They went on sale Friday at 10:00 AM. I accessed the sale at 10:00:05 and selected "Best Available". After more than 20 minutes of a spinning wheel telling me my wait time was "Less that 4 minutes" and "Don't hit your 'Back' button or log off because you'll lose your place in line!" I was rewarded with the worst tickets for the venue.

It turns out this happened to a LOT of people for this show. If you selected "Best Available" you were put in purgatory. I'm writing the president of LiveNation and asking him what he is going to do for me about this.

No, really. Quit laughing. I am really going to write him.

.

[Edited 3/15/14 7:31am]

The same thing happened with the Bruno Mars tix... It's a terrible game that Ticketmaster/Live Nation is playing.

The part that gets me is where people are buying tickets, selling them back, TM allows them to be marked up to crazy amounts and then they resell them. Isn't that scalping?!

There has GOT to be a better way than Ticketmaster/Live Nation.

RodeoSchro said:

They went on sale Friday at 10:00 AM. I accessed the sale at 10:00:05 and selected "Best Available". After more than 20 minutes of a spinning wheel telling me my wait time was "Less that 4 minutes" and "Don't hit your 'Back' button or log off because you'll lose your place in line!" I was rewarded with the worst tickets for the venue.

It turns out this happened to a LOT of people for this show. If you selected "Best Available" you were put in purgatory. I'm writing the president of LiveNation and asking him what he is going to do for me about this.

No, really. Quit laughing. I am really going to write him.

I ain't laughing and I wish more people would take a stand like you. That's the only way to change anything.

Since Ticketmaster employees get first crack at any tickets they want before the sales begin(that's how I saw Prince at Roseland) you will never be getting the prime seats you think you'd get anyway.

HonestMan13 said:

Since Ticketmaster employees get first crack at any tickets they want before the sales begin(that's how I saw Prince at Roseland) you will never be getting the prime seats you think you'd get anyway.

How many people does TM employ?!
I don't need to be in the very front (okay yeah, I'd love it), but it's ridiculous!
I was on at EXACTLY 10am (started refreshing at 9:58), and STILL ended up in queue for half an hour.

And the "convenience fee"... HOW THE HELL is it convenient for me to give them an extra $8.00?

TM is a whole lot of BS.

RodeoSchro, I think you are absolutely right.

The "convenience fee" is the kicker. Almost too insulting for words.

Convenient for them to sell you whatever they feel like, whenever they get around to it.

Compared to walking your ass down to a store you've never heard of or especially if you are an out-of-towner... Ticketmaster is pretty damn convenient!

Those corporate pre-sales are killing the chance to have a good seat though.

LiveNation's corporate motto is to screw their customers and like nost monopolies, they will do so with the least regard, knowing you are powerless to stop them. Either pay their high fees or don't go.

Its bad for the artists because they get blamed.

Its bad for the concertgoer because they pay more than they need to.

Who is it good for? Ticketbastard.

Cinny said:

Those corporate pre-sales are killing the chance to have a good seat though.

I learned during the W2A shows that the corporate pre-sales are a rip-off.
Citibank, AMEX or whoever gets a block of seats- not necessarily down front. People scarf those up thinking they got a deal, and then the "good" seats go on sale to the general public. I don't do pre-sale anymore because of that. If you're willing to take your chances, you'll get a better seat.

BlaqueKnight said:

LiveNation's corporate motto is to screw their customers and like nost monopolies, they will do so with the least regard, knowing you are powerless to stop them. Either pay their high fees or don't go.

Its bad for the artists because they get blamed.

Its bad for the concertgoer because they pay more than they need to.

Who is it good for? Ticketbastard.

chocolate1 said:

Cinny said:

Those corporate pre-sales are killing the chance to have a good seat though.

I learned during the W2A shows that the corporate pre-sales are a rip-off.
Citibank, AMEX or whoever gets a block of seats- not necessarily down front. People scarf those up thinking they got a deal, and then the "good" seats go on sale to the general public. I don't do pre-sale anymore because of that. If you're willing to take your chances, you'll get a better seat.

i had amazing seats for W2A and WTT tours via amex pre sales.

