jeffwalsh

I let the website do its crazy countdown thing and still got a GA for MSG 20 minutes into the sale...

I got a GA in the public sale today for MSG, so they did exist, however few...

There is no difference. There are always a bunch of random numbers after GA there. When MSG divides GA is EAST and WEST, not numbers.

Well, the U2 shows are listed as being TM+ events, which means people can resell their Ticketmaster tickets at whatever price, through Ticketmaster, who gets a cut of the $$$ again, so nothing surprising there...

That "Don't worry..." e-mail is very standard and means nothing. I go to MSG shows all the time, and they always delay releasing the tickets. Had you looked beforehand, there is something on the site that would have also said there would be a delay. The idea being that some scalpers want to buy and flip quickly, so that gets them out of the pool by not telling them how long their money will be tied up. And then, it also gives Ticketmaster time to audit the sale to find people who bought too many, and identify bots, etc. Not a problem... you're fine.

It can be as long as two weeks before the delay is lifted.

Here's what's a joke - my laptop is still spinning, but my TM App says there are no tickets

The spinning isn't looking for tickets, it is literally that you are in a queue to not flood their servers. The "looking" part happens after the countdown timer.

When did you score that GA at MSG  At 10am or sometime else?

After the countdown timer, etc., the order completed at 10:19 a.m.

I scored a GA for July 19 at MSG.

If feels a shame to let this vide go to waste

There could still be added shows/additional presales... so not necessarily a waste yet. Although, if U2.com gives us all more codes to apologize for this mess, then yeah, it will be just as crowded... heh. Arcade Fire renewed everyone's codes when they added more shows, so even if you hit the limit, they were good again.

Who is doubting it was a mess and asking for video proof?! ;-)

Why should there be any GA left for public sale when so many of us were shut out during presale?  That just is not right!

Well, there are U2 fans who aren't u2.com members... not to mention the u2.com members who are trying to get additional GAs just to take a third family member or some such.

You are correct that it isn't fair, but the flaw in that logic is assuming it would be. If history is an indicator, though, getting GAs outside of the presale is near impossible, so I do think U2 sell most of those spots to u2.com members. Especially when you look at how much real estate of the floor goes to walkways and second stages, etc., which greatly reduces the amount of bodies you can get on the floor to begin with...

I think the chances may be quite good for GAs as the scalpers will be after the seats.

You think scalpers would get a better markup on a $300 ticket than a $86 ticket?! OK... ;-)

As for odds, it is Ticketmaster, so there will be no rhyme or reason who does or doesn't get tickets. Don't think of it as a ticket sale, treat it like you are entering a lottery, and every so often, you could win...

Usually they just start adding them to the public sale as shows sell out. But it is up to U2, they can also just announce them for future sale when the shows sell out, and have presales, etc.

Your credit card is, in effect, your ticket to the show.

The Pick You Own screen is still unavailable in NY

You're not going to see that for shows this popular. It would be complete chaos. That usually only kicks in once the initial demand spike goes down, or for shows where people just buy tickets over time and there is less of a surge when they first go on sale. When the map does show up for a popular show, it is an error AND even worse than what happened on Thursday. I had it happen once before. As you might expect, everyone wants to sit by the stage, so you select seats and then when you click BUY, it would tell you someone else already grabbed those seats try again... I quickly switched it manually to letting the system pick for me, and did well. But people who kept trying to pick had a horrible experience. ;-/

no option to select map, only thru find my seats part..so frustrating!

Buying through the map is never something you can do during nearly any presale or initial on-sale. That feature is only added later. It would be completely impossible to let thousands of people try to click on seats in real-time as everyone pretty much wants to sit near the stage as close as possible, so it isn't very distributed. I've hit one show where they forgot to turn off the map and it was complete chaos.

I think the real question is is this a tour for one album or two... the tour seems to be named for the hinted-at "Songs of Experience" follow-up, so if that drops before the tour, that will really impact the setlist...
 

Then again, if I had a nickel for every supposed soon-to-be-released U2 follow-up album, well... OK, I'd only have a dollar or two, but you get the idea...

Once people sort out their tickets and such, I'm sure things will be more positive... I'll be on the floor on the 23rd. ;-)

bigwave has definitely been doing wonders around here... especially when people are in a slightly agitated mood. He definitely deserves hazard pay, or extra RZ tickets, however they pay him...

 

I click on Transfer for my Ny GA's and it says it is unavailable.  So when does that work.  The button is there like you say and it's useless.  You failed to mention that.

Still on my knees looking for help.

Now, there used to be whole threads.  One was selling only and one thread topic was trades only.  I used to live there to make a touring season work.

 

Now?

You should have gotten an e-mail from Ticketmaster saying there is a delay on this concert, which means you don't have access to the tickets for a week or two. Again, nothing unusual, I get these for all big shows at MSG. A lot of scalpers like to buy and flip quickly, so this discourages them.

I'm not even sure what you are trying to do re: paperless/MSG since paperless tickets are illegal in NY. So, I believe any normal GAs for MSG were all standard mail (no e-tickets), and you will be getting them in the mail like you always have.

Here is the notice you should have gotten from Ticketmaster about this: "Don't worry, your tickets are coming - whether you're printing, going mobile, getting them in the mail, or planning on in-store pickup! This temporary delivery delay just gives us time to run routine checks that ensure all fans get a fair shot at seats, like confirming every buyer is a fan and not a bot, making sure everyone sticks to the ticket limit, etc."

Also, keep in mind: For the majority of people, the tickets for the tour haven't even gone on sale yet... ;-)

So, let them sell the actual tickets to the non fan clubbers (which will probably unlock a few extra dates in some cities, as well), run their tests, cancel as many tickets of bots/scammers as possible, sell those tickets back to real fans, and then I'm sure you'll be able to figure this stuff out... with only 6 months advance notice before the actual shows.

Agreed, the plan seems fine, except I don't know how you are buying three GAs with one new membership... but you're solid for two.

My only complaint about this whole process is with Ticketmaster. I never go to concerts, and today's experience reminds me of exactly why.

I go to a lot of concerts and, honestly, this was pretty crazy and unique in terms of demand and frustration. Normally, you click a few buttons, buy a ticket in a few seconds, and just go... but you're also not usually paying to see U2 play an indoor show when that happens, either. ;-)

This is brokers listing things they hope to have for sale, not selling things they don't have... there are always listings before it is even possible.

Got my tickets for MSG.  One is a level 2 (saturday) and the other a red zone ticket (Wednesday).  I really was not wanting a red zone ticket but bought it anyway and hopefully will be able to just sneak into the GA area if I can.

If I score a standard GA for Wednesday, I will help put your mind at ease and we'll meet and swap tickets... Deal? ;-)

You can select the price you want on Ticketmaster, and it will show you... this is becoming pretty normal, though. Entire lower bowl, and first half of second level for Bette Midler were all $350. Billy Joel flat-rates nearly the whole venue, so the nosebleeds and front row cost the same, etc.