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Discman

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    Do I love U2 more than I hate Ticketmaster?

    in New York

    Posted

    It looks like U2.com took this thread out of NY and placed us somewhere else (I cannot locate, so I search on my "content" to get here)...

     

    To Vertigojds: Thanks for your thorough comments and information.  I learned alot and it is helpful.

     

    In the off chance I gain access to someone to fix the ticketing problems, I would like to not miss any of the issues you've seen.  You mention many in your email, so please tell me any more problems with the ticketing process.

     

    I don't hate the way U2 is running their business, I just want some improvements and have no confidence -- because of the hands-off nature of the business relationship with Live Nation / TM -- that anything positive will come out of any effort spent communicating with LN / TM.

     

    BTW, enjoy all 8 NYC shows (I saw in a different post you are attending all 8).  I am too -- and finally got lucky enough to trade for GAs for all 8 shows.  Enjoy!

    Do I love U2 more than I hate Ticketmaster?

    in New York

    Posted

    To JeffWalsh -- thanks for confirming the TM resale commission structure.  More reason why TM is so EVIL -- the company selling tickets should not also be allowed to offer resale tix to the same events (talk about conflict of interest!  Does anybody believe TM can manage this ability to not let new sales and reasles bleed over into each other with the highest ethics and practices?).

     

    To Mia10010, first, thanks for your response.  And congrats for being a Propaganda member fan.  I, too, am a long time fan of U2 (first saw them in the early 80s in the SF Bay Area), but I have to disagree with you on the high cost of the pre-sale access. IF you are on top of it when the pre-sale happens, you can actually get GA tix.  I agree it is difficult (BUT NOT impossible) to get GA tix in the General Public sale, but it can be done (my buddy and I have done it several times this tour) -- plus this further reinforces the value of the pre-sale access.

     

    On top of this, that the band (accidentally or strategically or responding to market demand) slowly released more dates helped get GA tix more easily (though, admittedly, it caused problems for fans who bought tix for far away locations only to learn 2 months later U2 would perform in their backyard -- e.g., Denver).

     

    As for expense of tix, the U2.com subscription cost of $40 split over two $80 tix is TRULY a great deal in this day and age.  (In fact, personally I use the $80 GA tix to U2 concerts as my measuring stick for deciding how much I really am willing to play to see a particular band play live -- if it is $80 or more, it better be a damn good band delivering a great performance and giving me an amazing experience... though no band I've seen has come close to matching what U2 delivers show after show on their tours!)    For the last 4 U2 tours (2001-2015), the GA price has been roughly the same ($50-$65 plus bullsh*t TM fees), and this is for the best "seat" in the house AND to be with (mostly) dedicated U2 fans which really is another great benefit.  The people I've met waiting in the GA line, on the floor and via ticket trades have really been a big plus in my life.  Just their stories and enthusiasm is amazing -- I've learned alot from them.  (But I digress...)  In any case, you HAVE to applaud the band for making this happen for us.

     

    As for the price of tix today compared to the last 35 years, of course I cannot disagree with you.  A former girlfriend once showed me a shoebox of old concert tix she saved (she is roughly our age), and it was mindboggling for me to see Rolling Stones tix for $9.00 and Led Zepplin for $10.00 in the 70's -- she was way more hip than I in my teenage years, plus she lived in a big city where bands tour often.  But U2 is offering us dedicated fans a (and for U2.com fan club members an even better) shot at buying GA tix at ridiculously low price. (For another comparison, I have to admit not long ago I paid $300 per ticket to see Justin Timberlake in a relatively decent seat with (and for) a former girlfriend -- the things you do for love and to keep your girlfriend happy -- and given my U2 measuring stick, THAT investment in concert tix was extremely painful... though my girlfriend was very happy!)

