I have to admit I kind of resent people who are grabbing up tickets for show after show. I mean, if you have the money to do that, good for you, but what about the rest of us? For every U2 fan who gets to go to three or four shows, there are plenty who don't even get to see one, and that doesn't seem fair. I'm in grad school and money is so tight--I can't jet off to LA and Chicago and Miami and Dublin.
I'm hoping to get a ticket for Philly, and hopefully one show in the fall. I can't afford to buy scalped tickets. I can't just drive 5 hours to Philly and hope to maybe get a ticket and risk getting ripped off or turning around and going home without having seen the show.
The last (and so far only) time I saw U2, back in '97 in Philly, my seats were so bad that the band looked small enough to fit in Matchbox cars. But I LOVED every minute of the show. Hell, I'll admit it, Bono came out on stage and there I am way in the back crying. I was 18, two weeks out of high school, and I'd been waiting for that show for four months. And it was worth every second of the wait.
In the months since HTDAAB came out, I've been eagerly waiting for an annoucement of tour dates, remembering how much I loved that first show. I've been hoping I could get close enough to actually see the band even just a little better than last time and to meet more die-hard U2 fans like me. Now I'm sick knowing that I'm going to get up in the morning and get on Ticketmaster, and the chances of me getting a ticket I can actually afford are slim to none.
Remember what the Grateful Dead used to do? They had a mailing list, where you'd send away for tickets. They never dealt with Ticketmaster, and they didn't make their fans pay to take part in this service. And if U2 did the same, maybe they'd outsmart some scalpers, while making sure tickets get into the hands of people who really want them.
I'm not saying we should all start wearing tie-dye and growing our hair long, but I think U2 fans could learn a lot from Deadheads, especially that what's most important is sharing the amazing experience of live shows with as many people as possible, not just the ones who have the most money.