The part that gets me is where people are buying tickets, selling them back, TM allows them to be marked up to crazy amounts and then they resell them. Isn't that scalping?!

There has GOT to be a better way than Ticketmaster/Live Nation.

There is, but it makes everyone involved making a lot less money. So they're not gonna be doing that.

I haven't paid attention to how this shook out but, a few years ago, I read that there were some states where it is illegal to prevent scalping by doing paperless tickets or will-call only. Basically those state governments have stated that a ticket is a possession, and it is illegal to interfere with the sale of private possessions. REM's manager was the one who pointed it out and basically said, for years we tried to prevent scalping on the basis that it was illegal and not in the fans' interests. Now we're being told, we can't take any action to prevent profiteering off our own tickets. That's the free market at work.

At the end of the day, if the scalpers have bought too many seats you will be able to buy them closer to the show date for face value or even less. That's the other side of the "secondary market" that can be good for fans.

Re the OP, it has been difficult to get Springsteen tickets for like 35 years! Try not to take it personally. 20 years ago you could have waited in line 5 hours to get shitty seats in the back of the venue. I actually prefer the online sale method even though it's still very much luck of the draw.

I learned during the W2A shows that the corporate pre-sales are a rip-off.
Citibank, AMEX or whoever gets a block of seats- not necessarily down front. People scarf those up thinking they got a deal, and then the "good" seats go on sale to the general public. I don't do pre-sale anymore because of that. If you're willing to take your chances, you'll get a better seat.

I'll check out presales when I can, if it doesn't cost a lot to participate. Neil Young's fanclub has offered presales at no extra charge that let me get in the 4th row to 8th row multiple times.

It's luck of the draw like anything else. I've turned down half-decent seats offered in a presale, like 20th row or something like that, and then been totally shut out during the public sale. Later, I wished I'd taken the mediocre ones.

bobzilla77 said:

I learned during the W2A shows that the corporate pre-sales are a rip-off.
Citibank, AMEX or whoever gets a block of seats- not necessarily down front. People scarf those up thinking they got a deal, and then the "good" seats go on sale to the general public. I don't do pre-sale anymore because of that. If you're willing to take your chances, you'll get a better seat.

I'll check out presales when I can, if it doesn't cost a lot to participate. Neil Young's fanclub has offered presales at no extra charge that let me get in the 4th row to 8th row multiple times.

It's luck of the draw like anything else. I've turned down half-decent seats offered in a presale, like 20th row or something like that, and then been totally shut out during the public sale. Later, I wished I'd taken the mediocre ones.

That's why I said you take your chances. That's happened to me, too.
Fanclub presales are different, though. They try to give those members the best seats.

I actually joined Elton John's Rocket Club to make sure I got decent seats. I was on the floor!

I go to a lot of concerts, so I try every angle. Sometimes it works, other times...

Either way, TM can kiss my ass.

[Edited 3/3/14 12:22pm]

Usually for big name shows, the cream of the tickets are pre-allocated to sponsor's pre-sales - I guess that's them getting their lb of flesh - and to fan clubs - which at least gives the artist's following a good crack.

Don't know about the US, but in the UK the best seats end up on organised touting sites like Seatwave, Stubhub etc mere minutes after going on general sale. Needless to say, prices are massively inflated. For example, tickets for Prince's 1st Manchester show, with a face value of £70, were going for £1000 on Seatwave within 20 minutes of general sale.

AND.. as if to say 'yes, we are taking the fucking piss, but we know you're so desperate you'll pay anything', they often add booking fees of £100's and a delivery fee in the region of £50 (what, does the artist personally hand deliver them to you on a special commemorative plate, or something?!)

These firms say that they merely provide a site for fans to sell unwanted tickets. I would be amazed if they don't agree cuts of the total allocation with the promoters beforehand, or employ armies of professional touts.

