[Andrea91483]

Since the Glasgow show is still a while away, KEEP CHECKING! You never know when new seats will be added or released or when a new date will be added. Are any radio stations in the area going to be promoting the show by giving away tickets? It might be a long shot, but it never hurts to try. Also, keep checking the boards here as someone may wind up with an extra ticket and would be willing to sell it to you for face value. I wound up with two extra tickets to the Albuquerque show last April. They were pretty good seats (8th row floor) and I posted here to see if anyone that was going to that show wanted them for face value. No one responded and said yes, and I didn't want them to go to waste, so I ended up just giving them to my sister. So you never know. Keep your eye out. I hope you manage to snag some tickets.

[Ollyc]

vegi, on 01 November 2009 - 06:46 PM, said:

I see that you're new and it appears you joined to talk about the ticket issue. So you've missed ticket discussions in years past, as have the people that are new to Michael. I realize that people that don't buy a lot of tickets may not be aware of how things work. Absolutely nothing is happening here that doesn't happen with most artists. As an artist gets more popular, it's harder to get tickets. There is more of a demand, so not everyone will be able to get tickets. It's only common sense. When I first saw Michael, he was playing for 100 people. Those days are long gone. I couldn't be happier for him that he has achieved many of his dreams. However, I realize that means that instead of hundreds of people wanting the same tickets, there are tens of thousands. Every venue has only a few premium seats; it's not possible for all of Michael's "true fans" to get the front sections. Years ago, that was possible. As one of the top-selling artists in the world, he has millions of fans now. There are not millions of front section seats. It's basic economics. Since there is more demand than supply, tickets are going to be more expensive than when Michael was unknown.

Premium seats have always sold for more money. In the past, it was only the unauthorized reseller that made the money. With licensing deals, hopefully the artist will receive a portion of the price people are paying. Please remember that it is the music Business. Artists want to earn a good living and provide for their families. They deserve that. It's expensive to tour; particularly when you put a big show on like Michael does. It's not like he just comes on stage with no set and an acoustic guitar. It's never been a charity, and artists can't price according to their poorest of fans. The reality is that there have always been fans of all economic levels. I'd love to say I'm a "rich" fan, but I'm not. There have always been fans that have to save up for a long time to afford even one show, while others manage to travel the world following Michael and see literally dozens of shows per tour. Tickets are no different than anything else; some people drive a Mercedes, some an economy car and some people take the bus. Some people live in mansions and some in apartments. It's not fair to expect artists and promoters to not get a fair return for their labors. Michael's prices aren't out of line for where he is right now in his career. I'd like a fancy house and only designer clothes and to be able to attend ALL the shows I want... but life doesn't work that way. The wealthy have always had more access to things, including good seats. It's also not fair to assume that just because someone can afford to go to a show, they're not a "true" fan. How do you judge that? Income? Economic or social status? How long they've supported Michael? How often they've seen Michael? There's no workable way to decide who "deserves" those good seats. If there weren't people willing to spend the extra money to buy tickets from resellers, they wouldn't get the prices they do. Some would argue that the people that are spending so much money to see Michael may very well want to see him the most. Many of us got spoiled when Michael was unknown, but the world has caught on big time. There aren't enough seats, good and bad, to satisdy the demand to see Michael. He's worked really hard to get where he is. Some of us here have worked hard to get his name out there and it's thrilling to see he's made it to the top. Personally, I couldn't be happier for him.

Hi Vegi, I 100% agree with what you are saying regarding the supply and demand of tickets for Michael. If people are willing to pay it then there will always be the reseller market - until it is outlawed in the UK.

This will be my 4th time seeing Michael live. The last time, 2 years ago in Nottingham, I had 2nd row center seats just by being prepared and getting on line at the on sale time. The previous 2 tours I had no problem getting tickets and the arenas didn't even sell out as he was still making his name in the UK. This year there was no chance of getting decent tickets. The best I could get were at the side high up, and that was at 9am.

My, and other peoples, point is the amount of tickets finding their way onto 'resellers' websites especially when whole blocks of tickets are for sale. Eg - Sheffield arena has whole rows available to buy for £150 each, 3 times face value. Until the government do something about this then, as you state, it will always happen.

I've been to many concerts this year including The Killers, Oasis, Take That, U2 and Coldplay (diverse music choice I know ) and it happened to everyone of those gigs - I realise its not just Michael's. I was lucky and got tickets but there are many fans who missed out. I guess I'm just annoyed that tickets are being sold for upto £250 for a £50 or £80 ticket.

I hope what I say makes sense - sometimes can just drivel on

Incidently, how is the reseller market viewed in the US? Is it taken as part and parcel of getting tickets now or is there the controversy that it creates here.

Oll.