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Believe it or not, I have never attended a public music concert. I happen to be slightly claustophobic and the thought of being in so large a crowd of excited people can sometimes make me cringe. However, I am highly motivated to see the Italian singers Il Volo. They are about to start there American tour scheduled to last two months or so. I hesitated when I first thought about going. That's me, classic HSP pause and think instead of being impulsive. The closest concert venue to me is sold out. In fact, I would guess the majority of performances are nearly sold out. This looks like a lot of fun to me and I am happy to go on my own. Life is a bit dull lately and an adventure would certainly be exciting. Of course, I have a modest income and limited time for traveling.
I guess I can try and plan for next year? How do you avoid frauds? And, how expensive are seats to an average concert. I almost went to see Bob Dylan a few years ago but balked at the $100 per seat price. I can live with the records.
I don't know what you mean by "frauds." You need to go to the authorized ticket agent for that concert.
Since you are brand new at this here's what I would do, were it me, and I don't go to many large-arena concerts:
1) go to the website online to see the seating arrangements at that venue. Get an idea of where you want to sit. Do you know the likely venue for the next concert?
2) When the ticket release date is announced watch the site to see how much tickets are in your price range. Does your price range cover where you'd like to sit? And if it does not, decide to either raise your price or skip the concert
3) When you've scoped out the seating arrangement and price, place a phone call to the ticket agent and order your ticket via human interaction. The ticket agent will give you "the best seat available" at the time, according to their knowledge. If you are a single ticket you'll have a better chance of getting a better seat--I do this a lot with small venue performances. Singles can be squeezed in easily.
Know that there will be additional fees on top of the concert ticket price: taxes, and probably fees for handling and mailing. If you go to one of the standard ticket sellers such as Ticketmaster, they add a commission.
In my town (not sure how it's done elsewhere) you can buy a ticket form the venue itself, but they have limited ticket sales hours and their phones are often jammed up. That's probably why places like Ticketmaster can be successful--they have later phone hours, more phone lines, and good website interactive sales software.
I can't tell you how much prices are because they vary a lot, but $100 isn't unusual for boomer concerts.
Recently we went to the Cavalia event, a horse show, and we paid for the most expensive seats. It was a smallish arena and that was a waste of money. But I didn't know it then and that's the breaks.
decemberlov
8-6-12, 11:16am
Stubhub.com is a great place to buy tickets and they guarantee the tickets so you don't have to worry about getting scammed.
A lot of times places will say they are sold out but you can still get tickets on StubHub. Occasionally my husband and I will log on an hour or two before a Phillies game and be able to purchase tickets for $5.00....guess they rather sell the left overs they have for $5 rather than not sell them at all.
Okay, I checked stubhub as recommended and the closest venue is not listed. It's sold out and has been for quite some time. The closest place is Westbury NY, on Long Island. So, I have about a four hour drive. There are two concerts that week with tickets going for $125 and $150. If I did go, I'd need to stay overnight and drive back the next day. A decent room is $140. It's up to me if I want to turn this into an adventure.
decemberlov
8-6-12, 12:57pm
Okay, I checked stubhub as recommended and the closest venue is not listed. It's sold out and has been for quite some time. The closest place is Westbury NY, on Long Island. So, I have about a four hour drive. There are two concerts that week with tickets going for $125 and $150. If I did go, I'd need to stay overnight and drive back the next day. A decent room is $140. It's up to me if I want to turn this into an adventure.
Did you check the ticket section on Craigslist? You never know...
That's a pricy adventure...but I can't say I haven't spent that much on out own little adventures :laff:
We like to see Dave Matthews usually a few times during the summer we always camp though to save some money...is camping an option? Could save you $100.00 or more...
Thanks for the feedback. I need to get a bit of a grip as this is a desire not a need. I would be giving into marketing and a bit of whimsy to go. I love these guys music and have one performance on DVD. All of this would end up on a credit card and take a bit of time to pay off. It's just a bit of boredom mixed with want. I am about to price out the cost of tree removal on my property. In a way this is breaking out of being a respnsible, SLN consumer. I'll sleep on it and decide.
Part of me likes the challenge of driving to Long Island, the independence of being out, doing something out of character all for music.
decemberlov
8-6-12, 3:58pm
Part of me likes the challenge of driving to Long Island, the independence of being out, doing something out of character all for music.
don't let me talk you out of it...music is very important to me and I believe this is something that every person should do once in a lifetime. I've been to a few music festivals where I camped out for a few days and these are some of my greatest memories!! Sometime we have to be carefree and do things that may seem a little crazy...even if it's just for one day a year. I hope if you do go you have a wonderful time!! I believe memories are far more important that money ;)
Grazie. I sent a PM as follow up.
