TICKETMASTER

[yogi]

Ive got a HUGE rant. Do you realize when purchasing two 36 dollar Styx tickets through Ticketmaster you are charged 7.40 per ticket in additional charges. What a DAMN joke. That is what Ticketmaster does they handle tickets.

Can you imagine eating at a resturant and the following happens. Your steak costs you 20 dollars, but they tack on a 3 dollar cooking charge, add a 2 dollar delivery charge, then top it off with a 2 dollar clean up charge.

UNDAMNREAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bugsymalone]

Thus the oft-used name "TicketMOBSTER".


Bugsy

[GaryS]

Check this out... The House of Blues here in New Orleans prints up a monthly schedule of shows and each show has the ticket price printed with it. If you go to ticketmaster you expect a fee HOWEVER.... The House of Blues box office, that is the venue, also adds a fee. It is called a facility fee. So if the calender says $20 you get to the club and they charge 23 or 24. That should be illegal. Bait and switch is illegal and I don't see how this is much different.

[swwskj]

Yogi,

Your example only explained away $7 of the $7.40. If the remaining $0.40 was applied toward "bathroom clean-up" then perhaps it would be worth it.

Seriously, I'm surprised the tack on was only seven and change. I've had to deal with surcharges OVER $12. When Boston came through last year, one the the radio stations (104.7) was sponsoring the show and was charging $10.47 per ticket. Add the ticketmobster $7+ fee, $2 PER ticket mail fee (comes in one 37 cent envelope) and a $3 per ticket "utility" fee and the tack on b.s. charges were more than the ticket itself!

For a family of four, that was nearly $100 just to get in the door. I did find out that the utility charge was in actuality a parking fee. Parking at Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre used to be $7. So for a couple ($3 x 2) parking is cheaper, not to mention you don't have to fumble around for the seven bucks or pay someone to take it. I thought it made sense at least on the surface. But when we got there i realized that in addition to my family we carpooled with another family of 3 so our seven people were paying $21 to park!!!!!!

Most cars out there were in fact carrying more than just two people and the type on the ticket stating what the facility charge was for was small. It actually took me pointing out to everyone our $21 parking fee before everyone else got pissed too. (I guess misery loves company).

But inside the ampitheater is where the real highway robbery occurs. From $7 beers and $4 cokes all the way to $35 tour t-shirts, the anal penetration just doesn't stop. This is why I've just about given up on going to concerts at all. If I do go at all I go ahead and get the most expensive tickets because even $75 seats are still less than half of the total "concert going experience."

I'm not an old fart (33), but I remember in '86 seeing Journey for $12. There were NO add ons, parking was $2 (couldn't drive yet though), and seating was general admission. Ahh back in the good ol' days.

Damn, now I'm pissed again! Thanks alot Yogi

Scott

[classicstyxfan]

I'll show my age here.....I paid $8.50 to see "The Main Event" tour back in 78 or 79.....

I don't go to many shows anymore either for the same reasons. And if there is another option ( such as pay at the venue ) that helps me shut out Ticketmaster, that is what I do........I hate knowing that some executives there are making huge salaries off of service charges coming out of my pocket ! I bet the people on the phones there are paid paltry wages too...

[yogi]

I am WRONG about ALL of the charges . My May 16 Styx/Frampton-NELSON orchestra Row L seats each cost $36.50. Thats a total of $73.00. I just looked at our Mastercard statement the TOTAL ticket costs was $102.50. Thats above$29.50 above the ticket charge. Per ticket I got raped for $ 14.75. Thats damn near half the ticket cost. Well its over a third of the actual face value cost of the ticket. How can they get away with this???????

What the hell , I guess you cant fight it. Thanks ALOT for trying PEARL JAM!!! I did find out some of my charges were due to the fact we are sitting in the orchestra section. People sitting in orchestra section in honor of Nelson being on the bill will receive a free hair cut by Tommy's current bride between the Nelson and Frampton shows if the bring a copy of the Styx 'Rockers' CD. If only that damn rogaine would of worked!! Even then they are asking you to give at least a dollar tip so Jeanne can go with her class on their senior field trip to Six Flaggs in June.

