sonnyfeeling

Thank you, Ditty. I am very happy with the resolution.

I finally had some good ticket karma this week.

Wy wife was talking with a friend in L.A. and mentioned we were hoping we could get together for the Wilco show. Turns out said friend knows the people who run the Greek Theater and we now have 6 tickets. Presumably good ones.

So yay!

I re-sent my (very nice) note to Tony Margherita Management and this time I got a very nice note in reply. Apparently earlier emails went to junk folder or something

Amazingly, the kind person at TMM didn't try to blame me and said it was valuable feedback and they were grateful I took the time to send it in. It sounds like other people have written to say the same and Front Gate tickets has been working with some people to try to fix the mess.

And yes, I have lots of memories of camping out to buy tickets back in the day. Once ended up with first row tickets for Neil Young and Crazy Horse at the Los Angeles Forum after my then-GF was trampled in a stampede when the ticket line opened. Tickets in exchange for not suing, I guess.

Meanwhile, I bought tickets for My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks today. The arena is configured with GA up front, where God intended it to be.

What is this about?  Announced anywhere?

Yes, it is on the Wilco shows page.

Prediction: I expect shows in the same timeframe (depending on whether that leg is heading north or south) at the Santa Barbara Bowl and/or Vino Robles Amphitheater in Paso Robles.

You are bitterly whining...

You seem to be upset...

 

You seem a little unreasonably angry...

Erm, no.

Not at all. And I've been on the Internet and on message boards for a long time. I'm pretty thick-skinned.

As several people pointed out, there was nothing clearly indicated in the presale to suggest that the tickets were different this time. People were asking, in fact, if others got Row 6 or whatever, because it was confusing.

Normally for a show at Red Rocks there's no need to worry about presales, because everything's GA and you have months to pick up tickets. I just went back and looked at all the emails and promos from Wilco HQ and from Frontgate, and not a hint that this show was different.

Thanks for the feedback. If I ever bitterly whine or get unreasonably angry, you'll know about it. 

Maybe if enough people complain to the management and/or band they will listen.

That's exactly what I tried to do. I wrote a calm, reasonable email expressing my disappointment at the way this show in particular was handled. I have no idea whether the message was received.

Wow, a lot of haters, who also can't read.

Just to be clear for those who think I'm complaining about ticket prices. No, you obviously didn't read the link to my original post. My disappointment is in the decision to change the conventional seating arrangement at Red Rocks without notifying fans properly.

Every Wilco show at Red Rocks in the past has been GA up front. Every other Red Rocks show I am going to this summer (Ryan Adams, My Morning Jacket, one or two others still considering) is GA up front. Wilco for the first time ever changed the arrangement and made the first 50 rows reserved seating.

I am not the only person who did not see that major change in a longstanding policy and bought GA seats, because that is what one ALWAYS does at Red Rocks.

If you go back and read the original post and the replies (I know, it's a lot of work to click that link) you'll see others who made the same mistake. We're all shut out of decent seats now because of that lack of communication from Wilco the band to its fans. Although there are lots and lots of seats on Stubhub, which is a whole 'nother problem.

I am perfectly willing to pay the market price for tickets.

I don't need condescending lectures on economics, as I thought I made clear in the post that started this thread. But I think we all agree that paying $85 for pit tickets to stand in 105-degree heat in Scottsdale in July is high enough to make anyone think twice. (For comparison's sake, that's roughly the same as we paid for AmericanaRama two years ago. It's also the all-in price for the best seats in the house at the Greek Theater in LA a month later, which will certainly be a better experience.)

My note to TMM was expressing disappointment IN THEIR COMMUNICATION WITH WILCO FANS about a major change in their ticketing practices for a well established, even iconic venue. I didn't say a fucking word about the price, because that's not the issue.

Thanks for your attention.

That's some damn fine mansplaining, Louie.

King Sunny Ade!

NRBQ!

Taj Mahal!

And a whole bunch of younger bands that I'm eager to learn more about.

After looking at the dreary festival lineups elsewhere this year, this is a total breath of fresh air. I am genuinely looking forward to this lineup.

