First, I just want take this opportunity to say:
(And yes, I am "shouting" here..excuse my poor netiquette, but I'm sure many will agree)...
TO THE UNKNOWN NEW YORK CITY DJ WHO ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT PROPAGANDA ON HIS RADIO SHOW ON THE AIR IN THE SPRING OF 2001:
I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL. IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU, WE'D STILL HAVE PROPAGANDA.
THE ONLY WAY THE BAND WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE SNAIL MAIL TICKETING SYSTEM AROUND WAS TO KEEP THE FAN CLUB AN ALMOST SECRET, WHICH THEY SUCCESSFULLY DID FOR 17 YEARS UNTIL THEN. THEY NEVER ADVERTISED OPENLY FOR IT. AS LONG AS THE FAN CLUB ADDED NEW MEMBERS AT A VERY SLOW RATE< IT WAS ABLE TO GUARUNTEE TICKETS TO ALL ITS MEMBERS< EVEN IF THEY HAD TO SHRINK THE NUMBER OF SHOWS AVAILABLE TO EACH FAN.
THERE WERE SOME PROBLEMS OVER THE YEARS, TICKETS THAT SOME GOT ONLY 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE SHOW, ETC, ORDER FORMS LATE, ETC, BUT OVERALL, IT WORKED PRETTY DARN GOOD. THE FANS FELT THAT THEY WERE GENERALLY VERY LUCKY, AND SPECIAL.
AND YOU HAD TO BLOW THE BAND'S COVER, AFTER 17 YEARS, BY MENTIONING IT ON THE AIR, THE FIRST TIME SOMEONE TALKED IN DETAIL ABOUT BAND"S EXCLUSIVE FAN CLUB TICKET ORDERING SYSTEM IN PUBLIC, THUS RESULTING IN AN EXPONENTIAL SURGE OF FANS SIGNING UP, THAT MADE ANY GUARUNTEE OF THERE BEING ENOUGH TICKETS FOR ALL SUBSCRIBERS..WELL, DEAD AND GONE.
THERE WAS NO WAY THE BAND COULD CARRY IT ON AFTER THAT, NOT AFTER THEY"D HAD AS MANY AS TWICE THE NUMBER OF FANS SIGN UP IN 1 YEAR AS DID IN THE PREVIOUS 17.
THIS MAY HAVE HAPPENED EVENTUALLY, BUT MORE LIKE 2 TOURS FROM NOW..._NOT_ NOW.
THE BAND HAVE GIVEN THE OFFICIAL REASON THAT IT"S EASIER TO DO THINGS ONLINE, BUT THEY JAB ALL THEY WANT...DON"T TELL ME THAT POTENTIAL STRAINED RECOURCES DIDN'T FACTOR INTO THE MIX.
AND IT'S _YOUR_ FAULT.
THE PHONES ARE RINGING OFF THE HOOK IN DUBLIN...BUT WILL THE BAND _FINALLY_ NOTICE?
I DON"T LIKE CURSING ANYBODY OUT, BUT...BUDDY....I HOPE YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL DESERTS YOU THIS WHOLE WEEK... AND IN A _BIG_ WAY.
*Ahem*
That said, I am very, VERY glad I decided not to do the presale....it appears that the fiasco was 10 times worse than even I predicted. To all the people on here, I feel your pain. I really do. I especially feel for those Southern and Midwestern fans in the US whose only chance to see the band on the spring leg may have been this presale.
I accepted the fact that Propaganda was dead very early on, as soon as I subscribed, as soon as I got Sebastian Clayton's "24/7 customer service" from FanFire. I belong to a mailing list where a lady who was very familar with past FanFire presales was giving us warnings, and not only was she correct, things happened that boggled even my--and her--prepared minds. TM changing the floor plan AFTER the sale was over? Brokers buying up all the fanclub GA slots?
As Keanu would say: WHOA.
Over the yrs, I have never even dealth with TM over the phone. I don't even trust them there, after numerous horror stories. I have always either camped out, resorted to Propaganda, or both. This time, with my show in Albany possibly being one of the postponed dates, I am left with only NY and possibly Boston. If I only got the MSG show I would be happy, and I don't care if I get a crappy seat. With Prop gone, I consider myself lucky to be there. I spent an horu and a half on the phone last night with my friend in NYC who we had made a joint arrangment about getting MSG tix months before. He has a great track record. He was never in Prop, (I was, so I shared some great Prop stories)and never bought over the phone. We are going for Monday, that was the plan, and if Mondsy doesn;t work, we are prepared for this too. He has gotten tix for not only u2 but other shows for the past 16 yrs, through other means. I called him up in a panic last night and he just laughed. He is supremely confident. I can't understand it! Better not to know exactly what he is doing...good luck I suppose!
Best thing about this guy is: I was going through some financial difficulties and expained to him I couldn't pay for my tickets right away. He is letting me pay him in May.Needless to say, we spent an interesting hour and half on the phone last night!
Last: I want to say: so the phones are ringing off the hook both in Dublin and in TM HQ, are they? GOOD. GOOD. GOOD. I'll bet 2 things: Paul mcG didn't beleive the U2.con article, thinking it just the nasty Dublin press that normally has it out for the band, and 2) that the TM folks aren't used to THIER phones ringing.
They can treat other fans like crap but NOT us U2 fans! WE WILL
let them know that we CANNOT BE FRIGGED AROUND WITH!! I'll bet they're used to operating in a vacuum, and with no feedback. Well, we're showing them feedback!
IN some evil way, much as I love the band, I hope that people decided not to go. Clear Channel and TM have said that they were depending on U2 to rescue the sagging concert biz. If a signifigant part of the fans decide to stay away, perhaps for good, they'll sit up and listen. They may lose business for other shows--after all, we are supposed to be the older fans with more disposable income. And you're not going to be likely to fill those empty seats with teens. They simply won't be able to afford it. And how many will keep the seats they get from brokers, once they realize where they are?
In the past, musing about the likely reaction from '80's fans to the then-shocking changes the band had undergone for ZOOTV, Bono said: "We don't mind losing the pop kids. Others will take thier place," or some such thing.
Well, the "pop kids" have grown up, gotten richer (maybe), and won't settle for peanuts anymore. . They're the ones who have decided that they don't want to pay $60 to sit in the back of the stadium, and it's why U2 play no more stadiums in the U.S. It's likely why the stadium concert in the US is dead, period, for ANY act: as the top sellers in the concert biz, along with Bruce, where U2 lead, people follow. And guess what? The "pop kids" of today don't have $100 to sit in the back row, plus fees. America is today a more have-have not society. They may have had it in 1990, but if they didn't have it then, they darned well won't have it now.
You could replace the "pop kids" then, Bono: but not today. You can't replace the ROCK adults.
I hope PAul McG, Clear Channel and TM are planning not to hide beyond vague statements to the press, and are planning a substantive response. I hope the fans continue to bombard the PM offices with calls. I hope it keeps up all week, and beyond...because we U2 fans are different than all the other sheep out there. You taught us to sit up and take action, U2? Well, we are. And we hope you are just as much victims in a way by this, and as ignorant as we..I for one am giving you the benefit of the doubt right now.