PIT Tickets Fox Theater Atlanta Comment

[JTJ]

I just did a search on Stub Hub and found that at quick glance, 44 of the 132 seats available in the PIT of the Fox Theater are being scalped for outrageous resale values. I think that it is disgusting that approx 1/3 of the best seats are in the worst hands. I tried all three options for ticket sales and did not see pit tickets pop up once. That goes for about 10 friends trying as well. Its a shame that the best fans are not going to be in the best section. Maybe Wilco can try and grab up these tickets in the future and sell them during presales or something? I guess there is really no solution.

 

Anyways, just thought I would share this morning.

 

JJ

[Dude]

There's probably no fool-proof way to sort out the "fans" from the "non-fans", but I wonder how effective a random trivia question would be for the presales. Something just hard enough to filter out the scalpers but easy enough that any fan would know, i.e.

 

"I'm a Cherry _________"

 

They could have it randomly cycle so that if you didn't know the answer, you could refresh the page and get a different question.

 

Of course, it's always possible some of those scalpers are also Wilco fans, but I'm wagering the vast majority are not.

[Wendy]

You have to laugh at the listing for row "O" - 2 seats available for $1308 PER SEAT!!!

[tft3323]

Yes, this does suck. Trying to get tickets for Atlanta to take my son to his first Wilco show, and I am unable to get any availability on ticketmaster even though the show does not indicate "sold out." I also checked stub hub and laughed at the outrageous prices. I am hoping that somehow a few additional tickets will be made available as the date draws closer. Seeing them in Sept '01 at the Roxy in Atlanta with a few hundred other general admission folks who were singing along to YHF tunes before the album release seems like decades ago!

 

At least I have Savannah on Thursday night (3/25)!

[dtram]

I just did a search on Stub Hub and found that at quick glance, 44 of the 132 seats available in the PIT of the Fox Theater are being scalped for outrageous resale values. I think that it is disgusting that approx 1/3 of the best seats are in the worst hands. I tried all three options for ticket sales and did not see pit tickets pop up once. That goes for about 10 friends trying as well. Its a shame that the best fans are not going to be in the best section. Maybe Wilco can try and grab up these tickets in the future and sell them during presales or something? I guess there is really no solution.

 

Anyways, just thought I would share this morning.

 

JJ

 

I think the band can control that. For R.E.M.'s last tour, I got 4 tickets in the fan club pre-sale in the Pit at the Mann in Phila. Seemed to me like it was mostly fan club members in the Pit for that show.

 

If 1/3 of the tix for that Fox show are on Stub Hub, it's pretty obvious the promoter is either funneling the tix to brokers or maybe even putting them up there themselves behind a shell organization. I would think if Wilco wanted to stop that they could but who knows what kind of deals they cut with promoters. Maybe bands get more money if they give up control of ticket allotments.

[Dude]

I think the band can control that. For R.E.M.'s last tour, I got 4 tickets in the fan club pre-sale in the Pit at the Mann in Phila. Seemed to me like it was mostly fan club members in the Pit for that show.

 

How do you prevent scalpers from joining the fan club? And did fans have to pay something to join the club or was it free?

[dtram]

How do you prevent scalpers from joining the fan club? And did fans have to pay something to join the club or was it free?

 

Had to be a member before the tour was announced. R.E.M. fan club is $10 per year but since 1988, they have sent a x-mas single to members. Back in the day when R.E.M. was popular, those early singles were worth a couple hundred bucks if you could find one. They used to be 45's but now they are CD singles. I have no idea what they are worth now. I think the highest run they ever had was 6,500 for one year in the mid nineties but I'm not really sure. Kind of make the $10 worth it.

 

There was a password issued by the fan club for the pre-sales so I suppose those inclined could probably get one and buy tix but overall, the best seats did go to the fans. I got 13th row at MSG for the same tour and have gotten good to great seats for every one of their tours since '99.

[Dude]

Had to be a member before the tour was announced. R.E.M. fan club is $10 per year but since 1988, they have sent a x-mas single to members. Back in the day when R.E.M. was popular, those early singles were worth a couple hundred bucks if you could find one. They used to be 45's but now they are CD singles. I have no idea what they are worth now. I think the highest run they ever had was 6,500 for one year in the mid nineties but I'm not really sure. Kind of make the $10 worth it.

 

There was a password issued by the fan club for the pre-sales so I suppose those inclined could probably get one and buy tix but overall, the best seats did go to the fans. I got 13th row at MSG for the same tour and have gotten good to great seats for every one of their tours since '99.

 

That's pretty awesome, and $10 is totally reasonable.

