This is NOT uncommon practice, though. Why have them sat empty? The VIP guys got ripped off - no question, but that's a separate issue to some other guys getting a lucky break.

GazzaBloom said:

its not fair, but its god damn lucky and i hope it happens to me

At the end of the day, there are many people on this planet for whom I feel immense sympathy, but I'm finding it hard to muster much of it for someone who can afford £235 for a concert ticket, and gets arsey when someone else cops a stroke of luck. I dare say his diamond slippers were too tight, an' all. Perspective, perspective...

For what it's worth I have a great deal of sympathy for the first poster. I imagine that if you strip the whole Prince aspect away from it then anyone saying he's elitist might not say so in a similar situation. For example if I bought a shirt for £100 and the next week it was down to £10 (something similar has probably happened to everyone) I for one would not think "Oh splendid, some people who may or may not be less well off than me have got my shirt at a tenth of the price."

If I pay £250 for something, I expect to get a better deal than someone who has paid about a tenth the price. If those seats were empty, which there's no way they should have been anyway, I'd rather they'd have gone to a charity to either give out amongst its genuinely deserving members or to give away as prizes. 02 could have even given them out as prizes. Whoever was responsible for ticket allocation ballsed up basically. It WAS (and probably will be for the run) an absolute fiasco that they were just given out to people in the top tier and I can't really believe the criticism the poster has received.

On the other hand, I thought it fairly obvious from the beginning that the VIP package was a complete rip off anyway and I probably enjoyed an equally good view in the middle of a lower tier. However, that doesn't prevent my sympathising with him.

rwb78 said:

You put it better than I could have done

PriceAndTheRevolution said:

Maybe next time u'll get your facts right. 3 x people paid 235.00 each!
We paid that in the hope to get the best possible seats (which was promised by ticketmaster)
Do the sums mate and quit being a prat!
[Edited 8/2/07 7:37am]

I'm sure, like many others, we went to book ordinary seats at 9am on the day they went on sale, but got the good old "sold out" sign. For a major fan, the only other option was the VIP tickets. I don't suppose that anyone actually went on line thinking "I'll pay £250 for a ticket." It was the only decision - buy or possibly lose out.

I bought 2 VIPs for 11th August as the risk of not going at all. I have just called Ticketmaster to find out where my tickets are. I am told they will be posted in next couple of days. I asked where my seat was allocated. I was told that I will not be allocated a seat until I get there on the night! WTF is that! Why can't I have an allocated seat now? I don't think I'm being unreasonable - TM seem to think I am. I feel bullied.

I actually don't care where I sit, but I would like to know where I am sitting. I didn't buy the package for the finger buffet or the bar, but to see the the greatest showman alive.

Has anyone else been told this about ticket allocation on the night?

1979Agr8year said:

It will be an allocated seat - it's on the tickets. From the sound of things those are the actual seats you will be sitting in on the night. Don't worry - I thought the same things after being fed some nonsense about a 'free for all' and allocation on the night. I bought Number 6 and 7 VIP tix the same day they came on sale for the night of the 10th (next Friday) and was expecting very good seats. And I got very good seats
[Edited 8/2/07 7:45am]

PriceAndTheRevolution said:

While Ticketmaster/AEG have undoubtedly made a shambles of the ticket distribution for these concerts I do agree with your sentiments.

Theres a nasty elitism in thinking having the means to pay more automatically makes you most deserving. The biggest Prince fan of all might be tucked away in the corner of the upper tier just grateful for that chance or maybe had to miss out all together.

rwb78 said:

I don't see it as a choice of £100 for the shirt, or £10 for the shirt.

More like £10 for the shirt, or the shirt goes in the bin.

In a nutshell, what point is there in leaving the seats empty when someone - anyone - could be sitting in them and enjoying the show?

Would people really prefer to see the seats left empty just because they felt they're noses might be slightly out of joint if someone sat in them?

chris0972 said:

Er, did you not get your "best possible" seats? Were you forced to sit in the toilets on Level 99 and listen to the show on a mobile phone? Have I missed something?

chris0972 said:

Why would you be upset that some lucky Prince fans got a great deal? You got what you paid for, so what is the problem?