     

    Finally, for reaching out to the band to address this ticket problem, I really need a good contact.  I am not really interested in talking to the media about this because I do not want any public negativity going towards the band in any way; there are enough crazies showing up outside of the U2 concerts on this tour bitching about some distortion of some comments twisted from alleged comments made by Bono or about obscure initiatives supposedly managed by organizations / causes which Bono / U2 champions.  I just want to get someone who has a vested interest to seriously look at these problems and make those than can be fixed to go away.  I can help those people actually empowered to make changes become acutely aware of the various issues -- I just need to get connected to them.  And if they fix these ticketing problems, it'll make fans' lives a little easier (I feel for the fans who were unable to "trade" their GA tix and had to swallow the loss whole simply because their plans changed six months after buying concert tix on a given day).

     

    Contacts please?  Names, company affiliation, emails, phone numbers?

     

    Finally as I am heading towards your beautiful city on a red eye tonight, it'd be nice to meet you.  You will know where to find me -- in the GA line for NYC. :-)  PM me if you are interested in meeting -- if you like, I can share the gory details behind my experiences on this tour dealing with TM!

    Do I love U2 more than I hate Ticketmaster?

    in New York

    Posted

    @U2TUF, I agree with your hatred of Tickemaster.  But this is even worse than you think (but more on this in a moment).

     

    First to respond to Mia10010: If you don't want access to pre-sale tix, then don't join the fan club.  The access to pre-sale tix is for FANS -- used to be the folks who were members of the old fan club, Propaganda, and now for people who subscribe to U2.com -- if you don't want the benefits of joining the fan club, then don't join AND then do not complain when you don't have a shot at getting pre-sale tix to U2 shows.  I have precious little patience for people who complain about spending $40 for the annual fan club membership -- it is worth its weight in gold because I it gives me a shot at GA tix, which are IMHO the best way to enjoy U2 live for dedicated fans who don't mind standing (of which I am one of many).

     

    Second, the limit of two tix -- as has been widely explained in the press and on both U2.com and atu2 web sites -- is because indoor venues have much smaller capacity (typically 17,500 to 19,000 people) vs. outdoor stadiums on the U2 360 Tour which could accomodate (as in the case of the Rose Bowl) upwards of 80,000 fans. While you may not like it, it is more than fair when compared to the last tour (which you are doing by complaining about 2 vs. 4).

     

    One more response to people who post complaints to the website: to the guy who bitched about the person who sold 2 NYC1 GA tix at face value and didn't sell them to him bacause he "wished people would read all of the prior postings" -- quit being a baby!  NYC GAs are in the highest demand (DUH!) and the fan did all of us fans members a huge service by posting the 2 GA tix for face value on the website -- and one lucky fan bought them within 12 minutes of the post.  I congratulate both fans (the seller and the buyer) and again have precious little patience for people who post complaints about why others don't go out of their way to find ONLY THEM to sell the tix to... grow up; the world doesn't revolve around you!

     

    Back to @U2TUF, If you want to be upset with anybody, aim it at Ticketmaster.  I just learned today from a buddy of mine that the Ticketmaster reseller feature gouges even more money from the TM Resale price.  Apparently (this is second hand), if you resale through TM your ticket at $450, they take over $100 (he would only receive $330 from the resale). IF THIS IS TRUE, then Ticketmaster is even more EVIL than everyone understands.  Not only do they gouge us for "convenience fees" which are upwards of 25% of the actual ticket cost (and this is for EVERY TICKET SOLD), they then have the audacity to double-dip with an even larger 30%+ for the TM Resale (again, apparently as I have not used this feature).

     

    When U2 was in Chicago, the Chicago Tribune published a great article of an interview with Bono.  This broad issue (ticketing, and U2 working with monopolies like Live Nation / TM) was brought up and Bono responded (fairly, I believe, given everything he champions and the life he leads, including raising a family) that he didn't realize it was a big problem.  As he stated in his defense, of the various issues he champions, to add this means he would have to drop another one -- which seems reasonable given all of the great causes he (and the band) champions.  Having said that, it is up to us fans to raise the temperature on this problem to the level that the band notices.  I have much more against TM (especially this new policy of CC entry to prevent scalping, which in my ROBUST experience on this tour proves to be false as only the true fans (not scalpers) who bought GA tickets have been hampered by this while the scalpers have many ways around this -- but I have been unsuccessful (so far) in getting access to the band or management company to properly register this major problem (complaining to Live Nation / TM about this is like giving the fox the keys to the hen house IMO).  I've even communicated directly with Matt at atU2.com on this, and he could offer no points of access to the band or their management company. That said, at the risk of causing a clusterf**k online, if any of you have access points / contacts to either the band or their management company, please reply to this post.  I am sufficiently irritated by what I've seen happen at multiple locations so far on this tour that I would -- if given access to someone who can actually FIX this problem -- relentlessly follow-up.

