cdollaz

I have always been able to pull up some type of ticket to any show I have wanted to go to. These days, however, I will not go unless they are good seats, meaning I have been shut out quite a bit. Occasionally I get lucky though.

digitalfreaknyc

I would never advise going to a ticketmaster location. I remember that years ago I stood online for Tori Amos tickets at TM. I was the 2nd person online. At 9:05, I walked up and all they had left was the upper balcony. Online is usually much better. I had a bit of a time with the Madonna tickets this time around. Not too difficult considering they all sold out. Got 5 shows.

You just have to be VERY persistant. Clear your schedule for the hour after tickets go on sale and just keep hitting refresh. If there's a pre-sale, look for the password. Someone on Craigslist posted the madonna password and I was able to order them about 5 days before they went on sale to the general public.

Learn to play the game, unfortunately.

naughty jonny

Also helps if you have two browsers - such as IE and Mozilla - open (that don't share cookies). While one is trying to refresh, you can hit the refresh button on the other.

As for ticket prices, $350 for top tickets isn't that expensive to see Madonna, especially when you consider just how many Madonna fans there are out there.

In addition to the newer fans, a lot of her fans are likely to be successful business types who graduated high school in the 80s and are now on six-figure salaries (and high five-figure salaries). For these people, the "once in a lifetime" chance to reclaim their youth for a couple of hours, $350 is small change.

At the end of the day, supply and demand will often indicate that from a purely economic POV tickets are often too cheap. If tickets can be bought by scalpers and onsold for a premium, then why weren't they originally sold by the ticketing company at that price?

Of course that doesn't fix the problems with the fairness of distribution (the fans with the most money aren't always the biggest fans), but that's a different issue.

Emma311

I personally wouldn't order tickets off of ebay again unless they were so cheap I didn't care about losing the money. 3 years ago I ordered tickets from 2 different sellers for 2 different concerts. With my luck, both concerts ended up being cancelled by the artists. Ticketmaster told me that they couldn't give me a refund because they weren't bought directly from them. I had to email the sellers for months. I returned the tickets to the sellers & eventually received a refund back from one of them. Of course it was for the cheaper concert. Both of these sellers had great feedback.

Rogue588

Are you out your mind? If I ever paid $350 to see Madonna, there better be a lapdance or a blowjob included in the ticket price..

digitalfreaknyc

I'm paying it twice on this tour.

In total, the whole thing (5 times) is costing me probably around $1200.

I have friends who are going to many more than that. I had to put my foot down at that point.

digitalfreaknyc

Yes but make sure you only have ONE window open of each browser. On the last Madonna tour, I had 2 of IE open and they ended up cancelling each other out. Luckily I just got tix from a scalper for opening night. Paid less than face value. It was 8:45 and he thought the concert would have started already. I knew the bitch didn't go on until 9.

TripWire

it's because a lot more people other than you have access to the tickets before they even go on sale...my friend does lights at clearchannel venues, and all she does is have to put in a ticket request form and she gets guaranteed tickets usually...so many seats are allocated for these type of services, radio stations, press, friends, comps...I'd like to know actually how much of a percentage of a venue is actually on sale to the public for a typical event.

Spiderbite

That's insane. I wouldn't pay that much even if John Lennon and Freddie Mercury were raised from the dead and toured together.

I'm not slamming you or your friends but I am just curious what you/they get out of seeing an artist that often especially when it costs you a crazy amount of money? I can see maybe paying an exorbitant amount once but several times to see the same artist even over several years time...why?

I know everyone has their hobbies but after transportation, food, a souvenir or two, etc. and you talking mucho cash with little to show for it.

AndyCleveland

from my personal experience, "Sold out" never ever means "Sold out" unless the venue is REALLY small.

For example, I have many times bought tickets for a concert the day OF the show and got within the first few rows on the front floor center.

