Concert ticket advice again

[89911]

I just found out that one of my favorite bands "Radiohead" is playing at Washington DC which isn't a bad trip for me. Unfortunately, I didn't get word of this until yesterday and all the seats are gone. I am willing to buy tickets at a markup to see them through secondary vendors but I am seeking advice as to the best way. Does the hype wear down about tickets after a month or two and then is it better to purchase? Or do ticket prices constantly increase up until the day of the concert? The concert isn't until June 3rd. I am willing just to show up and buy some the same day if that works best. Most of the resellers are at least 3 times the retail price and then have ridiculous handling charges of over $50 per tickets. I do like them and will go, just depends on how much. Thanks ahead for any tips or advice. This is a quick search engine that pull prices from most of the vendors. I would be interested in sitting in the 100 sections if possible.

http://seatgeek.com/radiohead-tickets/washington-district-of-columbia-verizon-center-washington-dc-2012-06-03/concert/819785/

Interactive tool to give you an idea of what the viewing angles are like:

http://www.rateyourseats.com/seatingchart.php?venue_id=verizon-center-concert

I generally like smaller venues for bands. If anyone has sat in arena's like this, which seats do you generally go for?

[stomachmonkey]

A quantity of good seats are typically held back and released directly before the event so keep checking.

Also drive down and try to get from a scalper day of show.

The price will get cheaper the closer to the start of the show and if a scalper still has tickets in hand once the show starts they'll make just about any deal.

[Rick Lee]

Radiohead sold out the Verizon Center? Wow.

I've almost never bought tix before the day of the concert, I've almost never paid above face value and I've almost never been more than 12 rows back from the stage. Don't enable the ticket brokers. I love watching their monkeys sweat at the last minute when they start dropping the price fast.

If that show is really sold out, rest assured, all the bars next to the Verizon Center will be packed before the show and lots of people will be selling tix there. If you just want one ticket, you can literally walk up the bar at Legal Seafoods across the street, yell that you need one ticket and you'll get one. If you want an odd number of seats together, that could take some more work. You can keep checking TM's site until the good seats come up, usually the afternoon of the show. Or you can walk up to the box office when you get there. I've done this for over 20 yrs., even got front row for VH once by calling TM the day of. It can be a nailbiter, but I always make out.

[89911]

Thanks Rick. Yeah, I know I am going and once I'm down there I'm not going home without a ticket. I guess I got to play the game. Sounds like you have been to the Verizon center, any suggestions?

[Rick Lee]

Last show I saw there was VH in 2007. I had a free ticket, so I didn't go early and I don't recall seeing people on the sidewalks selling tix. But it's at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station and all the bars are on 7th St. between F and H Streets. There are a ton of bars there and that's where everyone hangs out before the shows. You can't park anywhere there, so there's no tailgating. Everyone walks or Metros there. Just hit the bars. The McDonalds across the street from Legal Seafoods is a good place to look for tix too. Also check Craigslist the day of the show. Lots of times people have a group and one person can't make it and they need to sell one ticket last minute. I did this for Rush in Frankfurt last summer too, bunch of Italian kids had driven up for the show and two of their buddies couldn't make it. It's a lot easier for them to sell tix at the venue than at home, which is a nine hr. drive. I'm positive you'll make out great, but you might sweat it until the last minute. Also for Rush in Phoenix last summer I got 12th row floor on TM's website the afternoon of the show. Took me 11 tries before the good tix came up, but when they did, I pounced and paid face value. A buddy I met up with there was seven rows closer and had paid $500 per for three tix to some broker.

[stomachmonkey]

Funny story.

Styx is my wife's favorite band. She knows all the guys plus their road manager well enough that they know her/us by name/sight. She catches every show that she can but will not ask for free tickets.

One year we took the kids to Hershey for a few days and there was a Styx show at Hersheypark Stadium. My wife had been trying to get seats in the first couple of rows but nothing was coming up on the site so she decided to grab them day of show.

She asked if I wanted to go and I declined. I figured after a day at the amusement park I would not really be in the mood, the boy is only 4 so he won't be interested either. I suggested she take our daughter and I'd go back to the car with our son and take a nap.

So day of show she gets tickets, 11th row which pisses her off.

We spend the day at the park then she heads off to the show. The boy and I walk a mile thru the parking lot and as we are 50 ft from the car I realize that my wife has the car keys. CRAP!!!!

I can't call her as she forgot her phone at the hotel that morning. I call OnStar to have them unlock the car. This was the year that OnStar was shutting down the old analog systems. When I heard about it I cancelled rather than continue to pay for something that they were going to terminate anyway. So of course they could not unlock the car. I call security at the venue and explain my situation asking if they could page her. No go.

Hersheypark Stadium is U shaped, open at one end so I thought maybe I would be able to spot her so the boy and I trudge a mile back thru the lot to the stadium. Of course it's a mob scene and my plan was doomed. I make my way to the security office to plead my case with a guard when the bands photographer walks by, he looks at me and knows he knows me from somewhere so I explain who I am and my situation and ask him if he can find my wife. He's too busy but hands me a ticket.

Awesome, I've got one ticket but what do I do with the boy while I go look for my wife, he's only 4 so I can't leave him by himself. I make my way to the gate and figure I'll plead my case with security there. As I'm explaining it all a ticket pops over my shoulder. I turn around and it's this couple, they have an extra ticket and the woman is offering it to me for free.

3rd row.

Score!!!! The boy and I go in, I grab a beer for me and a water for him. I figure I'll find the wife and daughter, give them the good seats, grab the car keys, maybe catch a couple of songs till the boy gets tired then head back to the car.

Look all over the place and can't find my wife. Show starts so we go to our seat and I pop the boy on my knee. Second song in Tommy Shaw is doing a solo close to the front of the stage and spots me. He nods hello and I mouth to him "where's Stacy?" He shrugs and mouths back "don't know".

The boy and I catch almost the entire show, we cut out during the encores and go back to the car.

Wife finally makes her way back and she's all excited. "You missed a great show".

I hand her my 3rd row stub.

[Rick Lee]

That's pretty good. Before I started buying the day of, I used to call TM and wait on hold forever the second tix went on sale. Did that for VH in 1988 and, even calling at 9am, my tix were near last row almost behind the stage at the Spectrum. While in the men's room I found a stub on the ground for 11th row floor. I figured I'd get down there and a bunch of guys would wonder where their buddy was and why I was in his seat. But they were all girls and asked me no questions. I moved up to an empty seat in the third row and stayed there for the whole show. The buddy who came with me also found a stub on the ground and got to the first level.

[89911]

Picking up stubs off the mens floor. I might have to pass on that one!