Yes, the bottom line is that this banditry continues because there are people out there who are willing to consent to financial sodomy to get into concerts. But for how long? And if these practices become more prevalent, could they end up strangling the one part of the music industry that seems to be financially buoyant? And seeing that bigger name gigs are expensive enough as it is could they, like sadly too many other of life's pleasures, become the exclusive preserve of the haves and the have-yachts?

[Edited 3/3/14 23:53pm]

Fanclub presales are different, though. They try to give those members the best seats.

So you would hope, but not always. I paid money to join the Who's fan club for presale access, and Bowie's too; I was offered crappy seats that I turned down. For one of those, they were trying to get me to buy back row off to the side in a section that was tarped-off by the day of the show. In other words, trying to get fans to buy the seats that they have trouble selling, thinking that "this is the best I'll be able to do and I don't want to miss the gig."

Honestly the only fan club that was ever truly worth the money to join, just for ticket accesss, was NPGMC.

getxxxx said:

chocolate1 said:

I learned during the W2A shows that the corporate pre-sales are a rip-off.
Citibank, AMEX or whoever gets a block of seats- not necessarily down front. People scarf those up thinking they got a deal, and then the "good" seats go on sale to the general public. I don't do pre-sale anymore because of that. If you're willing to take your chances, you'll get a better seat.

i had amazing seats for W2A and WTT tours via amex pre sales.

Well I'm glad someone did...I'm with chocolate1. I logged on the second the Amex presale started for W2A and got really shitty seats. For weeks after the regular tickets went on sale there were better seats available. I also am verrry skeptical of presales as a result. I'll usually check them out, but unless the tickets are really good, I pass on them and buy during the regular sale.

bobzilla77 said:

Fanclub presales are different, though. They try to give those members the best seats.

So you would hope, but not always. I paid money to join the Who's fan club for presale access, and Bowie's too; I was offered crappy seats that I turned down. For one of those, they were trying to get me to buy back row off to the side in a section that was tarped-off by the day of the show. In other words, trying to get fans to buy the seats that they have trouble selling, thinking that "this is the best I'll be able to do and I don't want to miss the gig."

Honestly the only fan club that was ever truly worth the money to join, just for ticket accesss, was NPGMC.

I guess it depends on which fan club it is...
LIke I said, Elton John's Rocket Club guaranteed seats on the floor within the first sections.

theblueangel said:

getxxxx said:

i had amazing seats for W2A and WTT tours via amex pre sales.

Well I'm glad someone did...I'm with chocolate1. I logged on the second the Amex presale started for W2A and got really shitty seats. For weeks after the regular tickets went on sale there were better seats available. I also am verrry skeptical of presales as a result. I'll usually check them out, but unless the tickets are really good, I pass on them and buy during the regular sale.

I was able to upgrade twice- once at IZOD and once at MSG. That's when a telephone rep told me how presales generally work.

After that, I stopped rushing to them.

BlaqueKnight said:

LiveNation's corporate motto is to screw their customers and like nost monopolies, they will do so with the least regard, knowing you are powerless to stop them. Either pay their high fees or don't go.

Its bad for the artists because they get blamed.

Its bad for the concertgoer because they pay more than they need to.

Who is it good for? Ticketbastard.

The artists are actually the bad guys in this equation. They're the ones who set the ticket prices in the first place. Those fees and such that TM adds are basically the only way they make money.

Concertgoers would win if acts would just say, "Okay, you're paying $40 and that includes our cut, the Ticketmaster fees, parking, etc" but none of them will do it. Kid Rock did a tour where every ticket was $20 and it was massively successful. Electronic ticketing and all-in ticketing would solve a lot of these grievances, but acts are greedy.

Add to this (and this is a dirty little secret of the concert business) acts actually SCALP THEIR OWN TICKETS! A lot of places where tickets are offered at inflated prices (like StubHub) are actually being sold by the acts themselves as a way to make more money. Usually these are some of the best seats in the house too.

