Expecting Rain

There are a lot of fall shows without a date for ticket sales yet but that's not stopping the scalpers from selling tickets for those shows already. Some with specific sections and rows offered. What's up with that?

It's all part of the system.... more money to be made that way.

I understand the money making impact. What ticks me off is that they seem to get access to premium seats before they come up for sale to the public. I don't understand how that can be legal. I realise this has been going on forever but it seems to be getting worse.

It's begining to affect my concert going. For instance the Berkeley Greek show. No pit seats (and it's a large area) ever came up on either the presale or public sale though there are dozens on the scalper sites for $500 or so. And I'm not buying a nose bleed for that show for a shortened set for $125 plus with fees. First time I've blown off a show when I'm attending mulitple shows over a total inability to get even a halfway decent seat the instant they become available.

I know, it's an old gripe, I'm just venting. And I love the Greek as a venue. Used to usually be GA.

Unfortunately, that's what it is.... for Salzburg this summer, the minute tickets went on sale, there was only one third of the front row available, all over on the left.... so the seats towards the center and right side all went elsewhere. Many appeared on ebay via professional dealers. It's not as bad here yet as it appears to be in the US, but it's not getting easier. All these presales for special customers of banks and big companies, etc.... it's not anymore about people enjoying the music, it's about people buying privileges.

http://www.dylanvideo.com/apps/videos/videos/show/11506874-i-forgot-more-than-you-ll-ever-know-east-rutherford-1986-

I an not a novice at ticket buying, but having the first 12 rows disappear is too much. I'm not much for accepting the status quo. I understand it's Bob's people's job to get him the most bang for his buck, and lots of things probably figure into that, the price to rent the venue etc. And they make contracts to maximise their profits. But I do not think those contracts are made to enable the 1%ers to get the best seats.

Scalped seats are only making money for the scalpers, not Bob.

Anyone that wants to "Occupy" this thread and protest with a yea, feel free. Maybe it will get someones attention somewhere. This only continues because we allow it. I know it's "just a concert" and all, but I go to escape the world and it's problems, so get a bit pissed to arrive and have the issues I'm trying to get away from shoved in my face.

I often think of that old video of Bob during the Petty tour saying, "I'm not playing till someone comes down and takes these empty seats!" Scalper seats unsold most likely. Yeah Bob!

Thanks Johanna, that's the one! I hadn't clicked on that before I responded!

You have a yea, here. It is so frustrating and I feel like our hands are tied.

You're welcome, I think of this each time the discussions comes up. Unfortunately, Bob seems to have given up a long time ago trying to change anything there.

Even the scalpers aren't outlaws as such anymore.... some of their profit flows right back to the official ticket agencies. Otherwise I don't think scalpers would even have a way to acquire these tickets in the first place.

Not having the chance to buy decent seats at face value is the main reason I don't go to concerts in the US.

Many scalpers have deals with venues for certain blocks of seats. I'm 100% positive on that. I deal with loads of scalpers who have told me the same thing...blame the venue or the ticket sellers... They are the original scalpers... The scalpers base their prices on the price the venue sells them their block.

If that is the case than I would suspect that the artist involved might have some pull over how large those blocks of tickets are that go to scalpers, or even request that there be none. Things can be changed...

On another note, a worst case scenario. A few years ago, when Freddie was still in the band, at Tunica, MS. at a casino, there were obviously no floor seats at all being sold. I called the box office and asked to talk to the manager and actually got her. She said, and this is a direct quote, "I know the artist requested these seats be sold, but I have to take care of my PEOPLE!" ie the highrollers. A day or so after my complaint about 16 tickets went up for the very last row or two on the floor. She pretty blatently had told me she was breaking contract. About a third of the whole floor remained empty throughout the show.

All I want is a level playing field in regards to ticket buying. I don't think that's too much to ask. These VIP deals and hotseats as well really bother me. Especially the GA hotseats, where after spending the day in line, all the fat cats get led into the venue early under your nose. Just tends to grate.

Since I'm not really much of a veteran when it comes to buying tickets and trying to get the best seats, yet I know many of you are able to get in the first rows again and again, is it best ( in terms of securing a seat, not financially) to just break down and buy good seats from scalpers since they seem to get them ahead of the public and pre-sales anyway?

artist doesnt have control over the deals the venues have with the ticketsales people I don't think... I knew a guy in NY that always had the same 2nd row seats for EVERY show at SPAC in saratoga springs... he offered them to me for the bob show... I waited and got front row instead from a regular person on ebay.

