickets in Minneapolis, which operates for a few more hours. The process is pretty simple. As part of our brave new world, Ticketmaster has been using it for various artists in the past year or two. I assume a similar process will be in place for London front row.

If the Minneapolis link disappears by the time you read this, scour the Ticketmaster site for another big-name artist for whom an auction is being conducted to get a sense of the process.

Saw the Mpls link for their auction. Still don't get it. Is it like ebay? How do you 'win' tickets. How much do you think they'll go for?

Malloy said:

Don't know about eBay, but:

Assume 18 seats per row times 2 sections, for a total of 36 tickets per row.

Further assume you bid for two tickets in Row 1 ONLY.

Then, if your bid for two Row 1 tickets is sufficiently higher than other bids or earlier than equal bids, so that any such higher or equal bids only consume 34 tickets, you get two tickets on Row 1.

Next to me.

Assume, instead, that you want a pair in Row 1, but you bid for Rows 1 through 3 ONLY. Then, you could get booted down to Rows 2 or 3, if other bids for tickets in Rows 1-3 are higher than yours or equal bids are earlier than yours.

In either example, if all the tickets in the blocks for which you bid (Row 1 ONLY or Rows 1-3 ONLY) are all consumed by higher bids or earlier equal bids, you're out of the auction. So, going in, you have to consider electing the option of settling for lesser rows (1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, etc.) if you're outbid for the row that you'd really prefer.

I think this front row auction for the London shows is an absolute disgrace and another insult to those of us who have parted with hard earned cash to pay for VIP packages which were advertised firstly as being seats in the first 10 rows of the floor level.
This suddenly changed to 'gold circle' seating which encompassed the first 10 rows of the lower side tiers.
Now we are informed that there will be no potential for any VIP ticket holder to be in the front row at all. That's some serious bullshit.
I'm totally disillusioned.

I agree, that's bad news...

You may also want to consider the cost of aftershows at the venue next door.

T

CJBabyDaddy said:

Good grief! Is this what it's come to? I'm looking forward to the "I've re-mortgaged the house, but at least I got front row" posts in a few days. Unless I win the lottery sometime soon, I think I'll pass up on this one.

Max

ZARIA7ETAN said:

i agree, it doesn't look good for VIP ticket holders at this point. Obviously £235 was not enough! Now, as far as auctioning goes, what's the real difference ethically between this and scalping in front of the concert doors on the day....? not much!

What a great plan to make lots of money and lose your fan base. Lets face it. Any long term fan has bought a ticket already based on the information which was given.

Seems like a cheap money obsessed trick to me.

Do all JW's act like this ?

ZARIA7ETAN said:

Where did you read this?

Jeez I remeber staying oput all night at Earls court to get front row tickets this aution is a ripp off. now who are the scalpers!!!

1) VIP Cruise - first 10 row seats
2) First 10 row seats - first come first served basis
3) First come first served basis - floor or lower side tier
4) Floor or lower side tier - but not the front row

Seems like we are getting demoted as the weeks go by, certainly not what was advertised. Trading Standards anyone??

Trading standard?
I hope it is a complaint-driven system.

Send in your complaints.


No, I did not buy 'gold circle' tickets, but I still think the whole system/situation stinks: website designed to not let you buy tickets to multiple shows, late ticket delivery, vague complaint system (no communication), vague and changing seating/ticket arrangements.
What is next?

Just make all floor tickets 40 pounds and general admission standing room; he'll earn more that way.

I have to agree this stinks, I purchased VIP tickets for the 11th as a personal treat for me and the missis.

Now if you look at the seating chart on ticketmaster.

http://media.ticketmaster...11427s.gif

Maybe & just maybe the VIP tickets are the gold areas as shown and this stupid ffing auction (thrown in out of the blue) is for the grey area aroung the symbol.

This is just an opinion and is not confirmed.

SpitfireMk9 said:

Trying to be optimistic about this, perhaps you're actually close to the truth. The auction says ROW A, and NOT Gold circle. So hopefully (!!) the VIP tix are all Gold Circle, allocated depending on when you bought the tickets. And the Row A auction is for Row A in Blocks 103-110, and 112-118? Someone here bought a package including hotel and gold circle and were allocated Row A in one of the gold circle blocks, so obviously they're not going to be bumped off their seats, and hopefully neither will we....hoping!

machinegun said:

This is starting to freak me out! I think that seating plan was just a general idea of seats. Looking at the Superbowl concert the seating filled the whole floor following the shape of the symbol stage. So I guessed that ticketmaster just couldnt be a*sed to draw it as it would be too confusing.

