Which Is Better? (Bruce Springsteen tix policy)

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clerks

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My friend (who helped me get U2 tickets) wanted me to get up in 8 hours to help him get Bruce Springsteen tickets. But check this out:

This is what it says on ticketmaster about the show and tickets--- (basically tickets will be passed out on the day of the show - no one can get them earlier than that)

Tickets will be distributed starting at 10am on May 20th at the Orpheum Theatre,1 Hamilton Place,Boston,Ma.

The purchaser must pick up the tickets and have the companion going with them there.The purchaser will show a valid Driver’s License or picture identification and the exact credit card that purchased the tickets.No exceptions.Both people will be wristbanded and when they come back will need their wristbands on and tickets to get into the event.All people who pickup tickets will be wristbanded,including those who choose to pickup at the event.

To avoid waiting in lines,we suggest you arrive as early as you can.


So this would probably be impossible for huge arena shows... but maybe they could use a similar policy for General Admission tickets... then again so many things can go wrong, like someone forgetting a credit card/such or just being sick on that day.

Fans want to keep scalpers away, but now I can't even repay my friend back for getting me U2 tickets unless I can find a way to go to the show that week ( i live in NYC). Not to mention he wanted to go with his girlfriend.

It's an interesting policy and will keep scalpers away, but it still doesn't work flawlessly as it still can upset real fans. Espically those who can't pick up their tickets until mintues before the show and they might miss some of it waiting in line.

Waht do you think of this?
 
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The thing that would bother me is that if I can't go to a show, I can't sell my ticket to a buddy for face value...basically, I get screwed out of the money.

But it's better than nothing, and certainly stops the scalping dead in its tracks.
 
So is this to buy actual tickets or the GA line/ I don't get it. I think any move to keep the tickets out of the hands of scalpers is a good one. The system may not be perfect yet, but that's okay.
 
I think it has the right intentions but works against a lot of the fans. U2's selling tix to shows in NOVEMBER! Who knows what we'll be doing then or whether we can actually go? But we know we love them and that we'd sorely regret it to know we've missed the boat. I think it's bunk. That is all...
 
The policy applies to ALL TICKETS in Boston.

Other venues have different policies. It seems that some venues are only having this will call policy affect the BEST TICKETS in the place (not all tickets).

That does leave some of the tickets able to be sold to others.

I dont' see the policy listed @ the NJ show yet, but my guess is they will apply to all tickets as well.
 
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I would hate that policy. I generally don't like to take a credit card with me to shows as being in a crowded place where you expect people to be bumping against you seems to me to a prime place for pickpockets and purse snatchers to work. It also doesn't allow for anyone else to buy the tickets (ie, someone buying them as a gift for someone else)....I guess they could, but I sure as hell wouldn't give my credit card to someone else, even a friend (perhaps especially a friend, as the friendship could go south really fast if something rotten happened. Best not to get into that at all.).

I wouldn't be happy with this system at all.
 
Its pretty much the same policy the Rolling Stones used when they played the Orpheum, the exception being that for the Stones you had to let them know about 3 weeks in advance who your guest was and both had to show up that day with ID, so I had to register my wife as my guest, and at that point all my friends and my brother could no longer hound me about taking them to the show.

For a show in a small venue like this its a good way to thwart scalpers, if you're not sure you can make the show, sadly your only option is to not buy tix, but I liked the way it worked for the Stones, and I think its a good idea.
 
keep in mind they are doing this for 3,000 seat theaters and not 20,000 seat arenas and 60,000 seat stadiums.

It is silly anyway. I was at the Stones show at the Orpheum. As soon as people got their wristband and tickets they went down they street, took them off and sold them for 700-800 bucks each. It didnt prevent anything. It just made it worse because you had a ton of desperate people all camped out at the venue begging everyone they saw for tickets.
 
One aspect it seemed to help with was the Ticketmaster.com traffic was much lighter than for normal onsales, no waiting 15 minutes to see if you got seats like for U2 and others, the brokers stayed away, and it was quick and painless, and I'm in.
 
got my seat, I'll let you know how the system works on the 21st!!! I couldn't get in thru the web, got a ticket from New Hampshire TM..
 
Imarocker said:
got my seat, I'll let you know how the system works on the 21st!!! I couldn't get in thru the web, got a ticket from New Hampshire TM..
You got it on the phone? I was gonna try that, but got caught up refreshing the webpage...no matter, we both got tix.
 
The only seats that require will call, according to TM, are the premium (best) seats. They are limited. The rest are non will call so don't sweat.

I like the fact that you can order only two tickets period (for any one show) and you don't need to spend $40 for a membership fee just to get the password that may or may not work.
The system sounds pretty good-so far. Time will tell.

L.A. goes on sale tomorrow. Funny they only have one date up right now but he's supposedly playing two dates at the Pantages: Monday and Tuesday. Wonder what is up with that? Anyone know.

If you plan on going don't wait as the Dylan concerts at the Pantages never released any seats after the sale date. I was shut out. Not so with U2 I scored a ticket to San Diego 2 four days before the show at face right beside the stage nine rows up.
Good luck folks.
 
Sorry Clerk but your right about Boston. All seats are will call.

Did you notice though that they said "all wrist bands must be in tack". They are probably trying to prevent selling of wrist bands. Wonder if that will work. Can they actually tell if a wrist band has been removed or not? Who knows.
 
Springsteen tix policy is far better at discouraging scalping. As long as the tickets remain bearer-instruments (he who presents the ticket for admission is admitted), the Springsteen policy is probably the best way to discourage scalping/resale. The ideal policy IMO is one that flat-out prohibits resale and that is a non-bearer instrument ticket (like airline tix, the tix are only valid for the original purchaser to gain admission).
 
nbcrusader said:
This is overkill to avoid scalpers.

