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Schweiz (Deutsch)Frustrated isn't the word...
Frustrated isn't the word...
Posted: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - 15:35
I just have to get this off my chest. I'm so angry right now about the pre-sale tix for the Lexington, KY show. I just found out that a block of rows are for general admission and the rest of the seating is reserved. The general admission seats are (estimated by the guy at the venue) rows 6-10. I bought the tix through the pre-sale offered in the newsletter and was given these seats. A coworker of my wife bought tix when they came available later at the venue, and was assigned 3rd row seats.
I guess I was mistaken that a pre-sale offered to dedicated fans who subscribes to the newsletter would result in an advantage in seating. Instead, I'm placed just in front of the middle (venue guy's terms) while joe blow walks up off the street and nabs 3rd row. If I had known that, I would have avoided the pre-sale altogether. At the very least, Artists Arena should have offered the option of reserved seating vs general admission.
I know this isn't the boy's fault on this one, but the powers that set these things up. But I can't help feeling I've been screwed over on this.
Replies for this Board Topic
Wow, that make two very unhappy campers! I called the venue before the sale, and the guy said they were all general admission. For the most part I think the presale system has worked pretty well. I hope it is keeping scalpers at bay. But this is the second time (Pittsburgh being the first) that i feel like the on-the-ball fan has gotten the raw end.
This happened to me for the D.C. show as well. I can't recall what row I got - I'm thinking somewhere around 15th or 16th. People reported that they later got tickets within the first 5 or 6 rows.
Will avoid pre-sale in the future . . .
Unfortunately, this seems to happen more and more often lately, not just with the Avett Brothers. I bought tickets for Flight of the Conchords the second the pre-sale started, and got nosebleed seats. Apparently all the ORCH row seating and pit tickets were sold the following week during the actual on-sale date. Needless to say I was pretty upset and never ended up going to the show. It doesn't make sense to me at all, when pre-sales are run this way the only thing anyone stands to gain from it is a bunch of pissed off fans who should have had first choice if they were first in line.
As far as garettharper's situation, Brice @ Artist Arena is trying to get in touch with the promoter in Lexington to sort that particular situation out.
We hope you'll stick with us and trust that we're running these presales in hopes of offering you all, who have been there since the beginning, the best seats that we can offer.
The Pittsburgh tickets were on sale through ticketmonster a week or before the presale.
Thanks so much for responding Steph. Makes all the difference in the world.
As I said, for the most part I think the presale plan works well - especially if it limits scalpers in any way.
Catfisher pointed out the Pittsburgh problem which I believe was the first presale through this company. Ticketmonster had tickets on sale for a week before this site even acknowledged a show. You know us eager beavers are not going to sit back in that situation. We bought tickets. Lots of them. Wondered why we had less than the best seats. THEN the PREsale was announced. Some of us crazies went ahead and bought more tickets. Yeah, we are hopeless.
I am more upset about the Lexington show. I took time to call the venue to make sure ALL the tickets were gen admission. I was assured they were. I will be calling in a foul humor when the box office opens this afternoon.
This is not a complaint about the TAB crew. I appreciate that you all are trying to find the best way to serve the fans, and that it is a hit-and-miss learning process. I offer the above to help in that process. I would also add that secrecy about upcoming shows adds to our confusion. A simple heads up here or through email would have prevented the Pittsburgh situation.
I bought presale for three shows this summer. 6 in DC, 11 in Roanoke, and 6 in Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach is GA, so no biggy. But Definitely got screwed on the other two. I get Steph's reply about line of sight and what not, but I know for a fact that in Roanoke front row center was availible three days after the presale. When third row was the best availible throught the presale. Same situation in DC. Total that is roughly $540 worth of tickets, not including Myrtle, for seats that are really nothing special. And my personal belief, closer to the stage= better seat. Everything else takes a back seat. Assuming you are somewhat near the center. I am still thrilled about going to the shows don't get me wrong, but I was pretty pissed after I bought all those tickets and found out that "best seats in the house" was definitely not true.