     

    Thanks (or sorry) for reading my venting on this issue -- it has obviously been boiling inside me for almost 2 months.

    view from seats

    in Vancouver

    Posted

    EmilieB,

     

    Having seen both shows in San Jose from GA tix, I do want to make a correction to my initial response to you.  In San Jose, there WAS a (my estimate) 10'x20' screen perpendicular to the BIg Screen on both sides to offer what I presume to be is a view of what everybody else is seeing on the BIg Screen.  I do not recall this to be the case in Vancouver (although I'm willing to be proven wrong on this count); for VAN1, while waiting in prime GA space for the band to come onstage, I distinctly recall seeing only a very small screen on the plane perpendicular to the BIg Screen (which I understood later to carry the video feeds from the camera persons in the structure on the ceiling).  If these 10'x20' screens I saw in SJ do show what is featured on the Big Screen, then the limited visibility from the end seats is NOT as horrible as I indicated above.  It certainly addresses a pressing issue for fans in those seats with limited views..

     

    Regarding StubHub, they seem reputable because they guarantee their tix,  I even bought one U2 ticket from StubHub, for one of the NYC shows.

     

    Hope this helps, Discman

    Ticketmaster Sent Physical GA Ticket

    in U2 iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour 2015 (archived, read only)

    Posted

    U2Freak96,

     

    If it truly came from TM, it is probably a real ticket.

     

    There were real hard tickets via the scalpers in Vancouver on night 2 (I personally observed over 150 -- don't ask me for details as I am still fuming about this and I don't want to create an online ruckus...).

     

    I suggest you call TM to confirm they mailed you real hard tickets.  And then feel lucky you have them.

     

    Enjoy the amazing show -- you will be dazzled!!!

     

    Discman

    view from seats

    in Vancouver

    Posted

    EmilieB,

     

    Try to trade your seats if you can (or sell and buy new ones).  Seriously.  The folks with no sight lines to the big screen are truly in a "limited view" situation.  The sounds is great everywhere, but you'll miss the big screen visuals outside of seeing the band on stage.  This is a big deal as I saw them from GA the first night and from excellent (though expensive -- tickets were tight and the second night had no TM late release of tickets... even scalpers were getting $400 for GA tix at 7:30pm!) seats the second night.  And I have to admit I only "got" 80% of the show from GA on the first night vs. getting 100% of the show the second night from seats WITH SIGHT LINES.  On top of all of this, the big screen tells a lot of the show -- think of this as music theater of sorts -- so it plays a larger role in the show than any previous U2 Tour.

     

    For the first time this millenium, I can safely say the seats just may be the best way to experience this concert.(this from a person who has nothing but GAs for the rest of this leg of the tour)!  If you don't mind spoilers, go read Matt McGee's (atU2 blog on "11 things I learned at U2's first show" and he will make similar observations -- though, spoiler alert, he includes show details.

     

    One last word.  In dealing with / listening to / watching scalpers for VAN2, I learned the markup on $300 seats is very small vs. less expensive seats.  For example, they would sell tix which costs $308 with fees for $350 to as low as $300.  But I saw them sell GAs for night 2 in the space of 40 minutes starting at $250 and ending at $400 -- and they got these prices.  Consistent with this observation, they'd sell $65 tix for $150+.  So if you are in need, you pay the least mark-up to the scalpers if you buy the $275 ($308 with fees) seats.  I got lucky and bought literally one of the last single seats which popped up on the TM website, which was about 5 hours before the show started.

     

    In any event, a remarkable show from an amazing band on tour supporting a wonderful new album! 

     

    Enjoy the experience, Discman

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