As for GA hotseats... If I were going to a GA show.. I would definitely buy those for early entry... it is waaay safer as to not have a huge crowd running after you... not a fan of that stuff

As an artist you always have two choices: Accept less money and have 100% control or accept the best offer they can get, knowing that the people paying you will do think that you might not like but that are beyond your control because of the deal you struck.

Bob's financial demands are obviously very high for his current status, meaning it's difficult for any promoter to break even or even make a profit with Bob shows. So it's not surprising that promoters try to find new, "creative" ways to make a few extra bucks. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but it's kind of necessary to make these 300 000 bucks shows work.

If it's true that the promoters work directly with Scalper sites, that basically means that front row seats are not 125 bucks, but 500 bucks, but to avoid the outrage over inflated (regular) ticket prices, the use scalpers sites, where everybody kind of knows that they are being ripped off.

As for not selling good seats at all - that's just poor judgement of the manager and most definitely not a common scenario. Holding back tickets for guests is very common, but once these people don't turn up, these tickets are usually made available to the general public.

I

...I've heard of this, yet I've never actually known someone to obtain one of these golden tickets just prior to a show....

I just bought two tickets from a re-seller for the Hollywood Bowl, after going online at 10am to get good tickets from the pre-sale.
Unfortunately, there was nothing halfway decent for the PRE-SALE!!!

Now I know it's an album year and Knopfler's with him and he's playing swanky LA & The Bowl one night only (ADD ANOTHER NIGHT BOB! It's LA for Pete's sake!)
but to know that you can't even get decent seats from Dylan's pre-sale the moment they go on sale without being forced to buy from these con-men is pretty degrading stuff....

^^ yea, why do they even have a presale...yesterdays hollywood bowl was a joke with the 'best' seats being way far back... but of course the scalpers have all the front for sale http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-TIX-10-26-Bob ... 564a15086d

My experience over years is that buying a 'presale' ticket from the venue itself is a bad deal - I've never seen a good seat offered during a venue 'presale.'

Scalpers - I've stood in line for tickets for hours at a venue only to see groups of large, intimidating men hired as 'buyers' for scalping agencies shove in front of everyone standing in line as soon as the box office opens. Usually the venue can't or won't do anything about it because they don't want to get involved in what I assume could easily wind up involving battery or assault with the scalpers 'buyers.' Disgusting but I've never figured out what the answer is to that - people buying tickets just to make a lot of money scalping them aren't the kind of people who care if 'the little people' get hurt.

Lastly, as far as scalpers and ticket agencies striking deals with venues - maybe but I've never heard of that. Lots of times, people who offer outstanding seats at certain venues as soon as they go onsale were able to buy those seats far in advance because they are 'season ticketholders' or 'subscribers' at the venues. Becoming a subscriber at a venue usually means you have a choice of buying premium tickets to a certain number of events at a venue in advance of regular seats going on sale. There's a concert venue in my area (a place where Dylan, Springsteen and Van Morrison have all played in the past) that continually bombards me with brochures to become a subscriber. The latest brochure tells me which blocks of concert events I can purchase tickets for far in advance of regular concert goers. They're divided into categories like 'rock' 'jazz' 'dance' - like that, with only some of the acts now known to subscribers, a few more will probably be added in before the fall/winter season begins. If I wanted to do this, I would become a 'subscriber' and agree to purchase tickets to 6 out of 9 events in the 'jazz' category (for example) for a fee as a season subscriber. Loads of people are season ticketholders at the basketball arenas because they plan to attend a lot of the basketball games - that also gives them early access to purchase tickets to some of the concert events at those venues and there's nobody to say they can't purchase premium seats to those concerts as 'subscribers' with the sole intention of scalping them. I'm sure you can also be a subscriber at The Hollywood Bowl and plenty of other venues that only put on musical events. As a subscriber, you're guaranteeing the venue that you will purchase tickets to a certain minimum number of their seasons events far in advance - enabling the venue to know if they are going to sell enough tickets for specific concerts to be profitable. The venues make money by having season subscribers and I assume they don't want to lose this advantage by telling the subscribers they can't resell their tickets.