I'll show all of you my age. When I first saw Gowan with The Way-Outs back in 1974 The tour was called 'The Little Rascal's- Pay As You Exit Tour'. They damn near starved that night. I heard at a dumpster not far from that show Gowan and JY met for the first time.

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Yogi, seriously, I can't wait to hear your real review of the show. I'll be seeing Dennis in NYC on May 15th. Sorry to hear that the Rogaine didn't work for you to receive your free hair-cut, bummer. Don't forget to bring a pair of pretty undies or a bra to throw up to Tommy so he can put it on his guitar Are you going to bring a camera?

I can't STAND Ticketmobster!!!! These charges are totally uncalled for. No wonder attendance to most concerts are down, who the heck wants to pay the extra fees.

I just saved $7.50 per ticket to see Sugar Ray (yes, Sugar Ray) for next week by having my BIL drive down to the venue. By going directly to the box office we saved on all extra ticket charges.

I have another Rant. I logged on to buy Rush tickets for their pre-sale and then the sale. ALL the prime seats in the first 3 sections were gone and I was able to get through the very minute they went on sale each time. I can't stand all the ticket scalpers either!!! I see the prime seats are available on Ebay right away too - UGH

[Ash]

I prefer to call them "Ticketbastard"....

[classicstyxfan]

I wonder if organized crime owns that company ? If they don't, they should, because that's what it is.........perhaps they have little sub-families
near each venue, and they are the ones who get all the best seats ?

Oh well, the prices are keeping me at home, and are benefiting the Music industry by diverting my money to DVD's. I invested recently in 21st century live, and wasn't overly impressed, but have only watched it 1 time so far.

[GaryS]

Classic... do you know what the setlist was for the Main Event tour? I have a program but I can't remember what the setlist was.

[classicstyxfan]

Gary, no, cant remember the setlist either.....I've never been one to write down the songs, and my memory has never been that good either....

I bought that program too, though mine is kind of beat up after 13 moves and alot of handling.

I remember thinking it was the best show I'd ever seen at the time...and it's still in my top 5 of all time.

[GaryS]

I can't even remember the opening song. I remember the grand piano coming up from beneath the stage and some risers going up and down but that is about it. Anybody know the setlist?

[yogi]

I saw the orginial Main Event tour back in 1978 at the Minnesota State Fair. New England opened for Styx and opened with Nothing To Fear, and closed with Dont Ever Want To Lose You. I really liked that one album wonder band.

As for Styx I dont know the exact order of the songs but here is what they played. They opened and I remember this for sure with Great White Hope.Other Pieces of Eight songs were: Blue Collar Man, Queen Of Spades, and Renegade. From Grand Illusion they played: The Grand Illusion, Fooling Yourself, Miss America, and the concert closed with Come Sail Away. From Equinox Styx performed Suite Madam Blue, Lorreli, and Light Up, From Crystal Ball, Styx performed Crystal Ball. From Wooden Nickle Styx did Lady, and You Need Love. Tommy did a guitar solo where JY came in and joined him and John did about a 30 minute drum solo. Well at least at the time it seemed like 30 minutes. They also played a song they were going to put on the new album(Cornerstone) it was a jamming DDY led song maybe Borrowed Time??, or something that didnt make the Cornerstone cut. AWESOME SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[styxfanNH]

Don't get me wrong....i hate the mobster, but the facility charge is a charge that the forced upon by legislation or building deals. For example, when they built the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester Nh, the agreement with the city was that they would pay back $1 for every ticket sold by the venue to defreay the cost of loans and things. Because the venue doesn't want to add it into the cost of a ticket they designate it as a facility charge, because they have no say as to whether they want to charge the customer. It is really a book keeping issue that appeases big brother gov't because for such a low dollar value, it could actually be incorporated into the price of the ticket. Other venues have a restoration fee, this has also been flagged under "facility charges" to keep the politicians happy. In some cases this money is actually sent dirrect to a third party and keeps it out of the hands of the facility.

But Regardless, the additional charges tacked onto a ticket by the mobster or any other ticket venue really are legalized scalping.