So really, the acts are the assholes here. It's easy to hate Ticketmaster, but they're just trying to make a profit and wind up taking all the heat for it.

This is a tip that some people may not know. Did you know that Live Nation has presales before the general sale for all the major concerts they sponsor? You don't have to pay, all you have to do is go to their site and sign up for their mailing list. And they will send you a password that you can use on the Live Nation presale. This has worked out well for me. I have gotten good seats from the Live Nation presales for Madonna and Tori Amos.

guitarslinger44 said:

BlaqueKnight said:

LiveNation's corporate motto is to screw their customers and like nost monopolies, they will do so with the least regard, knowing you are powerless to stop them. Either pay their high fees or don't go.

Its bad for the artists because they get blamed.

Its bad for the concertgoer because they pay more than they need to.

Who is it good for? Ticketbastard.

The artists are actually the bad guys in this equation. They're the ones who set the ticket prices in the first place. Those fees and such that TM adds are basically the only way they make money.

Concertgoers would win if acts would just say, "Okay, you're paying $40 and that includes our cut, the Ticketmaster fees, parking, etc" but none of them will do it. Kid Rock did a tour where every ticket was $20 and it was massively successful. Electronic ticketing and all-in ticketing would solve a lot of these grievances, but acts are greedy.

Add to this (and this is a dirty little secret of the concert business) acts actually SCALP THEIR OWN TICKETS! A lot of places where tickets are offered at inflated prices (like StubHub) are actually being sold by the acts themselves as a way to make more money. Usually these are some of the best seats in the house too.

So really, the acts are the assholes here. It's easy to hate Ticketmaster, but they're just trying to make a profit and wind up taking all the heat for it.

YES YES YES.

Remember that Pearl Jam made a big deal about wanting to do a $20 show if only Ticketmaster would drop its service charges? Well later that same year, Green Day ate their lunch by doing a $15 tour, and using Ticketmaster. The way to do it, is to take some money off the top so that the partners profit on a $20 sale. Green Day didn't make as much as they could, but they got big crowds to go see them live right when they were breaking out. And also, by not making it a federal case, not many people accused them of being hypocrites when the prices went up on their next tour.

it is bruce sringsteen, it is conceivable that just a LOT of people were trying to buy tickets and tying up the system. not to mention you got people who will have multiple browsers open tieing up even more spots.

[Edited 3/15/14 12:17pm]

Bruce Springsteen has a great song called "Land of Hope and Dreams". It is very anthemic, and repeats several important points in its pre-chorus. One of the most oft-repeated lines in the Springsteen community is

"Faith will be rewarded".

Well, check this out!

I wrote a letter to the president of LiveNation, Michael Rapino. It was a very nice letter, cordial in tone, and I made sure to compliment LiveNation. I politely explained what happened, and politely asked if LiveNation could do anything to improve my Bruce Springsteen ticket experience.

They did!

I got an email from their Director of Customer Relations and they have offered me THREE AWESOME SEATS! Man, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that. As a matter of fact, they had to get the tickets from the venue - how cool is that?

I still don't know exactly what happened on the original purchase, but it was surely a computer/software malfunction. I've not heard any official statement on it from LiveNation, TicketMaster, or Bruce Springsteen, and I hope that whatever screwed up has been fixed.

Last night a friend of mine told me how their U2 fan club tickets for a show in Chicago were in the nosebleed section. It was a screw up and at the concert, Bono made a short speech apologizing to the fanclub for what happened. I guess there really wasn't much more he could do.

But anyway, I am EXTREMELY grateful to LiveNation for their service, and very appreciative of the venue for working with LiveNation on this.

Faith was rewarded!

chocolate1 said:

And the "convenience fee"... HOW THE HELL is it convenient for me to give them an extra $8.00?

TM is a whole lot of BS.