I also had the same experience with the DC presale. I purchased my tickets immediately when the pre-sale opened and got row L. Someone posted a few days later, that they got row C I believe. I was definitely perturbed and voiced my opinion in the DC presale thread. I bought 5 tickets in a seated venue and expected to be very close. Not only am I not very close, but I have no doubt that people will run up to the stage as they did in Harrisburg and block my view. I am sure everyone is working hard to see that the early birds get the best tickets, but I just wanted to add my thoughts so that maybe it will help in figuring out how to work out the kinks in the presale set up. [/end rant]
Having said that, I am very grateful to be going.
First of all, a big thank you to Steph for looking into the situation. I know things happen, or fall between the cracks, but I really appreciate you taking this seriously. Hopefully, things will be worked out so this won't happen again in the future. Here's an idea...how about a meet and greet after the show for pre-salers? (LOL, can't fault a guy for trying, can ya??)
bob- I called the Kentucky after the presale but before the tix were made available to the general public. I wanted to know how the seating was going to work. They said they had no information about a presale and that sometimes the artist will set aside a certain number of tickets for such a purpose. But at that time, they didn't know how seating would be worked out. So you called and were told it was general audience, but when I called later, they didn't know how it would work. It could be a case of getting different people who had different information, bue there it is. You'd think that they'd have been more knowledgeable.
Excellent idea on the meet and greet for presalers!
I got tickets for the Akron show through the presale, but not on the first day due to my own stupidity. But I had issues too with the Pittsburgh show that catfisher pointed out. I got so excited and bought tickets with Ticketmaster first thing. We got decent tickets, but I have to wonder how I would have faired with the presale...
Just got off the phone with Jeff, the assistant manager of the theater. He was very nice but tried to absolve the theater of any blame. He said no one there would tell me that the show is general admission, because it is a part of the Troubadour Series and all the seats are reserved. Now that 'all' is an interesting twist because he thinks that somehow we will be given assigned seats when we get there.
He wants to put most of the blame on the promoter who set aside 100 of the 'best' (7 and 8 rows back center) for us presale crazies and is still without a plan on how to assign them. Meanwhile walk-ups a week later got the first 6 rows. When he tried to sell me on the idea that row 7 was better than row 1 I offered to trade my tickets with anyone in row 1. He made it sound like the promoter chose the block of seats for the presale and could have chosen the front rows if he wanted to.
I hope Steph has as much fun figuring this out as I have. Have to say I am less happy now than before I got this mangled back story.
Something is definitely fishy here
I got tickets for the Lexington show through the pre-sale too... I actually thought I bought general admission tickets. Just checked my confirmation e-mail and it definitely says General Admission, so I'm pretty confused as to how this is going to work out. I will probably give KY Theater a call tomorrow and thanks to you all for keeping everyone updated.
In Steph's defense (like she needs it from me), I worked for several years as the technical director of a multi-stage performing arts center. It's my experience that the first row is usually NOT the best seat in the house in most theatres - especially older ones. The height of the stage can cause obstructed views if you sit in the first several rows. Retro-fit sound systems are often aimed into the middle of the house, leaving the front rows sounding like you're in a canyon. I can't speak for the specific theatre involved here, having never been there, but from my experience, I rarely buy the first 4 or 5 rows for anything I want to hear and see on stage.
Now, if your objective is to jump around, party, and have an awesome musician sweat all over you, then by God, you need row 1!!!!!!
Now, if you're objective is to jump around, party, and have an awesome musician sweat all over you, then by God, you need row 1!!!!!!
I'd say that pretty much describes about 92% of us.
Ha ha, Avett sweat! Can you buy that in the store yet?...gross.
Fortunately the Akron Civic Theatre had a map of tickets on sale, already sold, and not yet available so we waited until the general sale to get the sweaty seats. It is an old theatre so I'm sure the middle row acoustical properties apply but I'm sure they'll sound just fine from up front.
I hope this doesn't happen when we go to the Columbus Show. We're bringing 2 new fans and hoped they would get the full effect of the Avett power! You miss so much when your not up front. I don't mean the music, I mean the chatter between the members.
I bought several presale tickets for the Akron show, I have tons of friends coming to this show (about 50 newbies!!)
I got rows D, E and F. I bought more tickets when they went on sale to the public. I got Row A. You do the math.
(Ok, I wasn't in Portland, but I couldn't help myself.)
You can try to put a positive spin on it - and I don't blame the Avett camp - but it's a bad system.
