dclegg: Just purchased my tickets! This is the first Ticketmaster pre-sale I've seen where the tickets on offer were actually pretty damn good. IME they usually get rid of the back of the arena seats during the pre-sale.
Then you are doing it wrong. I frequently get front row in the presales.
dclegg: Just purchased my tickets! This is the first Ticketmaster pre-sale I've seen where the tickets on offer were actually pretty damn good. IME they usually get rid of the back of the arena seats during the pre-sale.
Then you are doing it wrong. I frequently get front row in the presales.
The only thing I was "doing wrong" was working under the assumption that pre-sale tickets provided access to the best seats in the venue.
The first time I encountered this disparity was booking tickets for my daughters first gig at Vector Arena (Paramore in 2009). When I searched for tickets the second the pre-sale started, I was presented with tickets towards the rear of the arena, which in my naivety I purchased. When the tickets were opened up to the general public, I searched later that day to see what were available, and was presented with tickets right near the front of the venue. As this was to be my daughter's first concert experience, I was quite disappointed in this, and in my frustration I vented via social media. To the promoter's credit, they contacted me, and arranged to swap our tickets for much better ones right near the front.
This is a pattern I have witnessed in numerous occasions, so I generally now perform a search during the pre-sale, but if the tickets are pretty lame I chance my arm during the general public sales. In my experience this has resulted in much better seats. The only time I don't do this if it is for a high demand event, such as Metallica back in 2009.
dclegg: Just purchased my tickets! This is the first Ticketmaster pre-sale I've seen where the tickets on offer were actually pretty damn good. IME they usually get rid of the back of the arena seats during the pre-sale.
Then you are doing it wrong. I frequently get front row in the presales.
The only thing I was "doing wrong" was working under the assumption that pre-sale tickets provided access to the best seats in the venue.
The first time I encountered this disparity was booking tickets for my daughters first gig at Vector Arena (Paramore in 2009). When I searched for tickets the second the pre-sale started, I was presented with tickets towards the rear of the arena, which in my naivety I purchased. When the tickets were opened up to the general public, I searched later that day to see what were available, and was presented with tickets right near the front of the venue. As this was to be my daughter's first concert experience, I was quite disappointed in this, and in my frustration I vented via social media. To the promoter's credit, they contacted me, and arranged to swap our tickets for much better ones right near the front.
This is a pattern I have witnessed in numerous occasions, so I generally now perform a search during the pre-sale, but if the tickets are pretty lame I chance my arm during the general public sales. In my experience this has resulted in much better seats. The only time I don't do this if it is for a high demand event, such as Metallica back in 2009.
As you say, your assumption was wrong (and it says so in multiple places usually, e.g. "A pre-sale is an opportunity to secure tickets prior to the General Public, not a preferential seating service. A selection of seating throughout the venue is made available for pre-sales." or similar).
I'm just pointing out that the assertion that they use presales to "get rid of the back of the arena seats" is false. There is a "selection of seating throughout the venue" and it is certainly possible to score great seats in the presale. It's also possible to score better seats in the general sale, of course. All the seats on sale in the presale are not better than all of the seats in the general sale. The only exception to this would be certain fanclub presales and even then you can usually still get good tickets close to show day.
As for this presale, given that there are still pretty decent tickets left, I would say either you got luckier than normal, or probably the demand is lower, so you were able to grab the presales allotment of "good" tickets before they were snapped up by somebody with faster fingers. :)
bazzer: I'm just pointing out that the assertion that they use presales to "get rid of the back of the arena seats" is false.
Yes, that's a fair point. In my experience it has worked out that presale tickets have been ones at the rear of the venue, but of course it is a stretch for me to claim that they are always explicitly and purposely used in this manner.
Got my tickets too :) May have made an error however! Initially got seats in row 1(!) but decided would would rather be in tiered seating, so gave them up in favour of row J, third row back of tiered seating. Now rethinking my decision of course!
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