LOL. The convenience isn't for the customer, silly. It's for Ticketmaster. But yeah. Ticketmaster sucks. In this day and age it would be possible to get a layout of the the venue and pick exactly the one seat you want. Other ticket sellers offer that, why doesn't Ticketmaster do that? But then again, when you have high profile shows on sale you have to take what you can get.

guitarslinger44 said:

The artists are actually the bad guys in this equation. They're the ones who set the ticket prices in the first place. Those fees and such that TM adds are basically the only way they make money.

Concertgoers would win if acts would just say, "Okay, you're paying $40 and that includes our cut, the Ticketmaster fees, parking, etc" but none of them will do it. Kid Rock did a tour where every ticket was $20 and it was massively successful. Electronic ticketing and all-in ticketing would solve a lot of these grievances, but acts are greedy.

Add to this (and this is a dirty little secret of the concert business) acts actually SCALP THEIR OWN TICKETS! A lot of places where tickets are offered at inflated prices (like StubHub) are actually being sold by the acts themselves as a way to make more money. Usually these are some of the best seats in the house too.

So really, the acts are the assholes here. It's easy to hate Ticketmaster, but they're just trying to make a profit and wind up taking all the heat for it.

I guess it's mix of all three. The acts, the ticketsellers and the concertgoers. And as long as there are enough asses in the seats nothing will change.

[Edited 3/15/14 10:28am]

chocolate1 said:

Cinny said:

Those corporate pre-sales are killing the chance to have a good seat though.

I learned during the W2A shows that the corporate pre-sales are a rip-off.
Citibank, AMEX or whoever gets a block of seats- not necessarily down front. People scarf those up thinking they got a deal, and then the "good" seats go on sale to the general public. I don't do pre-sale anymore because of that. If you're willing to take your chances, you'll get a better seat.

Exactly. That is also my experience. And "taking" chances usually means being willing to buy several tickets and trade up or kicking yourself forever by not taking a seat thinking you could do better.

PatrickS77 said:

chocolate1 said:

And the "convenience fee"... HOW THE HELL is it convenient for me to give them an extra $8.00?

TM is a whole lot of BS.

LOL. The convenience isn't for the customer, silly. It's for Ticketmaster. But yeah. Ticketmaster sucks. In this day and age it would be possible to get a layout of the the venue and pick exactly the one seat you want. Other ticket sellers offer that, why doesn't Ticketmaster do that? But then again, when you have high profile shows on sale you have to take what you can get.

I know. I was pointing out the irony.

Great almost unbelievable update for RodeoSchro. I didn't have faith that writing a letter would do the trick!

RodeoSchro said:

Bruce Springsteen has a great song called "Land of Hope and Dreams". It is very anthemic, and repeats several important points in its pre-chorus. One of the most oft-repeated lines in the Springsteen community is

"Faith will be rewarded".

Well, check this out!

I wrote a letter to the president of LiveNation, Michael Rapino. It was a very nice letter, cordial in tone, and I made sure to compliment LiveNation. I politely explained what happened, and politely asked if LiveNation could do anything to improve my Bruce Springsteen ticket experience.

They did!

I got an email from their Director of Customer Relations and they have offered me THREE AWESOME SEATS! Man, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that. As a matter of fact, they had to get the tickets from the venue - how cool is that?

I still don't know exactly what happened on the original purchase, but it was surely a computer/software malfunction. I've not heard any official statement on it from LiveNation, TicketMaster, or Bruce Springsteen, and I hope that whatever screwed up has been fixed.

Last night a friend of mine told me how their U2 fan club tickets for a show in Chicago were in the nosebleed section. It was a screw up and at the concert, Bono made a short speech apologizing to the fanclub for what happened. I guess there really wasn't much more he could do.

But anyway, I am EXTREMELY grateful to LiveNation for their service, and very appreciative of the venue for working with LiveNation on this.

Faith was rewarded!

Boom! That was the sound of my jaw dropping to the floor... Just goes to show--no one thinks that consumers writing to a company has any effect anymore so hardly anyone does it. That's why things don't change... But your lone letter DID effect a positive change for you. More of us need to follow your example. Congratulations.