Why should board members who are dedicated fans get worse seats during some sort of special pre-sale? It's stupid.
At Lisner, I went on 15 minutes after the sale started, and there was nothing left. About 3 hours later, I tried again and ended up with Row HH, wherever that is. With a limit of 4, I could not even accommodate my whole family (5).
Well, you know the rest of the story. Someone joyfully telling how they got 3rd row or so at the public sale.
This appears to be a small-ish place, so I will hopefully be okay.
I don't think there is any seating at the Columbus show. It is all gen admission.
Solution: Keep the presale system, but make it clear to the promoters/venues that Avett fans don't want the "best" seats, we want the FRONT seats!
Yogini: "You do the math.
(Ok, I wasn't in Portland, but I couldn't help myself.) Smiling"
Nice!!
Presales are a mixed bag. I often see presales that offer a first chance at tickets but not ALL of the best tickets. They might offer every other row or one half of the front section. They often leave many of the best seats for the public on sell date. This seems fair to me. It would not seem right for someone, that does not know about the message board presale, to miss out on any chance for a good seat. For that Roanoke show I bought 3rd row during the first few seconds of the Avett presale. The over the next day or two I found a second presale for the venue’s regular patrons. It was during that sale that I picked up some second row and a front row seat. I believe there were also a few seats from the first few rows that were held back for the public on sale date. That just seems like the right way to do it.
The instant tickets go on sale many people hold them while they decide if they really want to purchase them. The system will hold the seats back for a few minutes. If the buyer does not finish the transaction the tickets will be put back in the pool. I often see better seats pop up after the system has just shown me seats further back. It’s all a game. You will also have much better luck the fewer tickets you are trying to buy at a time. If you want 4 together it might put you back a few rows where a pair might be available closer to the front. A single might be left on row A. If I can’t find seats up front during a presale I wait and try again when the normal sale starts.
I do not understand the confusion about whether a show is assigned seats or not but it has happened before. The first time they played the Belk on New Years Eve no one seemed to know how it was set up until the tickets were being sold. Yep I don’t understand how that happens at all.
The first time they played the Belk on New Years Eve no one seemed to know how it was set up until the tickets were being sold.
For the Lexington show that started this thread, the tickets sold through the presale are all to be picked up at will call, and our receipts are marked general admission. According to Jeff ALL seats must be reserved. So it looks like us presale folk will have to stand in line early to get assigned seats in rows 6 - 10. People who bought tickets a week or more after us can have a nice dinner, walk in late and take their reserved front row seats. Seems like we get all the disadvantages of both the gen admission and reserved seating platforms with none of the advantages. At least it is a wonderful theater, and no one should be spilling beer on me.
I agree with Bob - I think they should keep the presale, but be a bit clearer that only some of the best seats will be available at the presale. I think the frustration is in being mislead that the presale is an opportunity to get the best seats to the show (ie the front few rows) and then someone ends up getting seats 10-20 rows from the stage. When I got my tickets to the DC show through the presale, I assumed that the seats I got were the best available at the venues (not the best available of the tickets set aside for the presale), but then many people posted getting far better seats through the general sale later than I got from the presale. I would have gladly spent an extra $10 to Ticketmaster to get seats in the first 3 rows if I had known that they were going to be available after the presale. The only thing the presale did was guarantee that I would be getting tickets to the show (which is obviously still a good thing), and maybe that is the only point of the presale - to eliminate the risk of getting shut out from getting tickets at all. I wanted to make sure I got some tickets, so I bought the presale ones that were offered to me, but I kinda wish I had taken the chance and waited for the regular sale. As long as they're consistent with this process in future presales, I will likely take a shot and try to get tickets at the regular sale if I'm not pleased with what is available through the presale. Sorry if this was a rambling mess.
"Solution: Keep the presale system, but make it clear to the promoters/venues that Avett fans don't want the "best" seats, we want the FRONT seats!"
EXACTLY!!!!
Listen to Bob, the man knows what he's talking about!
