Beastie Boys Support Scalpers! (e.g. Hammerstein)

[Ricky's Theme]

For the life of me, I can't understand what just happened! I was ready to buy tickets to the Hammerstein Gala Event show at 9:59 and did my usual refresh every 5 seconds until I got into the ticket window. When I tried to select three tickets, Ticketmaster told me that it was already sold out. What's worse is that there was the option to purchase 50 tickets at a time. No wonder they sold out in five seconds.

Why on earth would the Beastie Boys let people buy 50 tickets at a time when they wanted these shows to be, "quality time, [their] time, just [us] and the band sitting by a fire on a tropical beach late at night being serenaded with love songs?" I can only assume that they wanted to sell their tickets as soon as possible to scalpers while leaving true fans in the dust. Those aren't the Beasties that I grew up knowing.

Anyone else feel the same way I do?

[HiPlnsDrftr]

Sadly, I have to agree 100%

[mkvl3]

We should have done the same thing. Buy massive amounts of tickets, and just sell them to each other here on the boards for face value. Now instead, we all have to pay double the price on Ebay, Stubhub and all the rest..

[Pootytang]

Look at the other thread about the Hammerstein. Post 30 will let you know that noone is allowed buy over the limit, no matter how many the drop down menu offers you.

[sneakinsally]

I am pretty miffed...they DO have the option of not having to completely rely on ticketmaster.

They could always do a private lottery pre-sale...where they send you a newsletter...allot a certain amount of tickets per person...then we fill it out with all of our information...like how many tickets...for which shows...and the before they go on sale to the general public....we get an email saying if our order was filled thru the lottery or not...if not...then we have a chance to purchase tickets thru TM....I am so sad...I am traveling to another state to come and see these guys....I am willing to do so because I am a fan....a big fan....I am already spending a small fortune to go to NYC...I don't want to have to pay 100 bucks a ticket too...when stuff like this happens...I feel like it's a big eff you to the real fans....are they getting some of the back end? IDK...I guess I'm still a little angry....LOL...

[alikat]

They could always do a private lottery pre-sale...where they send you a newsletter...allot a certain amount of tickets per person...then we fill it out with all of our information...like how many tickets...for which shows...and the before they go on sale to the general public....we get an email saying if our order was filled thru the lottery or not...if not...then we have a chance to purchase tickets thru TM....

Yep, I agree that's more along the lines of what a fans-only pre-sale should be. Passwords offer no barrier (already ranted about that in the other thread after spending forever on TM).

I wouldn't go so far as to say the band supports scalpers -- but this was an unfortunate lack of control over the pre-sale.

[JohnnyChavello]

Awwww. And the fans support illegal downloading. What's worse?

[kingcrimson024]

i bet people spend more money seeing them live then buying one album. i know i did this time around and last as well. i'm lucky i got tickets to the boston pavilion show and the opera house. does anybody know if mezzanine left is really shitty or not too bad cause its a smaller venue??

[THE BIOLOGIST]

Actually.....One thing I've experienced was on the tt5b tour when The B Boys played in San Fransisco at the bill graham center,, Tickets were being sold for like 10 bucks outside because at the last minute another show was added for the next night. Beastie tickets were going for A dime bag or whatever you had. Whos the sucker now?

[sneakinsally]

Awwww. And the fans support illegal downloading. What's worse?

Too much of a generalization...I burn nothing for no one...and I purchase all of my music...I'm kind of obsessive about owning thin gs and organizing, etc....

[mikizee]

Ticketmaster should be bombed. Thats one act of terrorism I would wholeheartedly support.

After posting this I'll prob have the feds bangin on my door within 10 minutes, LOLZ.

[Suavee-Bolo]

Now let me tell you young whippersnappers how we used to do it way back when...

I remember when a huge part of the total concert experience included waiting in-line for tickets to a show.
There was no getting them over the phone, no getting them through the internet, no pre-sales, post-sales, or secret passwords. Hell, they didn't even accept credit cards or checks. CASH RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME. It was straight cash only.

And that was back in the late 70's and early 80's, the golden age of concerts when acts like the The Who and The Stones were selling out 100,000 seat stadiums in an hour. I remember when Bruce Springsteen sold out Brendan Byrne Arena (Meadowlands, a 20,000 seat venue) 6 straight nights in less than an hour. They'd sell-out one show, and they added another, sold that out, added another, and so-on six times. All tickets were sold CASH ONLY.

If you wanted good seats to a concert, you had to be the first in line at the box-office for the date the tickets went on sale. Which meant you'd have to camp out the night before in line in the parking lot. It was like a giant party all night long just for the opening of the box-office. People would be playing the group's music over their car stereos, playing frisbee or Hackey Sack, trying to get the cute girl's phone number, ect. And of course there were vast amounts of herbal substances to be had. It was almost as much fun as the the actual concert itself most times.

Having to physically wait in line for tickets only helped make everyone get that much more excited for the upcoming show. You'd meet so many people that way too, all fellow fans of that band.


Although you still had scalpers, it was nothing on the level of someone having 80 primo tickets to a show that hadn't officially went on sale yet, only pre-sale and they were already doubling the face value.