Hi Cypress: We go to quite a few concerts. I would not particularly recommend doing it if you're going to be carrying it on a credit card for a while. That said, it this an act that has a good chance of coming around again next year? If so, I would think about positioning myself for that. I would set up a Ticketmaster account and get on the mailing list of some of the more popular venues in the area, and also sign up on the group's website. That will often get you an invitation to buy tickets at a pre-sale offered by the band and/or a venue before tickets go on sale to the general public. If you had advance notice next time, perhaps you could score local tickets and not have to incur costs for lodging and extensive travel. I'm on mailing lists for Worcester DCU, Verizon in Manchester, and the State Theater in Portland. I believe Worcester and Manchester have offered me pre-sales in the past.
On the other hand, if this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and something you really want to see, then hell, go for it! !pow!
Hi Rosa
Sometimes I am not the most savvy websurfer although I appreciate modern technology and social connections. I double checked a different way to find tickets at the Boston venue as DecemberLov suggested. Voila! I was directed right into stubhub and found seats for sale. Considering the style of music these guys sing and that their fans are devoted but a smaller American audience, I thought they might appear at the Hanover in Worcester. But, I didn't plan the tour. This group has inspired a resurgence of my joy of music, culture, travel and given a lovely boost to my psyche. I am facing the midlife blahs and when I saw these guys on TV in June, I found a bit of heaven on Earth. So, it is a great leap of faith for me to even consider attending a performance. With the exception of Bob Dylan, I never ever considered such a thing. I am sure I'll be fine. The ticket is on the way. I had such a surge of delight when I placed the order. The cost is very reasonable and since I am not sure about future concerts, I picked a primo seat in the section right in front of the stage. The trickiest bit, as you know, may be negotiating Boston traffic in and out. It's about a two hour drive in.
Thanks for the tips. This may be the fun and excitement I have been missing. Is that a dancing mushroom with a fairy on board?
If they are sold out, the only easy way I know of to get tickets is to go to a secondary reseller (basically legal scalpers) - and that's as expensive as it sounds.
Not sure where your closest venue is, but it looks like they have tickets available for 9/8 show in Boston. The Pavillion is nice venue, right on the water.
Too late for this performance, but the best strategy is to plan ahead, sign up on ticketmaster for early ticket information, many performers have their own websites with schedules and mailing lists, some even send presale info (tickets for sale before they go on sale to the general public).
:) This little smiley does not do justice to the joy of being at this performance. The venue was different as it was under a tent right on the waterfront in Boston Mass. The tent is structurally supported and makes for quite a different atmosphere inside. Unfortunately, a wicked rocking storm came through about midway into the show. The folks sitting on the perimeter seats got soaked. I cannot figure out why the pavillion staff did not close the side curtains if that's what they are called. The tent can be closed in. I was way inside in the front section but even I felt windblown rain. One of the singers started a chorus of I'm Singin in the Rain. It must have rattled the artists too.
These guys are gifted performers and put on a professional show. Apparently the fashion for young Italian men is tight tight pants. Ladies, it was fun to be around frisky charming energy. If I could follow them down to Florida for the rest of the tour, I'd go in a heartbeat. Love it love it love it.
Thanks for helping me get there. I am still walking on the Il Volo cloud today. Thesy were invited to join Barbara Streisand as her special guest for her eight shows in October. This means it might be harder to get tickets next time. Viva Il Volo!
Glad you enjoyed it. You stepped out of your comfort zone and it was definitely worth it.
In future, check out your favorite performers' websites and join to receive emails. Usually you'll get a heads-up of any future shows before it's made public.
A few years ago I bought a ticket for Simply Red's final NY show (sold out farewell tour) and then my friend decided to go too. A few days before the show I found a 7th row single ticket for myself and gave her my first ticket. I think I cried through the whole show-----I was so close to the stage!!! If you don't mind sitting next to strangers, you can sometimes get last minute single tickets in great locations. You can go with other people but sit separately. The woman I sat next to at the SR show, well, we cried and hugged each other through most of the show. She wasn't a stranger for long!
try2bfrugal
9-11-12, 4:36pm
I am not sure if they are in every city, but for future reference we get a lot of discount event tickets at Goldstar. They usually even have some events for free except for a small service charge. I know on our local list they offer many discount concert tickets compared to the regular ticket agency prices.
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