[dtram]

That's pretty awesome, and $10 is totally reasonable.

 

Yeah, I'm not really a fan club joiner type of guy but you can't beat it, for the yearly single alone. I was a member for 10 years before they started the ticket thing, now it's an even better deal.

[remphish1]

That's pretty awesome, and $10 is totally reasonable.

I have bought several tickets for REM shows through the fanclub. Worst seats I got from the club were 12th row Center. I once even got front row but could not use them and gave them to a friend (I was going to be in Australia so I guess that was a good trade off)! I have been a member of REM's fan club for at least 15 years!

[JTJ]

UPDATE: A friend emailed me and said that including ALL tickets to the Fox, there are 672 tickets for sale on StubHub for this show alone. That is 15% of the Fox's TOTAL capacity. In my opinion, that is sad. It's sad to think that almost 1 in 5 people I see at the show in March are going to have paid scalper prices to have gotten in to the show, assuming they pay what is listed.

 

I emailed Wilco management this morning and expressed my feelings. Who knows if it will mean anything?

 

See you at the Fox.

 

JJ

[SarahC]

I dunno if it will mean anything ultimately, but good for you for writing, even though, I don't know how much control TMM has over what tickets go where... that's usually the promoters thing right?

 

I bought a pit ticket for this show from stub hub. I am looking forward to sitting in the 3rd row, and from my point of view, the money doesn't matter cos I was able to afford it, and the memory of the show is gonna last the rest of my life.

[Preferred B]

For what it's worth, I just checked out StubHub for the Madison show next month. The venue manager told those of us who waited in line for tickets on the day of the sale that they had no front row tickets available - 8 of them were sold in the band's presale, and the other 9 were being held back so the band could take people from the back of the venue and send them up front. (I've seen this done at some other shows, and it's pretty cool.)

 

On StubHub right now, there are 4 tickets available in the front row for $393 each. Which means that of the 8 Row AA tickets sold in the band's presale, 4 went to a scalper. I have no idea how you'd prevent that, but it's a shame.

[JTJ]

I wonder if these things happen at their special shows during the Holidays in Chicago? Being from Atlanta, I am not there but I wonder if the prime seats to those shows are kept tight by Wilco for their friends and families or do you see a lot of those tickets being scalped as well?

[Preferred B]

I'm not sure which shows you mean.

[farva]

A rather simple solution to this is making all pit/best seats will call, and requiring the purchaser to show a credit card and ID when picking them up. Arcade Fire used this to great effect a couple years ago.

[renic]

Yes, this does suck. Trying to get tickets for Atlanta to take my son to his first Wilco show, and I am unable to get any availability on ticketmaster even though the show does not indicate "sold out." I also checked stub hub and laughed at the outrageous prices. I am hoping that somehow a few additional tickets will be made available as the date draws closer. Seeing them in Sept '01 at the Roxy in Atlanta with a few hundred other general admission folks who were singing along to YHF tunes before the album release seems like decades ago!

 

At least I have Savannah on Thursday night (3/25)!

 

 

 

i didn't read the whole thread yet, but my mom was able to score 2 tix for us this morning by going down to the box office.

[The High Heat]

I noticed the second line of your signature and I figured I'd just say, "Hello."

[renic]

[LouieB]

i didn't read the whole thread yet, but my mom was able to score 2 tix for us this morning by going down to the box office.

Nice.

 

LouieB

[Maddie Hope]

I just did a search on Stub Hub and found that at quick glance, 44 of the 132 seats available in the PIT of the Fox Theater are being scalped for outrageous resale values. I think that it is disgusting that approx 1/3 of the best seats are in the worst hands. I tried all three options for ticket sales and did not see pit tickets pop up once. That goes for about 10 friends trying as well. Its a shame that the best fans are not going to be in the best section. Maybe Wilco can try and grab up these tickets in the future and sell them during presales or something? I guess there is really no solution.

 

Anyways, just thought I would share this morning.

 

JJ

This is sad and just seems so unfair to the fans. I can't believe the prices, I know I could never pay that kind of price.

At least one PIT ticket didn't go to them, I got very lucky! (which hardly ever happens with Wilco)

 

If you listen to DaveFM on the internet or live in the Atlanta area they should be giving tickets away.

They were I believe Friday and I am sure they will again before the show. It's not a sure bet, but it's a chance.

Someone has to win the tickets, might as well be you...

[renic]

Nice.

 

LouieB

 

for sure! she's pretty excited & was so proud of herself when she got them ( i thought they were sold out). and that they will be playing so many songs she knows (i think she's up to 4 or 5 albums on her own now!) so it won't be a drag.