I've been to the KY Theatre (saw the Blair Witch Project there years ago; very cool place for a spooky movie!) and the seats sold in the presale are really good seats. And perhaps, at least acoustically, they're better than front row. But for me, and most of the Avett Nation I'd wager, its not the clarity of the musicianship that sets the Avetts above and apart from the rest, but the passion they bring to their music. If I want clarity, I'll listen to the CDs. For me, I want to be as close as possible to that passion to better experience it and be apart of it. My wife got us tickets to the Bloomington shows and we only had one person between us and the stage. It was so amazing to watch their facial expressions that weren't very visible when we went to the Louisville show and we were 15-20 people back. Being so close, you can see Scott get absolutely lost in the music and the audience seems to cease to exist. That just gave me chills.
The presales are new and so there are kinks to be worked out. I hope that this will help iron things out for the future.
Mr. Harper, I hope we get to meet at the show.
I bought pre-sale tickets for the KC show and they specified that they would be front row along with a VIP pass AND a parking pass. It was about $65 for one ticket, so I hope that when I get them a week before the show I am not disappointed.
hey cookhouse,
I bet.
I just had the same experience with the Seattle show: the best seats pre-sale could give me were really undesirable, so I chanced it and waiting for them to go public today, buying seats from the venue's website, and I ended up with seats I'm really stoked about.
I agree with Mark. Keep the presale, just tell Steph and Dolph to make it clear to the promoter or venue's that we want the front rows. I don't think anyone would desagree that the FRONT ROWS are the BEST seats!!!
"saw the Blair Witch Project"
Did you throw up like I did when I saw it at the theater? I'm prone to motion sickness. I liked the movie nevertheless.
I received an email from Kent stage for the Akron show a few weeks ago saying they saved 100 pit tickets for people who had bought Avett brothers tickets before...I had already purchased my tickets through TAB and was a little bummed about it...but not too bummed because we do have third row
I've seen them at the Kent Stage twice and am on the Kent Stage mailing list and I never got that email. Total bummer!
We have seen TAB 7 times at locations all over the East Coast, but never in our home city, so I purchased 12 tickets for the Pittsburgh show as soon as the Ticketmaster sale went online at 5 PM. My entire transaction was completed by 5:01 PM. Our seats are in the balcony far right! When I found out about the "pre-sale" a week later, I was able to pick up two more tix on the floor, center. I know that I am not entitled to good seats just because I am a loyal fan, but I am very disappointed in this entire transaction.
Someone dropped the ball royally in regards to the Pittsburgh show
I almost wish I wouldn't have clicked on this topic. I bought tickets for the Pittsburgh show (Row O, Seats 6,7) when I found them by accident on Ticketmaster before the presale, and now I find out if I would have just waited I could have got closer to the stage, what a disappointment.
I just want to go to the shows. I want pre-sale so I KNOW I've got a ticket. As long as I can do that, I'm good.
Thanks guys for all you do!
I don't think this is about gratitude or lack thereof. The stated purpose of the presales is to provide opportunity for the peeps on this board to get the best tickets. I believe the powers-that-be would like to know when that is not working.
I've seen them at the Kent Stage twice and am on the Kent Stage mailing list and I never got that email. Total bummer!
I've seen then 3 times there and never got that e-mail.
Sallys Lover I sent you a PM
Has anyone heard any more about this show?? I am trying to make a game plan for waiting in line. I wish they would change all seats to GA.
--
Team Avett #68
freedomrequiem, i assume you're referring to the Lexington show? If not...sorry, but I'll go ahead and post this info anyway.
My brother and I got tickets in the pre-sale and like everyone else who did, the confirmation email told me it's general admission. But when I read this thread, I started getting nervous.
I called the KY Theatre because I needed to buy 4 more tickets, which I did -- but the guy didn't even tell me where they were located. So I seized upon this opportunity to find out more about the seating situation in general. He told me the 4 tickets I had purchased were in row 16(-ish?). Then I told him that I had bought 2 pre-sale tickets months ago and they said "general admission." He said the theatre was not associated with the pre-sale and they really don't know much about it -- it's a totally separate deal and they won't know exactly how it will be handled until the day of the show. But then he assured me that the pre-sale people reserved a "block" of the best seats.
All of that to say -- basically I didn't find out any more than what people have already stated on this discussion thread. I'm kind of bummed about having to get in line so early just to get a seat in the front part of the "reserved pre-sale block of seats" but oh well, it's totally worth it for TAB! 16 days!!