Also, keep in mind that you can usually do pretty good if you wait until about a month before the show and start looking on ebay.
I got 7 madonna tickets (for a total of 3 shows [4 tickets,2 tickets,1 ticket] for $1450. These are ALL $350 tickets, and they averaged out to $207 each.

As far as your Radiohead dilema, I would seriously just wait until about a week before the show and start checking ticketmaster. i guarentee you will find yourself a seat (and it will probably be MUCH better than any of the seats sold the first day of the sale).

digitalfreaknyc

I absolutely LOVE the concert experience. It's addictive. It's like a drug to me. As a performer, I can appreciate a live show. I love hearing music that I love performed by the original performers and hearing it extremely loud.

There are pretty much only 6 people/groups that I would pay to see live so the only time I go is when they're around. Beyond that, I don't go.

You may think it's "little" to show for it but to me, it means very much.

Besides, seeing a legend like Madonna live is worth every cent.

Andy, are you going to the 18th show? The offer is still open for the HBO show at my place!

BobDole42

I've never paid quite that much ($350!) for a show, but I know what you mean. I go to as many concerts as I can fit in my schedule. I wouldn't mind paying $100 to see Radiohead, but what gets my goat is all the damn scalpers who scoop up tickets at $50 a piece and sell them for 8 times that.

When I was much younger, my dad and I would camp out in front of ticketmaster outlets to get good tickets. I remember getting in line at 2am for Bruce Springsteen tickets (and we got seats in the fourth row!). I guess I'm just nostalgic for the old days when the die-hard fans were the ones who got the best seats. Oh, well.

I'll keep checking for tix as the date gets closer and hopefully something will open up.

digitalfreaknyc

To be perfectly honest, the top tier this tour is $364.50.

$350 was the last tour.

Chrisedge

I saw U2 9 times this last tour (plus I have tix for the postponed final show of the tour in Hawaii), and know several folks that were in the 20-30 times range. This tour alone. Many fans of bands like to see multiple shows.

AndyCleveland

yeah and i still do think the prices are crazy. but i'm willing to pay them (or close the them) to get great seats.

dfnyc- the july 18th show in nyc is kind of up in the air still. i REALLY want to go, but i will wait until i can get GOOD tickets (for MSG, this would be basically floor 1,2,3,4, or one of the "pods").

so far i have 7 tickets for three chicago shows. are u going to any of those?
1 for the 14th, 2 for the 18th, 4 for the 19th

AndyCleveland

20-30 times is really extreme IMO, but i can see why one would do that- it's completely addictive and there is nothing like a the energy of a good crowd and a good band in concert. This year alone, i've seen about 7 concerts.

i find it hard to go a couple weeks without a concert, and usually plan my entire summer around them.

digitalfreaknyc

The prices are crazy but it's madonna. Who knows how many more times she'll tour?

I'm going to both of the CT shows and 3 of the 6 NYC shows. Not traveling to see her. I'm paying enough as it is.

Are you paying for all 4 of those people to see the show?!?!?!

AndyCleveland

HELL no!
actually bought the 4 seats together for $750 total so my cheap friends can see the show once- i thought it was too good a deal to pass up considering it's in the $350 section.

digitalfreaknyc

You bought all your tickets through ebay? Have you received them and they're legit?

AndyCleveland

yes and yes , ive actually never had a problem w ebay tickets

Emma311

Last time Madonna toured my nephew & his wife saw her more times than that. They even flew to England to go to a show. Now I think that if you have money feel free to spend it how you wish. However all of this was on (forged) credit cards that eventually bankrupted my grandmother. The crazy thing is she just lets him keep doing this stuff to her.

digitalfreaknyc

Nephew and *ahem* his wife??

I'm assuming (read: hoping, for his wife's sake) that his wife is the Madonna fan?

DamingR

I was surprised to be able to get lower pavilion tickets to see Nine Inch Nails for $20 under face value (before TM fees) with free shipping on Ebay.

Seems like there are so many scalpers these days that they are flooding the market.

AndyCleveland

exactly

Emma311

If only it were so.