Never said any such thing, Louie. I do expect a response from businesses when I correspond with them. And I know from watching you on these boards for lo these many years that there is nothing to be gained from a back and forth with you, so thanks and bye.

 

 

I would not be too quick to blame the band or their management for pricing.

Sorry, but at Red Rocks it most assuredly is the band's choice as to how to price tickets. Wilco and their management chose the option to make the first 50 rows reserved at a price of $80 per ticket with service charges. The last 4 times they played there the configuration was different, and other bands I am seeing at RR this summer are using the classic, GA up front configuration.

Meanwhile, the selection on Stubhub is awesome.

So, no, not letting anyone off the hook that easy.

I can't even figure out who will open for Wilco.

I'm assuming NRBQ opens for Wilco on Friday with King Sunny Ade opening on Saturday and then Richard Thompson closing the festival on Sunday. Could flip those last two, though.

I'm feeling kinda sour right now on Wilco, the Commercial Enterprise.

Yes, I am looking forward to Solid Sound. But I'm also looking at a world where I think I might see far fewer shows by my favorite band.

The Red Rocks debacle was disheartening. (I won't repeat myself. Already said what I needed to say here.)

I sent two emails to Tony Margherita Management, politely expressing that disappointment. Zero response. Not even a generic "Thanks for your feedback."

And now I see details of the Scottsdale show, which is close enough for us to drive. We used to live there in fact, and would have lots of friends to visit and stay with if we chose to go.

But $85 for pit tickets? BEFORE TicketMaster's obscene add-on fees? Fuck that.

I don't begrudge the boys their success, but this seems like it's going to drive longtime fans away.

A toss-up between "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" and "Mr. Tambourine Man."

The Byrds, September 20, 1970, Stockton, California

Set list

while it's stupid for GA to be in the back of the venue, i also think it's silly to allow people to lay down a placeholder up front and then show up much later to claim 'their spot'

No one gets to do that at Red Rocks. You line up outside, and you doors open about two hours before the show, at which point everyone scrambles in.

I agree that the "magic blanket" strategy is stupid at festivals.

Letter to TMM sent, thanks.

I was able to get decent reserved seats so I now have two GA tickets available for $55 each. The face value is $45.50 and I will eat $10 of the total $30 in service charges. These are electonric tickets, so I can send them via email.

Reserved Section 1: Rows 2-21 ($65.50/ticket)

 

Reserved Section 2: Rows 22-47 ($55.50/ticket)

 

And with bullshit service charges and fees that's well over $80 per ticket to be in the first 21 rows.

I am so colossally disappointed I cannot even tell you.

Like others, I bought GA tickets reflexively, because every show I have ever been to at Red Rocks has been sold that way. I had just bought tickets to Ryan Adams' show a few days earlier via AXS and confirmed just now (thank god) that the seating arrangements are as they have always been, with GA starting row 24.

I have no desire to go up to Red Rocks to see Wilco from row 47 or higher.

And to add insult to injury, there are dozens and dozens of tickets on StubHub at prices in the $240 and up range to be in the first few rows. I want to puke.

Anyone want two GA tickets cheap?

It looks like Tweedy is going to do one more swing through the U.S. in March before Wilco begins its pre-SOlid Sound Southern tour..
 
I stumbled across a listing at the ticketing service that handles shows for the Lensic Theatre here in Santa Fe, and they show a Tweedy show on March 26, with an on-sale date of January 10. I presume other dates in the tour will be announced soon, probably after the New Year.

http://tickets.ticketssantafe.org/single/EventDetail.aspx?p=1606

Dark Neon, a B-side from Wilco (The Album)

Three songs from the oft-ignored Wilco (The Album) so far.

Judy and I are in. See you all in North Adams this summer!

I've got two tickets. Good seats, 10th row. Does she have a friend who wants to go?

Sold.

Crap. I was online with two browser windows open, there the instant sales unlocked, and was completely shut out of Denver. Never had that happen for a Wilco show.

And double crap. About 10 minutes after the hour, I check again and this time it allows me to choose seats again. I'm given the option of 2 in the center, but when I try to add them, I get a "We couldn't find that many tickets" message, and even though it says can add up to 4 in R or L, I get the same error. Same error with singles.

Really frustrated with the way this is working.