Ticket Bastards

I'm working on a review of the second and third shows of Phish's reunion shows at Hampton Coliseum and yes, it's taken a while. I've been super busy with work, and honestly, I've just now been able to digest the amazing music I saw at Hampton. The review for Friday night is below. But right now, I want to rant for a second about getting tickets for the upcoming summer tour.

Now first off, I'm probably luckier than a lot of phans: I have tickets to Burgettstown, both nights at The Gorge, Darien Lake, Hartford, Merriweather and SPAC, and if our whole crew gets the tickets they need, I'll probably trade some of my extras for some of the other shows near me: at least Asheville, Camden and probably Jones Beach and Camden, too.

But, I'd rather have tickets for all the events I'd like to go to in hand, without the need to trade and barter and beg. And I've heard horror stories from both friends others on line about the trials and tribulations with TicketBastard. From many folks perspectives, as well as my own, the ticket procurement process for Phish Summer Tour 2009 definitely has left something to be desired. There must be a better way.

For the shows I was shut out of, I hit the "buy that shit now" buttons within 2-3 seconds of tickets becoming available. I was following the US Naval Observatory Master Clock Time, for crissakes!!! Not to mention that having seen the Grateful Dead almost 90 times and Phish almost 50 times, I've done the giant rock concert ticket buying frenzy a few times before. Definitely not a novice. And yet, I was shut out of every internet order I tried to make except for The Gorge. Red Rocks? Ha! Merriweather, my home venue, for which I preordered? No lottery! No regular ticket sale! No soup for you! If it wasn't for my buddy, I would have been shut out of a venue that's less than 30 minutes from my front door. He waited in line at our local ticket outlet and got two lawns.

I don't know what is the best way to ensure that more phans and less scalpers get tickets. But, there must be a better way. And before you say imprinted names on tickets, imagine the lines getting into a show if each ticket needed to be checked against a name. Or think of waiting in line while 15,000 hippies and freaks try to find their drivers licenses and credit cards? No thanks.

Wilson, King of Prussia, I lay this hate on *you*.


I saw you with a ticket stub in your hand!