If you buy from someone on a regular basis and they are always offering you seats in the same location at an arena, they probably have 'owned' those particular seats at the venue for years. Some fans of the Los Angeles Lakers (for example) have been season subscribers to the Staples Center for years, and in some cases for decades, and will always get the same assigned seats for Laker games. There are also people on waiting lists to become 'season subscribers' to the Staples Center - they have to wait for a subscriber to drop out and a membership to become available. This is an expensive hobby - people pay a ton of money to subscribe to the Staples Center for the basketball games. The arena has an interest in making sure it rewards these wealthy and loyal fans by making sure they get first dibs on any concert events at Staples Center. This is how sports and concert venues work all over the country. Pay thousands of dollars (or lots more) in advance to commit to purchasing a lot of tickets per season and you get perks. This may explain why someone wanting to attend one particular concert at the venue will never have a chance to buy great seats at that venue - season subscribers are first in line to be able to buy those tickets long before the public ever knows there's going to be a concert there.

I want to go see Alan Jackson in October and I can't get any good seats. The best seats weren't available. I can buy some thru a scalper but I'm gonna wait a bit. If they don't release better seats, I'm gonna be pissed. grrrrrrr.....

I can't afford scalper's prices, so no good seats for me and many other folks who should have an equal opportunity. I'm willing to put in the time waiting at venues, drive the distance, sign up for various presales, etc, but I guess those things don't seem to count. Only the almighty dollar.

Basically, buying good tickets to concerts by people like Dylan and Springsteen involve hard labor or spending a large amount of money and even then, luck is involved. Springsteen fans have (or used to) a ticket-swap site where people could exchange tickets without any mark-up on the face value. It would be wise if Dylan - or his fans - had ever thought to do something like that, but I consider Dylan to be one of the least 'fan friendly' artists out there. Springsteen aggressively discouraged scalpers for a long long time. I'm not aware that Dylan has ever done a single thing this issue. His concerns are elsewhere.

It's the free market so of course money and 'access' talk louder than genuine interest in the artist. At least (to my knowledge) Dylan never went the way of Sting and Paul Simon and others who offered presale tickets only to people who would pay with platinum AmEx or MCs and that kind of over-the-top direct marketing by making deals to sell their tickets to offer maximum profits to banks. That's one thing in his favor. There are artists out there who are more callous and greedy than Bob. My attitude is to hell with those folks.

It seems very random. I did pre sale for Key Arena in Seattle and got 3rd row. two separate transactions. I checked back 20 minutes later and had 3rd row pop up again, which I didn't buy as I had mine (but was still curious to see what would come up). I don't believe anything in the first 2 rows was ever offered that day. I do not see anything better than 5th row on Stubhub. ebay ads seem pretty non specific stating a pair in the first 3 rows with 2 tickets being available are $1000+.
Im guessing those first couple rows were not offered then, but who knows to where or when....

But out of my 20+ Bob shows (and others) there have often (not always, but quite frequently) been times when showing up a few hours before the show at the box office got me some good seats. More than a few times in the firs 6 rows. The times I have tried online are about 50/50. If I tried right when they went on sale I could pull something in the first 4-5 rows about half the time.
There is No doubt that some places deal heavily with scalpers and the general public availability is less, if not non existent for premium seats.

I just noticed that when I went to buy some WHO tickets for a show in the midwest, they appear to be trying to cut the scalper down a bit by doing it themselves. There were like 4 or 5 VIP tickets levels of premium seats you could buy. for $640 you could get a guaranteed seat in the first 3 rows along with a lot of 'perks' if you want to call them that. then $440 for seats in rows 4-10 with the same 'perks' to make it a more digestible purchase price. I mean it's nice to see the sound check and go to a pre concert party with free beer, and get a free shirt out of it, but there was no meet & greet or anything like that. But they were basically doing what the scalpers were doing and adding some placation to it by adding the VIP thing.

I am not a fan of scalpers and will generally not buy from them.

Heaven help any fan if Led Zeppelin ever finally agrees to the Billion dollar tour that promoters have been waving under their nose since they came together for that one timer a few years back. That would be insanity.