Why does eveyone just assume that those who bought VIP can afford it? Im sure there are people making around 7quid an hour that bought them expecting the experience to be worth all the hard work needed to pay for it. They got screwed, its that simple. I would be bullshit if I had bought them. I think its great that some fans got lucky. One might argue that those up top are bigger fans. I wouldnt want to sit up there. It just a shame that they are not compensating the VIP fans. These are people who paid to be VIP for one night of thier life. Regardless of how much money they do or DONT make. They should be sent a bottle of 3121 to cover up the smell of shit after being dumped on.

CNNBREAKINGNEWS said:

on that topic...i got punched in the nose last night for singing to the songs....guy infront told me to stop..i carried on and he got up and hit me...

but whats a bit of blood between friends!!?

he got thrown out....i carried on singing in nasal c minor....haha.

As for standing up...just all stand...bop, sing...laugh...just enjoy it...he wont do this forever....

wrekkastow said:

You're joking???

What? There's a big difference in thinking that having the means to pay more automatically makes you more deserving (which would make you a monumental arsehole) and actually having paid more, which does make you more deserving. There's a few people who seem to be taking this whole issue as a microcosm for society at large. It isn't. The man paid more for his ticket, and as such deserved a better seat than someone who paid about ten times less.

As Dacoleen said, the assumption that the people in VIP have more money than everyone else simply lacks a solid basis. There could have been someone on £100,000 a year who wasn't that big a Prince fan but just got lucky who paid £31.21 for an upper tier seat who got a much better deal than someone on £13,000 a year who is a massive Prince fan and spent probably more than they could afford on a VIP ticket. I thoroughly doubt all those calling the original poster elitist would feel the same way about someone like that.

wrekkastow said:

There is nothing worse at a show than being able to hear an amateur wreck the songs singing or screaming loudly!

wrekkastow said:

God I am so sorry to hear that, concerts seem to have changed these days..people talking through the quiet songs and people constantly texting on their mobiles. You didn't happen to be in the upper tier were you..there was a cafuffle behind me and some people got thrown out.

Hope your feeling better

chris0972 said:

The bottom line, unpleasant though it may be - is you got what you were promised - a guarantee of those great seats, which is what you paid for. Had all those VIP tickets sold, they wouldn't have been available cheaply.

PriceAndTheRevolution said:

man you must suffer some serious cash shortage

When I fly, I fly first class.
When the empty seats in first class are filled up by people whom normally lack funds to travel that way, my experience is diminished. Simple.

m3taverse said:

It's just that kind of snobbery that has no place in concert going.

mikegray said:

Tell that to the people who put together 300+ euro ticket packages.
When I buy first class, I expect first class, and that includes the people that are there.

VIP is a rip off, I am delighted I never went for them.

Best thing ever though was a security guard by the stage last night actually got out of the way for someone to take a photo of Prince. Fucking brillient.

.
[Edited 8/2/07 12:17pm]

m3taverse said:

How exactly?

Does the service suddenly become crap?

Do the seats suddenly revert back to economy seats?

I'm genuinely baffled by that comment.

slaphead said:

Actually for a music concert at a 20k capacity venue, i don't really care and there isn't a "first class crowd" anyway as people save up or break the bank to get those seats.
[Edited 8/2/07 12:19pm]

m3taverse said:

So these people who just happened to get lucky & had their seats upgraded are second class citizens? Is that what you are implying? WANKER.

iain said:

One of the benefits of flying first class is that you get to share a space with a bunch of people who are reasonably well funded. This can have both business and personal benefits.
It's why all these types of afluent-people clubs exist, so they get to run into people within the same professional and social bracket. Those clubs can't exist if they are open to anyone.
A concert is a different thing tho.

Let's not get angry about where people are placed. I had the great opportunity to see Prince in a Gold Circle seat last night and then at the Indigo. On both occassions there were people in front of me but it felt brilliant looking at Prince and then at all the people in front of me dancing and being real happy - grinning constantly and looking at each other with a nod of approval as each song began. The concert was outstanding - make sure you don't leave until the lights are well and truly on! I was just glad to see my man last night (twice) with lots of his and my friends around me. Make sure you put your dancing shoes on, my legs are aching today.

Enjoy.