Ive got cruise VIPs for 1st night seats 1 and 2 so 1 thought Id be right up to the stage. Where are all you guys gettin your info from I havent heard of the auction til now? As I said i think the grey bit on the plan is just the result of an inacurate and lazy drawing. I bet they fill that place to overflowing. Most concerts hold back a few good seats on the sides usually or just by the stage like Madonna did with restricted view but they still cost £200+ each.

ZARIA7ETAN said:

but you might get what you paid for...

if you bought tix when it said one thing, thats what you get...

thus if you bought when it said "front row" or whatever, you get front row

if you bought when it said "first 10 rows" thats what you get

follow me?

so as each tier of good seats sold out, the wording was changed. tickets should be allocated on a first come first served basis, so the earlier you booked the closer you should be

the front row auction tickets may be front row in the lower tier, which is different from the gold circle aka vip tickets

so until your seats are allocated, or you even have your tickets, or perhaps even until you are in your seats, you have nothing to worry about

you can always call ticketmaster customer service who can be helpful if you talk to them nicely. they explained the vip non boat tix were going to be first 10 rows in the gold circle, and boat vip tix behind them, all to be allocated closer the time. i presume after the floor seats sold out they added more vip/higher price tickets for the front rows of the lower floor. for normal punters, those seats along with the bar and buffet would normally be great, it's just the fans that get annoyed if they aren't actually on the stage with prince, or he is in the audience with them

unique said:

Why would the boat VIP be behind the non-boat VIP? It made no differentiation at the time of the sale which indicated first 10 rows, otherwise I would have just paid £30 less and bought the non-boat VIP deal....

The front row auction starts on 13 June 0900 hrs for the 1st four dates, but no explanation as yet to how they are going to do this... once again Ticketmaster are bastards!!!

This auction explains why none of the VIP gold circle tickets have been allocated seat numbers yet. This was planned all along - get the mugs, sorry fans, to fork out for the VIP tickets and then hit them with the auction. Bastards

I agree this seems a way to wind up fans and make loads of cash.
To help us all feel a bit better would any of you O2 mobile users like to text 'prince' to 2020 and then spill us all the presale code for the 'normal'£31.21 tickets. They go on sale for people with the code tomorrow at 9pm but I don't know anyone on that network
[Edited 6/12/07 7:11am]

The lack of information does seem planned. It's quite deceitful in fact. I bought normal during the O2 presale. At the point, details of VIP tickets were not disclosed, and with the lack of info I bought tickets for opening night and one other (still ended up UPPER TIER at 9:10 of the presale morning). Next the VIP was revealed and the Boat trip was only on opening night, so I bought that as well, and had to sell on my originals. Then I find extra seats released in lower tiers for dates where I bought Upper tier during the presale! Now, we've got another way to buy potentially even better tickets.

I mean, FFSake! Just tell me what I can buy when and I'll do it!!!! What's with all this exploitation????? And VIP holders STILL don't know where they'll be sitting

I'm becoming more and more disillusioned by all this. It's wearing me out.

What happened to the NPGMC fan club members special seats? We were robbed then and now we are being robbed again.

I feel a very strong letter being sent to Paisley park studios F.A.O . Prince

Maybe he'll listen to how messed up he is making us all!

Savage said:

how were we robbed with the NPGMC seats? i thought those were good.

I gave up going to big concerts in the mid 90s because I always ended up with seats far away from the stage no matter how early I rang up for tickets.

At least back then it was the same for everyone, relatively. You bought tickets and you got what you were allocated, you didn't have the opportunity to guarantee front row or near the front row tickets.

From hearing everyone moaning, it does sound like everyone feels they have a god-given right to be on the front row! The VIP packages etc. have at least given the opportunity for good near-the-front seats, something you likely didn't get years ago, so count your blessings, I'm sure those with VIP tickets will get a great view, regardless of whether someone sneaks in front paying an even bigger fortune with some last minute auction or whatever, and tons better than those of us back on normal cheap seats.

Just chill, people, you don't have to be stepping on Prince's toes to have a good time.

Front row!?
I just want an all general admission standing room only situation for the floor.

Trade Descriptions Act
The Trade Descriptions Act 1968 makes it an offence for a trader to apply, by any means, false or misleading statements, or to knowingly or recklessly make such statements about services.

The Act carries criminal penalties and is enforced by local authorities' Trading Standards Officers

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ptions_Act

I'm getting the tickets we paid for
(VIP - first ten rows, auction or no auction )

..
[Edited 6/12/07 9:48am]

machinegun said:

well if you read the wording carefully, the non vip tix were advertised as the best seats, whilst the boat were advertised in the gold circle

but the reason they do this is because the non boat tix vip lounge is in the venue, so those punters r already at the o2, they will get settled in seats first, then the boat ppl will arrive later and take seats behind them, so they aren't having to push past people to take seats

the boat tix r more xpensive 2 pay 4 the boat, not 2 get u closer 2 the stage