I wouldn't do this for U2 tickets.

Probably because he's playing small theatres and demand will be insane. It'll be weird, though, if I get a ticket and drive to Denver without it in my hand. Kinda makes me nervous. But then on the other hand, I won't have to go through my usual obsessive compulsive checking every 5 minutes to make sure I brought the tickets. :huh:
 
Maybe it is overkill but did you see what the scalpers were charging for reserved seating by the stage in both Anaheim and Staples. $1,600 for a seat I paid face for.

If you can afford $1,600 for $180 ticket then fine but the scalper (if they do actually get $1,600 in the end) is (1) making a bundle (on the one hand) and (2) artifically inflating the price of a $180 ticket on the other hand (which is the problem.)

I know that's the breaks in a free market economy but price fixing is illegal-although it does go on. Scalping is an artifical mean of price fixing period and it should be stopped period. So if this seems like over-kill then consider why it is necessary that's all I'm asking.
 
nbcrusader said:
This is overkill to avoid scalpers.

I wouldn't do this for U2 tickets.
I went through the basic same process for the Stones at the Orpheum theater, it was no problem, took about 5 minutes of your life to get the wristband and tickets, then we went and had dinner and returned to the Orpheum for the show. Its only a hassle to the people who are buying tickets with the intention of not using them, ie scalpers/brokers/traders.
 
Speaking of scalper trash, the games have already begun.

I just check a scalper, VIP tickets, for the Springsteen shows that have already gone on sale. Floor seats are going for $2,000 and balconies for $1,000-695.

Again how are they going to know if the wrist bands were removed and sold? Who would challenge a customer on that? There are, I suppose, a number of reasons why you might have to legitimately remove it. They could make you show the I.D. and credit card at the door again to gain admittance I guess-but!. Anyway the scalpers have already started advertising will call tickets for outrageous prices. Stay tuned this should get good. Maybe as dicey as the U2 presale mess.
 
Where there are fans willing to shell out the $$$$, there is a way for a scalper to succeed.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
i'm gonna try for tickets to the show at continental airlines... i have no chance what-so-ever. oh well... would rather see him with the full band anyways.
You never know man, I found it remarkably easy this morning, like I said the Ticketmaster traffic was light, the will call restriction kept all the amateur (read that ebay) scalpers and a lot of the professional ones away and the check for tickets page took only a few seconds. It took a number of attempts before tickets popped, so keep at it. Jersey will be a lot tougher than Boston for sure, but its possible.
 
Hewson said:
You never know man, I found it remarkably easy this morning, like I said the Ticketmaster traffic was light, the will call restriction kept all the amateur (read that ebay) scalpers and a lot of the professional ones away and the check for tickets page took only a few seconds. It took a number of attempts before tickets popped, so keep at it. Jersey will be a lot tougher than Boston for sure, but its possible.

he's playing one show in the entire new york/new jersey area... they're setting continental up to be a theatre setup... only 5,000 tickets... and the will call only @ continental is for floor seats only, which will only be a few hundred.

when he played 10 shows at 60,000 seat giant stadium, i needed to go through a guy who knew a guy just to get in the building.

yea... i'm not getting tickets... although i'll try my best.
 
If U2 didn't have their onsales so far in advance, this would have been a good policy for fan club and/or GA tickets. Pearl Jam does the same thing for its fan club seats.

It is my impression that as soon as you get your wristband you have to go into the Orpheum.
 
DirtyFrank said:
If U2 didn't have their onsales so far in advance, this would have been a good policy for fan club and/or GA tickets. Pearl Jam does the same thing for its fan club seats.
The system works for Pearl Jam, but the volume of fanclub tix for U2 might make it tougher to handle, PJ had to change their system slightly for MSG in 2003 cause the fanclub demand was so high.

Also PJ doesn't wristband, so its possible to pick up 10club seats at 3PM at the window and then scalp them in the parking lot.

It is my impression that as soon as you get your wristband you have to go into the Orpheum.
No.
They start handing out wristbands/tickets at 10AM. You can obviously leave at that time, you must return with an in tact wristband and ticket to get into the show.
 
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editorinchief said:
keep in mind they are doing this for 3,000 seat theaters and not 20,000 seat arenas and 60,000 seat stadiums.
Bruce did it for the 99-00 Reunion Tour, too, and that was in 20,000 seat arenas. Of course, the policy only applied to the first 17 rows on the floor, but it still put a hell of a damper on the scalpers and made a lot of fans very happy.

All kinds of people will always bitch. Unless Bruce or Bono himself is standing there saying, "Ok, Joe, can I see your ID? And what's your mother's maiden name? OK you get seat number 29, here you are," SOMEone is gonna think it's unfair. The process that Bruce is using is by far the most effective of any that have been used to this point. The "non-bearer ticket" mentioned by someone else would be more effective, but would run into the same complaints about "what will I be doing in 9 months?" and "true fans should be able to sell them to each other for face."

It's a conundrum. And there will always be a way around any system, if you try hard enough. I think everyone is doing the best they can.
 
For the Reunion tour in 1999-2000, Bruce used the will call method for the first 17 rows on the floor and you could only pick them up the night of the show.

I still think this was the best way I have ever seen the best seats distributed to the fans. You could only get them via the phone and 2 per show and 1 show per each city.
 
At least he's trying. Limiting tickets and only advanced access to wristbands (which additionally must be in tact) will definitely have an impact. It won't stop the scalpers but it will level the playing field a little.
Good luck all.
 
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